During the workgroup sessions at DebConf, among other points we agreed
that we would form clearer subteams for related tasks, and clarify
subteam responsibilities. These "subteams" would group together related
tasks, while avoiding overlapping roles between subteams to simplify
decision-making processes. We agreed that all “global” team members
should belong to a subteam. (See
https://wiki.debconf.org/wiki/DebconfOrganizationWorkingGroup#Meeting_.234:_August_30th_2014
for an outline of the discussion )
The first step in the agreed meta-timeline was to "Agree list of
subteams and responsibilities" at the start of October. Since this
hasn't happened yet, let's start a discussion now.
Here is an initial draft possible subteam list for further discussion
and modification:
- Content: schedule scheme, CFP, talk/session selection and scheduling,
inviting guest speakers, anything related to the content of the
conference
- Facilities: accommodation, food, venue negotiations and venue
arrangements, including for social events: cheese and wine, formal
dinner, day trip, and any other semi-formal gathering
- Infrastructure: sysadmin (within DSA as well as debconf.org services,
website and summit included), on-site network and videoteam
- Finance: fundraising (intersecting with wider Debian fundraising
team), budget agreement, accounting, bursaries
- Participant assistance: frontdesk, registration, visa, volunteer
recruitment during conference period, answering general requests from
participants and volunteers.
- Coordination: keeping track of overall timelines (though each subteam
should also be doing this), "poker" role, watch for problems in subteams
-- this team would include the DebConf chairs as members
Notes
- This draft comes from collaborative editing with Tassia and Tincho.
But we disagree on some minor points in our individual preferred
versions. :)
- Each subteam would effectively have its own subteams within it (each
subteam can organise itself as it wishes) -- no one can be forced to
work on tasks they're not interested in, and within each subteam we
would need people to lead on specific tasks. But we agreed in the
workgroup sessions that we need a more compact list of first-level
subteams than at present (5±2?).
- Each of these subteams would include new "local team" members each
year alongside others with more experience. (At minimum each subteam
should have one "local team" member as a liaison, but we would expect
some of the "local team" to be interested in each of these areas
anyway.)
- Fundraising should ideally happen through a shared Debian team, but
we still need some DebConf people to track it ... and probably need a
continuing input of DebConf people to work hard to make it happen. At
the same time, the people who are thinking about DebConf fundraising are
usually the ones who have the best idea about how we should be
budgeting, so it makes sense to put these tasks together in a subteam.
- There is some argument in favour of putting the video team as a first
level subteam. But this year we had trouble since its
network/infrastructure needs weren't known and taken into account in
time, so it perhaps makes sense to put it into a subteam which will
aggregate a list of our hardware/network needs in advance of the
conference period.
Open questions
- What tasks have been forgotten in the list above, and where would
they fit in?
- Are there tasks you think should be moved between the subteams
above/to a new subteam?
- Are the subteam names above OK or too neutral so that they aren't
understandable any more? (Can you think of better ones?)
- Should we have a separate "Communication" team, with {press and PR,
website content, publishing the CFP and general announcements, dealing
with feedback@dc}? There could be benefits, but equally I worry about
trying to create our own version of the Debian publicity team, and about
going against the "avoid overlapping roles between subteams", since
other teams would have to work closely with this one if it is to have a
real purpose.
- In the slightly longer term, should we make subteam leads
automatically/ex-officio become members of the DebConf Committee, for
venue decisions etc.?
--
Moray
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