Documentation team lead

Hi, :slight_smile:

The documentation team currently has no lead, and, IMHO, we are unable
to function effectively like this. To make some *effective* progress
with producing the large amount of documentation that is currently
lacking, someone needs to become acting documentation team lead until
such time that TDF makes an official appointment.

I have 25 years of professional experience working with technical
documentation. I have only been involved in LibreOffice since the TDF
launch, but I have been doing some writing, proofreading and reviewing
for the project over the past couple of months. I am concerned and
care about the current state of inactivity and disarray in
documentation work.

I offer to taken on the leadership and coordination of the team until
that time. Florian Effenberger has agreed to grant me wiki
administrator rights, so I will be able to do things such as
reorganize the documentation pages, move pages, protect pages, delete
pages, undelete pages and various other actions necessary for
establishing a workflow for the docs team.

I plan to organize regular team phone conferences, and to listen
carefully to the ideas and opinions that team members voice. But then,
after that, when a decision needs to be taken in order to allow
tangible progress with the team's work, I plan to announce a decision
and to proceed with whatever action is necessary to make it happen.

Obviously, I can't do all the work by myself, and I am hoping that
team members will feel that it's worthwhile to cooperate and
contribute, and that a significant number of you will also take part
in the work with me.

If anyone feels that they are better qualified to take on this role,
and is willing to put significant time and work into the project to
make things really start happening, then please do speak up, and we
can let meritocracy and natural democracy decide the issue. If there
are other candidates, we can organize a vote by team members. (Let's
define a team member as someone who speaks up in this thread, and who
is willing to actually work on documentation, not just lurk silently
or unproductively flame and distract the debate.)

I have already approached some SC members. They told me that the
organization is not yet there to make any official appointment, but
that there is no reason why I can't take on the role on an acting
basis, if I can convince team members to work with me. So I have
*some* kind of tacit approval to try and make this work. Let's say
that my understanding is that they will stand back and watch what
develops. And then at a later date they will make their official
decisions as they see fit. But this is certainly *not* an
officially-approved initiative.

I want to provoke a response from as many of you as possible. :slight_smile:

If you support my "coup d'etat", respond with +1.

If you feel you're a better candidate, then please speak up and tell
us *why* and what your concretely propositions are. In that case, I
hope you're willing to back that up by contributing lots of active
work and time to the project. Because I promise that *I* am.

If you actively disapprove of my initiative, then respond with -1.

If you lurk and say nothing, I will consider that I have your tacit approval.

Please can *all* concerned documentation workers please speak up?
(Idle flamers and trolls, please refrain from adding unproductive
noise to this discussion.)

David Nelson

Hi David,

David Nelson wrote (06-12-10 09:54)

The documentation team currently has no lead, and, IMHO, we are unable
to function effectively like this. To make some *effective* progress
with producing the large amount of documentation that is currently
lacking, someone needs to become acting documentation team lead until
such time that TDF makes an official appointment.

[...]
If you support my "coup d'etat", respond with +1.

+1

Cor

+1

Jean

Hi David,

Hi, :slight_smile:

[...]

I plan to organize regular team phone conferences, and to listen
carefully to the ideas and opinions that team members voice. But then,
after that, when a decision needs to be taken in order to allow
tangible progress with the team's work, I plan to announce a decision
and to proceed with whatever action is necessary to make it happen.

That's great! I like this idea to have regular conferences. :wink:

[...]

If you support my "coup d'etat", respond with +1.

+1

Sigrid

It is only a coup if there is someone to overthrow.
+1

Hi David,

Hope after the coup you will prove a benevolent dictator!

+1

+1

+1

Hello David,

I offer to taken on the leadership and coordination of the team until
that time. Florian Effenberger has agreed to grant me wiki
administrator rights, so I will be able to do things such as
reorganize the documentation pages, move pages, protect pages, delete
pages, undelete pages and various other actions necessary for
establishing a workflow for the docs team.

+1

Hello cats, :slight_smile:

I've been observing things, and I think that the current documentation
contributors are not really ready and willing for a "team lead" at the
present time. Nor, even, is TDF ready to appoint one. A "team lead"
could only really operate effectively with an official mandate from
the future TDF board of directors. We'll see what happens in that
respect in due course.

I think what I can more usefully do is to offer myself as an "acting
central contact".

I can be there to be contacted by and liaise with outside parties
wanting to make contact with docs people. Then I can relay
communication to the docs team, and channel back any reactions from
docs contributors.

I can act as a spokesperson for the docs team, when needed, by
listening to the docs contributors and gaging the general
consensus/streams of opinion and relaying that to outside parties (the
SC, etc.).

I can be there for docs contributors needing guidance or a central
figure to communicate with about their contributions. In particular,
if you have a wiki-related problem, I have full admin powers and am
there to help you out. Same applies for the upcoming LibreOffice
website.

As to whether I can take any decision or action affecting the docs
contributors as a whole will depend on particular cases and the degree
of consensus between the docs team members, plus will also need
underwriting or tacit approval by the SC. There would always have to
be prior discussion among the docs team contributors.

I am still thinking hard about the subject of a workflow (at least
*provisional*), and I'm listening hard to what I read from you all.
However, ideas are starting to shape up in my mind. I'll be making
proposals when I arrive at what seems to be a workable system.

I hope this has your general approval/acceptance. Judging from the
feedback on and off-list, I'm *guessing* it will...

David Nelson
"LibreOffice documentation team acting central contact"

RRRRRRRRRRR!!!

First of all let me get this straight:

If the Drupal site did NOT get the approval as the permanent vehicle for the community, then what IS the relationship between the current Silverlight and the Drupal sites?

Are we supposed to check the Silverlight site (or the Drupal site) and suggest improvements?
I mean, where is my scratchpost??

What is the roadmap?
Where can I find a policy document on this?

- A Confused Cat.

Hi Narayan, :slight_smile:

RRRRRRRRRRR!!!

First of all let me get this straight:

If the Drupal site did NOT get the approval as the permanent vehicle for the community, then what IS the relationship between the current Silverlight and the Drupal sites?

Are we supposed to check the Silverlight site (or the Drupal site) and suggest improvements?
I mean, where is my scratchpost??

What is the roadmap?
Where can I find a policy document on this?

- A Confused Cat.

That subject is *OT* for this thread... *please* start a *new* thread
on this subject. :wink:

David Nelson

David,
You have described most of what I think of as a team lead's role, so IMO
you are, in effect, the "acting team lead".

However, it sounds like you think that role should be more managerial.
Perhaps that is because you come from a work situation where team
members are required to follow their manager's lead? My experience has
been more with groups of volunteers, where motivating people is high on
the list for a leader but there is less expectation that people will
carry out the leader's decisions.

BTW, I recommend a book to everyone: Jono Bacon's _The Art of Community_
(free PDF available from http://www.artofcommunityonline.org/get/ --
scroll down to the bottom to find the link). I try to follow the
principles, but I don't think I'm very good at leading and motivating
volunteers... which is probably why I end up doing so much of the work
at OOo myself, and one of the reasons why I don't want to take up that
role here.

--Jean