Re: [Debconf-team] Team Roles

[Jonathan Carter <jcarter@linux.com>]

On 12/10/2015 14:16, martin f krafft wrote:
> also sprach Jonathan Carter <jcarter@linux.com> [2015-10-12 13:11 +0200]:
> > Do I understand correctly that
> > https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebConf16/LocalTeamRoles will no longer be
> > used?
> >
> > It looked really useful to me but there has been some who didn't
> > like it, if we're not going to use it then I'd rather remove the
> > page and the link to it from the mediawiki sidebar.
>
> I think it depends on what we want to use it for. It's useful as
> a directory linking tasks to people who at one point in time
> expressed an interest or claimed a competency regarding a task.

Yes, and that's all it needs to be. AFAIK we don't really have any other 
good way of knowing who has been interested in which kind of work. I was 
also saddened to hear from someone last week that they've already been 
contacted to ask about a day trip to their venue... I had no idea of 
this from the DC side and I knew a daytrip wouldn't work there and 
wasn't too happy that this is happening without me even knowing about it 
even though I signed up for that department. I know we all have 
different standards and ethics and ways of working but I expected better 
and didn't know how to deal with it.

> The table is also an overview of (some of) the tasks that need
> doing, but it's incomplete and missing a lot of information, such as
> interdependencies, priorities, and deadlines.
>
> The timeline-based approach we tried so far goes a little into this
> direction. However, a timeline on the wiki when we already know we
> can expect delays and certain tasks depend on others isn't
> particularly useful (as it'll get outdated quickly).
>
> Maybe it's time that we investigate project management tools? This
> could be as simple as a Kanban, and as complex as a Gantt chart.

Kanban can be useful... but none of the above tools address the same 
problem that the wiki page does, do they?

> Has anyone worked with such tools and recommend one we could
> install/try out? Maybe something Sandstorm-based? I am really
> interested in pursuing this angle (and could also imagine Odoo doing
> this), but at the moment, my DebConf time is being used up by tying
> up DC15 accounts.

Every big project I've seen with Gantt charts turned into long large 
meetings about how to keep the Gantt chart happy and updated. If you'd 
want to use such a thing I won't stop you, but I wouldn't want to be any 
part of it.

> Once we have this "glue" documenting the process, then indexing to
> the wiki for task descriptions (and to amass "institutional
> knowledge" about a task) and also team member profiles would be
> really useful, IMHO.

Indeed, I also think that team member profiles would definitely be 
useful, but it also won't quite give an overview of who'd like to be 
involved with what as that wiki page could. So I still don't think that 
doing away with that wiki page is optimal (although it would only be 
useful if we actually use it).

-Jonathan