Projects/OKFreview/OKF use cases

= OKF use cases =

Here are some user stories to help define OKF use cases. I have given a situation, a question, and some answers for each story. I know some further answers are available via content on OKF sites, and I will continue to update.

Perhaps providing these answers will generate some FAQ that will be useful for guiding users to the right content / people at the OKF, thus allowing for further scalability in OKF processes.

OKF use cases - diagram

Joining project / working group discussions
Situation: I want to find out more about the OKF and what they are working on, and possibly get involved.

Question: How do I do so?

Answer: I see from the current list of projects at ] that I can read documentation, get code, sign up to mailing lists and so on for any project that I am interested in. I can also find more information by following the links at the [Get Involved This is great. As long as all necessary contact points are listed on the project page, I can take part however I see fit.

Taking part in an OKF project
Situation: I have been following a project for a while now, or an OKF project I have just read about coincides with my interests and personal projects. I want to get involved to a greater level.

Question: How can I do more than take part in discussions / working groups? How do I become a person of responsibility for a given project?

Answer: The governance page explains that each project is autonomous and self managing. Therefore, getting involved further in a specific project is a matter to take up further with the contact for that project. As long as project pages on the OKF site are kept up to date, this should be straightforward.

Incubating a new project with the OKF
Situation: I have some ideas for a project that may be interesting to the OKF. I would like to discuss it further and see who else is interested, perhaps find out if it is worth continuing with it.

Question: How do I do so, and what commitments would be expected of my project?

Answer: OKF projects must adhere to some principles in order to qualify. These are explained on the governance and vision pages, and are noted on the project proposal page, and the new project wiki page. A project can be incubated by following the project proposal information.

requires clarification - If a project becomes large - are there extra requirements?

Making a project into a current OKF project
Situation: I have my own project / I work on a project / I have been incubating a project that is in line with the OKF ethos. It meets the requirements of an OKF project, and I would like to make my project an OKF project.

Question: How can I get my project accepted and listed on the OKF projects page?

Answer: The OKF Governance page gives some details about the role of the co-ordination group, including that they are responsible for creating and closing projects. Therefore, it should be possible to get a project started by approaching the co-ord group. The project should be proposed via the project proposal page, and the co-ord group accept and create a listing for the project on the OKF site. Then the listing must be updated and managed by the project proposer / leader / manager.

Reporting on a current project
Situation: I am the project manager / person responsible for a current OKF project. I want to make sure that I am doing all that is needed to keep my project going, and to keep people informed of how it is doing.

Question: What reporting requirements must my project meet, and if my project runs into difficulties where I can look for help?

Answer: Each OKF project is autonomous and can be managed as desired by the project group. The only requirements are that a project must have a page on the OKF site definitively listing all the sources of further material about the project, providing contact details for the manager of the project, and explaining a bit about the project. Each project manager should sign up to the OKF co-ord group too.

requires clarification - is more expected of a larger project? are there recommendations? is assistance available?

Completing a current project
requires some clarification

Situation: I have been responsible for an OKF project, and it is now coming to a close. I want to provide feedback on the outcome of the project, and what it was like to be working on an OKF project. I also want to ensure that the ongoing output of whatever was developed by my project (e.g. a website, a piece of software) continues to be linked to the OKF, so that people who may want to read about or make use of it can do so.

Question: What is the process for closing an OKF project?

Answer: The OKF co-ord group are responsible for opening and closing projects. The project listing on the OKF site should be updated with a link to a report about the outcome of the project, and the OKF co-ord group should be made aware that the project is finished. The project listing link should then be removed from the OKF site projects page, and a new link should be added to a completed / abandoned / failed projects list, as appropriate. If the completed project provides ongoing useful functionality for other OKF projects, it can be linked to as appropriate.

Helping the OKF
Situation: I note that the OKF run various systems to keep the foundation going. I would like to help managing those systems, or even in some other way. I may be a volunteer, I may be looking for experience, or I may be offering my time in return for payment.

Question: What work can the OKF offer me, and what experience / payment will I gain from it?

Answer: The OKF is mostly run on a volunteer basis. To see how you can get involved, check out the Get Involved page.

requires clarification - There could be some paid positions - these should be described on the governance page where they exist. OKF vacancies will be advertised somewhere.

requires clarification - Individual projects may be able to advertise work further details should be available via the information linked from the project listing.

Joining the OKF co-ord / board groups
Situation: I would like to help at a more in-depth level with managing the OKF. Alternatively, I have tried to start / affiliate a project with the OKF, but I am not getting a very quick response. Either way, I want to increase the management capacity of the OKF by adding myself to the co-ord group or the board.

Question: How do I get onto the co-ord group or the board?

Answer: Any OKF project must have a leader / representative, and these should join the OKF co-ord group. If you are attempting to start a new project that is currently incubating or is already established outside the OKF, you should contact the co-ord group. The co-ord group may also contain a project co-ordinator and one member of the board.

requires clarification - If there is insufficient capacity available on the group to get your project started, you could join the group to put forward the case for your project and have it brought up to current status.

requires clarification - how does someone sign up to the co-ord group?

requires clarification - how does someone join the board, or is it closed?

Co-ordinating OKF projects
Situation: The co-ord group, which contains a member of each OKF project plus a co-ordinator and a board member, needs to stay up to date with each OKF project, and be able to report to the board.

Question: How does the co-ord group manage this?

Answer: The project co-ordinator should keep in contact with each other co-ord member, and check that project definitive lists are up to date. By ensuring information is discoverable that way, the co-ordinator can form an overview of each project. The co-ordinator should then make regular reports to the board, and should communicate any feedback to relevant projects.

requires clarification - if an individual project requires additional project management assistance, would the co-ord group be able to provide suggestions for how to manage this? If a project definitive list is not being kept up to date, what suggestions can be made to help? what would the outcome be for a project that failed to keep this up to date?

Hiring the OKF to some contractual commitment
Situation: I want to hire the OKF in some way - either to manage or support some piece of software, or to dedicate time to developing some functionality.

Question: On what basis can the OKF or members of the OKF be hired for these purposes? If such hiring takes place, what offers / guarantees / commitments can the OKF make in return for payment? Also considering donations, can a person giving money to the OKF expect any sort of commitment in return for that donation?

Answer: The position on donations is made clear on the website. Donations do not confer any privileges. Individual members of the OKF can be hired directly on their own terms - the OKF places no constraint upon them.

requires clarification - Some OKF projects are funded - this is handled on a per-project basis, and is an internal matter for a particular project.

requires clarification - Financial information about the OKF itself - which is separate from the running of individual projects - is available in the annual reports on the OKF website.