* Laura Arjona Reina <larj...@debian.org> [2019-03-29 14:23]: > There are some teams in Debian that focus in areas similar to the > DPL tasks and allow people to make a difference in the project > working on them, without the need - and the burden? or the > satisfaction? - of being a DPL.
> What are your views on this? I think that's a very good question and one that I'm struggling with. I've been working on putting together a list of things I'd like to do, but a lot of them could actually be done by existing teams. So 1) why don't I just join these teams, and 2) what additional value would I provide as DPL (that I couldn't provide by joining the team without being DPL). [ Having said that, the next step of compiling a list of tasks is identifying who can do them; it doesn't have to be me in all cases... sometimes you just need to ask someone or delegate. ] I'm still trying to figure out what the right balance is. However, I believe the DPL can in some cases give more "leverage" to these teams, for example by opening doors. Some companies might be more likely to respond to the project leader than a partners team (but that doesn't mean the DPL would have to do all the work; they could open the door to introduce the partners team). Same with publicity/press where the DPL should obviously work in close cooperationg on the overall communication strategy and in finding opportunities to engage. frontdesk, MIA: I don't see much conflicting overlap with the DPL there. Events: obviously the DPL will attend events, but no DPL can attend all events so again this is an opportunity to bring other people in (I previously mentioned our "speakers" page, which needs some attention). Treasury: the DPL can emphasize the importance of getting financial reports out, e.g. by recruiting more volunteers to the team and putting more pressure on TOs to supply the data needed. So, to summarize, I agree with the challenges you describe. I am not 100% sure how I would approach them in practice in all cases, but overall I'd try to work closely with existing teams instead of going on my own, give direction and open doors. ("Give direction" shouldn't sound too top-down here; obviously the teams have more experience in theirs areas than the DPL in many cases and the DPL should listen closely to what they say; but obviously every DPL also brings along a vision for the project and that may influence some priorities of teams.) It would be interesting to hear what previous DPLs have done that worked for the various teams and what made them feel less motivated (without going into details on who the DPL was). -- Martin Michlmayr https://www.cyrius.com/