Network-Centric Resources LifeCycles Draft


WE HAVE A NEW VERSION!

In the last half of 2017, we ran several workshops in places like MozFest and Aspiration’s NPDev Summit to get better insights into the steps needed to develop Network-Centric Resources. Initially, we discussed it regarding ‘workflows’ but realised we needed a better metaphor to get people to understand the complexities and nuance required to assure resources can reach their potentials. We started to work with ‘recipe’ as a metaphor, but several workshop participants pointed out how that implies a linear process when there are several cycles and stages involved.

We arrived at ‘LifeCycles’ because the stages of birth, infancy, youth, and maturity seem applicable. How long a resource lives very much depends on how nourished and healthy it is. Fulfillment of its purpose might indicate time to stop development (Death). Preparation for an afterlife, in the form of repurposing or reuse of content, should be considered.

We are posting this as a draft to solicit feedback. Does this make sense? Can it be improved? What is missing? Please leave a comment. We also have a version for commenting on Google Docs.

Here’s what we see the Network-Centric Resource LifeCycle as looking like:

Pre-Conception

  • Understanding how a network/community is trying to achieve change and what it needs are in connection to that.
  • Articulation of how the resource will solve a community/network problem
  • Development of User Personas that detail how individuals will interact with and use the resource
  • Research of what already exists with key questions
    • how has this problem been solved elsewhere?
    • what might be relevant?
    • where is there potential for learning?

Conception

  • Set purpose statement/goals for the resource
  • Development of outlines/wireframes/mockups
    • Solicit feedback
  • Establish a process for decision making (Governance)
  • Create an advisory group from users
  • Drafting of content
    • Solicit feedback
  • Incorporate feedback and revise

Birth (Launch)

  • Create Outreach Plan
  • Make sure contributors are credited
  • Have a Plan to track and learn from usage
  • Set evaluation metrics
  • Identify appropriate licensing for reuse/modification

Infancy

  • Continue to refine and implement outreach plan
  • Solicit feedback
  • Improve evaluation metrics

Youth

  • monitor, track and learn from usage/interaction
  • Continue to refine and modify
  • Identify core/ most useful content to community
  • enable reuse/modification

Maturity

  • refine useful content
  • Release new ‘versions’ based on significance of revisions

Death

  • Articulate how its purpose was fulfilled or reasons to cease development
  • Ensure content is available to users
  • Put content in repositories (ie, Github) for others to use.

AfterLife/Rebirth

  • Repurposing and reuse by other networks and communities