FKI:Strategy/Modus operandi

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The FKI consists of a core team supported by a distributed network of partners and contributors working on various activities. In order to accommodate diverse groups collaborating on tasks of varying complexity and urgency, the following principles have been established:

Shared Purpose

We begin with a clear vision for the FKI and a shared understanding of its goals. The Map of Intermediate Objectives (IO Map) serves to detect needs to guide in designing, selecting and prioritising activities.

Flexibility

Our partners are diverse in terms of culture, positions held, experience, interests, language, geographical location, time zones, and have different levels of commitment or participation: activities vary from informal volunteer support to formalised project work. Hence, almost all our interactions are conducted with a combination of synchronous (usually IRC) and asynchronous (e.g. via wikis and forums) communication to maximise benefits.

Collaboration

When needed, and especially when there is a sense of urgency, we facilitate focused goal-directed face-to-face, teleconference and/or IRC interactions using free software tools to enable and record the interactions on-the-fly. Examples include free software for VoIP such as Ekiga, IRC tools, MediaWiki, LibreOffice with change tracking, etc. In order to assist the community and teams, services like mailing lists and web-based platforms, most noticeably the FTA Campus environment and the community platform are run on our servers.

Besides to facilitating participation and transparency, such services streamline recording of proceedings and enable involvement by others who are not able to be physically present at the time. The Induction Manual summarises various available tools.

Shared values

Our values - also expressed in our Founding Principles - drive all our activities, and while we respect everyone's freedom of expression, our Code of Conduct suggests ways of being and behaving to maximise productive interaction.

Communication

As indicated in the IO Map above, communication is central to this strategy and merits a separate document. See Communication Strategy.