Definition of a Transition Project for the PSE project
What makes a 'Transition Project' for the purposes of the Project Sharing Engine project? There was a fair amount of talk about it at the webmasters group meeting in London in November, and we've been discussing it ever since as we moved to the first design phase.
It's not very straightforward as there are no clear boundaries in or out of Transition and the projects associated to it. As well as that, when we open the widget up for use on a wide array of websites, we need to be pragmatic and inclusive at the same time - so not excluding projects that aren't pure 'Transition' projects, but establishing some method of identifying them.
How about this?
Definition: what is a project for the Transition Project Sharing Engine project?
Any project can be added to the Transition Network Projects Sharing Engine via widgets on participating websites.
Participating websites have to be registered as Initiative Websites on the Transition Network Initiatives Directory. But anyone can add a project through these widgets. And not all of those projects will be strictly 'Transition Projects', nor is it clear what a 'Transition project' is.
Therefore the person submitting their project information via a widget on an initiative website will be asked to identify whether the project is directly related to that Transition Initiative or not, with a simple check box. This will set a 'flag' on the project item they add, and those that are specifically related to Transition Initiatives will be identified as 'Transition Projects', those that are not will be seen as 'Other'. This flag can be reset by the submitter, initiative webmaster, or Transition administrator at a later date.
Ed is the 'Web: projects and strategy' person for Transition Network. This means that he works on strategic and special projects work for Transition Network about linking up all the Transition Initiative websites without them having to come to the main site all the time for updates and news. He lives in Bristol, likes digging and climbing, growing vegetables and reading, bicycles and books, swimming, camping and generally being outdoors.
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I'm also struggling with
13 December 2011 - 12:37pm — Richard WalterI'm also struggling with "what is a project" since TTs do lots of activities, some ongoing some with a defined end point. With my PM hat on, only those with a defined end point would be projects. So are we limiting this exercise finite activities?
Examples: We held a Transition festival. It was an event, but it was planned, organised, happened, ended & reviewed. So that's a project?
We attended many other organisations events with a stand during the summer. Neither project of strictly Transition?
The In-Stitches group meet regularly, hold workshops, put on displays, organise courses. So that's not a project?
The Glos Community Energy Coop (linked to TTC) have installed solar panels just in time to beat the FiT reduction, so that's a project but not strictly a Transition Project? But we (TTC leading + The Coop) are going on to apply for LEAF funding to do energy poverty alleviation and other measures. So it then becomes a series of Transition projects?
Your definition is of a method to flag a TT project, but doesn't help define one!
I think the idea of the widget is to share TT activities, whether strictly projects or not. ie to share ideas, lessons learned (I posted ours from the festival) and best practice which are relevant to Transition. Perhaps if they meet that criteria we don't need to worry whether they are either "transition" or "project".
Richard
Further thoughts
16 December 2011 - 1:18am — Ed Mitchellfrom other email conversations:
We need to see this as three parts:
1. a project is ... (domain definition of a Transition project)
2. a project item in the PSE is... (information architecture)
3. the process for managing a project item in the PSE is... (workflow)
And for #1, here's a nice suggestion from Ben Brangwyn
A project is a bite-sized chunk of work with its own identity that you are currently engaged upon (or you've just finished) and that can be replicated by others. The reason you're writing about it is so that others can be inspired by it and replicate it, usually remoulding it to their own unique local circumstances. It can be ongoing (eg GardenShare) or time-bounded (eg Tisbury Clean Up Week).
It's not: a training course, a website, a set of opinions, a book (unless perhaps a community created book involving all the local schoolkids that maps green initiatives in your area), a sponsored ride (unless perhaps a 6-month story-telling journey from one Transition group to another), an idea, a movie (unless perhaps a community-crafted movie involving oral histories of local people). It can be something that makes money (eg community shop) or not (eg GardenShare).
I think the definition of how
5 January 2012 - 9:20pm — Paul MackayI think the definition of how to add a project sounds pretty good. Ben's definition also, but perhaps the wording of what it not a project needs refining a bit!
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