[Debconf-team] DebConf discussion: Venue bid process
This message tries to summarise the existing DebConf bid
process/decision process. I would like you all to think about:
(a) where there are mistakes and significant gaps in the summary,
compared to what really happened in previous years;
(b) what improvements we could make to the process in the future.
Hopefully then we can generate some documentation on the status quo,
and some ideas for how to do things better!
Draft summary of DebConf venue bid process
- Bid teams are invited to describe their proposals at DebConfN-2.
This is not a hard requirement, but is helpful to everyone working on
DebConf. Bid teams themselves can benefit from this as a milestone to
encourage progress, and as an opportunity to gather comments and
suggestions before their proposals become too firm.
- Bid teams submit proposals before the end of that year. Teams are
free to submit additional materials, but the core of a bid is a set of
responses to the location checklist
(http://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/LocationCheckList). Bids should be
posted to the DebConf wiki, and announced on the DebConf mailing list.
- Once a bid has been posted, everyone is encouraged to read the
checklist responses, and to ask questions about them on the
debconf-team list. Bid teams should give any additional information
requested (perhaps updating their bid pages in the wiki). Bid teams
remain free to change aspects of their bids in response to questions
and suggestions, but at this stage details should be researched
immediately for any new proposals, so that it remains possible to see
full and accurate bid information, including costs.
- Dates and times for the venue decision meetings are arranged, in
consultation with the bid teams.
- Before venue decision meeting 1: Bid teams send a status update to
the mailing list, including again pointers to their materials (their
completed checklist, any other team website, etc.).
- Venue decision meeting 1: Questions to teams, if there are still
unanswered issues. Questions from teams about the process, and about
what others suggest they try to do on any uncertain aspects or
potential problems.
- After venue decision meeting 1: Bid teams answer questions on the
mailing list, where they weren't already answered during the meeting.
(E.g. more specific cost details that had been missing.) Others raise
any new questions or ask for clarifications as necessary.
- Before venue decision meeting 2: Bid teams again send status
updates, with pointers to any additional materials since the first
meeting.
- Venue decision meeting 2:
* Quick introduction from each team, and quick questions to each
team -- ideally by now everyone should already be clear on the bid
statuses.
* Bid teams describe how their bid meets each of the points on the
priority list (http://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/PriorityList).
* Bid teams describe weak points in their own bids.
* Bid teams describe strong points in other bids.
* Then we work through the priority list, considering where bids are
stronger than each other.
* A decision is made. Even if there's already agreement on each
bid's advantages, this isn't simply a mathematical calculation: some
aspects are more important than others.
- We thank all the bids for their hard work, and begin a new phase of
hard work with the winning bid.
- The winning team participate in organising DebConfN-1, before we all
turn our attention to DebConfN itself.
--
Moray
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