In case you’re not aware, my name is Hans Dekker. I took the title of Project Manager for Gnomepal a couple of weeks ago. And ever since, I’ve been working to create some structure for the Gnomepal project. This post informs you of my progress.

Here’s the short overview:

• I created a Long Term Road Map
• I created a Short Term Road Map
• I created an Organizational Chart
• I created an overview of different online locations we're using and their functions.

And you'll find them all here.

If you read the last one, you'll realize this post will eventually be moved to dev.gnomepal.org.

Let’s go back...

A few weeks ago, we all realized we needed more structure. We just didn’t know how. There was talk of a roadmap. But what's a Road Map?

We tried to create one, but it was hard. My feeling was that we were too worried about what Gnomepal needed two years from now – and not enough about what we need to do next week. So I offered to jumped, and Chris was only too willing to hand over the helm ☺. I've since learned why...it's a lot of work!

I started defining how the project could work, what the milestones should be; what the organization should look like. But I soon realized that my skills for organizing were not perfectly honed for this project. I generally work in businesses, large corporations – and that goes with a certain way of working, writing and thinking. But Gnomepal is not a corporation. It’s an open source project with motivated people from all over the globe...people who volunteer their time and efforts to help drive forward something they believe in. And who want to have fun doing it.

I needed to lose some baggage. Bye Bye Microsoft Project. I believe the identity crisis is now over. But when you see me getting all corporate, don’t hold back, okay?

What I’ve been up to

Well, just like you, I don’t do this full time and I was actually finishing up some work for a client so I had to be as effective as possible. What I chose to do was this: meet as many of you personally as I could. I’ve been asking: “what would you like to do?”, “How much time do you have?” as well as the more insane chit-chat that IM usually leads to when you’re me. I started getting more mails and comments. And through our discussions - we became more focussed.

So now we have an organizational chart. I stress again: we're no corporation. Organizations are...well, organic. Us probably more so than others. So it’ll change and keep changing. Call this beta 1 of our organizational chart. I feel this is enough to help us get us moving, however, though your comments are welcomed.

About the Long Term Road Map.

It’s important - nay, crucial - to understand that the process we’re in will only allow itself to be planned up to a point. So please look at this Long Term Road Map as an ambition, rather than a plan set in stone.

On a sidenote, I was able to fulfill my life-long ambition of naming product versions. The names you’re seeing are Beatles-songs. If you don’t like the Beatles, you’re out of luck; and you're obviously out of your mind.

About the Short Term Road Map.

• This is the map where we should be able to see where we are *right now*, what we should be doing next. The process of creating Gnomepal can hopefully be deduced from this road map. If you have questions, let me know.
• The Short Term Milestone Numbers are explained at the end of this post.
• The Admin Overlay Development team has already started
• The next important meeting I need to get moving on is the design / UX team. Expect something SOON
• Within the next weeks I’ll start initiating the teams for the other tracks as well.

Why are the dates on the Short Term Road Map printed so small?

Because we’ve only just started. There’s no way to know how fast we can get going and if that speed will be sustainable. The dates are there to check if or when we’re getting off track for a first delivery during Gnomedex in august. If we start to get off track, we need to somehow deal with that.

What are the milestones on the short term road map?

1. a working, integrated admin page that can turn on/off three or four Social Web Applications at the click of a button (most likely: blogs, forums, wikis and maybe relationships) and that can customize one or two simple options per Application. The module at this milestone is still in a stage of being ‘thrown together’, pretty much ‘unarchitected’. Customizable features are chosen for ease rather than user preference.
2. Usability architected Applications(in essence: documents, wireframes). This includes applications already built into milestone 1). Each description should contain at least: which features should be activated, which should be customizable (and what is the default setting) and how it works together with other applications. This milestone obviously consists of many applications. As we go along, we’ll know how many is realistic to fit into the admin interface – by available development time and available developers.
3. the admin module is now better architected for reliability and managebility / maintainability. Some documentation also exists. The first four Applications are now included according to UX design including ‘several more’ (priorities to be decided based by speed of progress)
4. Usability archited personal page, where all the different social features come together in to one personal page.
5. the profile page service is now integrated into the admin module according to UX-design.

Hey, why isn’t the hosted version of Gnomepal on your development roadmap?

The two technical tasks that are involved with creating a hosted version have no dependencies with the development process. Therefore, it makes sense to plan them separately – and more flexibly.

To be more specific, “Creating a hosted version of Gnomepal” entails:

1. Creating a module that will allow for an automated roll-out of a new gnomepal instance, which can then be managed by a community operator. This automated roll-out should be pretty much the same for any Drupal install, so there is very little dependency between this and the other development. That means we can develop this ‘when we have time’; during the outlined development process – or even afterwards. Prioritization can be done dynamically as the project progresses and as we notice how fast / slow development can be done.
2. Finding a hosting partner and setting up Gnomepal.org sites with them. We are, in fact, working on that right now. Again, there are little to no dependencies (that I can see...) between this and the development of core Gnomepal.

Geez, I don’t want to read all that. What does it all mean for right now?

I’ll be planning several conference calls throughout the next weeks to initiate those development processes and monitor them. Keep an eye on our twitter stream to see if one of those interests you. If I haven’t already invited you, that is.

Why am I in that organizational chart?

Well now, that would be because I asked you, wouldn't it?

Why aren’t I somewhere in that organizational chart?

It can be a gross oversight on my part. Or I’ve tried to reach you over IM but failed. So if you want to help, make sure to drop me a line.

This doesn’t look like anything I’m used to with other open source projects. I want to get started. Where’s the task list?

I would say that once we’ve reached short term milestones 1&2, we’ll have lots of joyful coding to do. Right now, we’re still in the process of becoming something out of nothing. Until we’ve established some semblance of identity and productivity – you’re better off dropping me a line and telling me you’d like to join us.

Comment away!