Ubuntu Touch Audiocast - 027 - "CHIEF EXTRA OFFICER"

joe

Do we need a CEO?
What do we need to progress faster?

Listen to the latest episode and tell us what you think
https://ubports.com/blog/ubports-blog-1/post/ubuntu-touch-audiocast-027-chief-extra-officer-138

libremax

@joe VPN editor do exist :

https://github.com/ubports/ubports-touch/files/1093560/com.ubuntu.developer.pete-woods.vpn-editor_0.3.1_all.zip

See also : https://github.com/ubports/ubuntu-touch/issues/46

But not in openstore: https://forums.ubports.com/topic/1229/vpn-editor-in-open-store

advocatux

@joe that Aborigine - Tibetan crossover moment lol

joe

@libremax Thanks for finding that. I was only looking in the open store

More evidence that a central place for knowing what's being worked on is needed.

joe

@advocatux It's all about the crossover. Once you cross over, there's no turning back Thanks for listening!

joe

I'm starting to realize something. I need long periods of free time in order to create big things. Chipping away 10 minutes a day doesn't work for me. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes just to get in the zone or get set up.

i.e. For people like me, the chance of success is much higher for completing 1 task that takes 100 minutes rather than 10 tasks that take 10 minutes each.

For some it might be the opposite.

What do you think? Do we need more dedication of labor and less division of labor?
e.g. If Marius had the one task of Anbox, and nothing else, do you think that would get completed faster?

This is where a CEO steps in and makes people complete tasks instead of assigning them more tasks to work on simultaneously.

flohack

@joe While I agree that it would be perfect to always just work on one topic, its not the reality:

Sometimes you have to wait for someone´s else work to be completed until you can continue
Working always on the same thing destroy creativity, sometimes you need a change
Urgent stuff always will come in.

So, a CEO should not even tackle any of those things. This needs to be handled by the assigned resource. Otherwise he is doing so called micro management, and that's wasting his time and also the time of the minions below. Everyone has to learn how to manage assigned tasks himself, without being drawn away from a reasonable prioritization and order of exdcution. A CEO can only handle high-level goals, saying "We want xenial first, then Anbox." But it makes no sense for him to pressure people to only do one thing at a time.

joe

@flohack Glad you are in on the discussion This is the kind of information that we need. Reality is the key as you said. So is there a way we can display what is real? We don't want to guess and then point the finger based on some false reality.

Perhaps CEO is the wrong title in this case. I also find it tedious to micromanage. But, how do you keep people accountable to tasks? Or should people be accountable to themselves, as you said?

In other words, is there a place to show all TASKS, and who is doing what? Not sure why github isn't filling this need.

You also hit a good point on the balance between "job" and "creative expression". The forum and telegram are good examples. It's nice when workers are also involved in the discussions and have variance in work. So much of work style is dependent on the individual. At the end of the day though, there need to be tiny goals to push us forward.

I'm the worst for this. So, every day I have write tasks for myself on a whiteboard where people in my office see it and question me about it when I get off task. I still have the freedom to jump around and do other things, but my public declaration of tasks is my "CEO". I cross tasks off when I do them, and I don't move on the next one until the first is done. If something doesn't get done, then no pressure, but understand why and explain why, and carry on.

This is the kind of visual "Reality" that I, personally, would like to see in an online tool. Does anyone know how that might be achieved?

This is what I'm working on today
This is what I've completed today
This tasks depends on [usernames]'s other task
Here is what I failed today, and what I learned

[EDIT] Sometimes we forget to mention that working on this should be fun, too. When it's not fun at all any more, then that's a huge problem.

flohack

I can understand that it is very annoying that we do not show more progress to the outside. But as most of us do not work on UBports for a living, it is also probably not fair to pressure them every day about progress. Some of us squeeze out a little free time, and that boils down to maybe a few minutes to hours per day, but for sure not more than this.

Then, we also dont know who is really in schedule of resources. Some people contribute only one time. Some people do sometimes more, then nothing for months, then they are back. So its really not possible to make management reports about whats happening.

This is a community project, not a company, please keep this in mind.

joe

@flohack said in Ubuntu Touch Audiocast - 027 - "CHIEF EXTRA OFFICER":

This is a community project, not a company, please keep this in mind.

This is fair to say, and I appreciate the clarifications that you have made. Expectations may need adjusting. After all, we have to struggle with regular human things as well. I, however, don't think that a community project is lesser in comparison to a company in any way; it's just different. And if we can harness that difference effectively, then the results will also be effective.

@joe said in Ubuntu Touch Audiocast - 027 - "CHIEF EXTRA OFFICER":

This is the kind of visual "Reality" that I, personally, would like to see in an online tool. Does anyone know how that might be achieved?

This is what I'm working on today
This is what I've completed today
This tasks depends on [usernames]'s other task
Here is what I failed today, and what I learned

In terms of this ^ , I would like to know if such a tool exists for my own work and those working with me.

In the case of community projects and UBports, I think it would be valuable as a way to flag things for help rather than for pressuring people to work. Maybe it could be more "relaxed" and used when action happens rather than when it doesn't:

I'm interested in working on this ________ . Feel free to talk to me if you are too. --> Here's the chat room.
This item needs love ____________.
I got this working today__________. Feel free to review it. / Doesn't need work right now.

But, having a big "wall" /kanban of things that people can post and do/discuss would be a nice big overview CEO thing. Then people can break into teams as be as serious or relaxed as they want.

Could the "unconference" model work for this? (e.g. http://www.communityleadershipsummit.com/)

Could we design an Un-Company in addition to the Community?