Pre-Proposal: Official PR Liaison Officer for

Should we hire PR Liaison for monthly progress reports and formalized project documentation system

  • Yes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
djcrypto

djcrypto

Active member
There is some serious concern in the community that communication is sporadic and placed on the shoulders of Devs, resulting in their time being spent handling questions, as opposed to doing their jobs. We also recognize that the current team is stretched to its limit. We request from Core to hire a PR Officer that presents monthly progress reports/newsletter on aspects of projects, such as the Evolution roadmap, the NZ project, and other integrations/newsworthy items. This will provide guidance and reduce the workload/tension on existing key personnel. We need a formalized update and documentation system. Dash has grown exponentially and so we must keep stakeholders and potential investors apprised of this fast-moving project and job descriptions clear for maximum productivity and morale.

Do you support this action?
Please vote in the poll.
 
I think more than meat bags being hired, I rather go for an authomated system that can generate performance graph reporting, like a KPI. These reports usually drop on the hand of the project manager which is different from the software arquitect or the product manager. However if the organization dont have either, software can do that reporting instead on a semi-automated way some good template on a wiki can do.
I used to work for OpenOffice and you could see some of these reports here. Which went into Relese Cycle, and eventually Marketing will have a feature page.
 
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JZA said:
I think more than meat bags being hired, I rather go for an authomated system that can generate performance graph reporting, like a KPI. These reports usually drop on the hand of the project manager which is different from the software arquitect or the product manager. However if the organization dont have either, software can do that reporting instead on a semi-automated way.
Click to expand...
Would love to see that in the future - at this point I am happy for a 1-2 page document with bullet points. Start simple so it can be successful.
 
a PR officer still needs feedback from the devs
if they are bussy (working , travelling,..) there will still be no feedback from devs to PR officer to ...
kot already has some ideas how to handle updates / announcements better / easier / faster inhouse
just throwing another position out there will not solve the problem in my opinion
 
How about Core Team's secrets to keep advantage in order to compete with other teams?
Because Dash can have multiple teams compete with each other.
 
tungfa said:
a PR officer still needs feedback from the devs
if they are bussy (working , travelling,..) there will still be no feedback from devs to PR officer to ...
kot already has some ideas how to handle updates / announcements better / easier / faster inhouse
just throwing another position out there will not solve the problem in my opinion
Click to expand...

If I know I am going to be away or travelling and my input is required for reporting before months end, I have it on my to do list before I fly out. Because its a part of my job. I know my manager would get the shits if there was an empty spot in his reports month after month.

There is no excuse for not communicating updates and providing info to MNs, investors and the DAO in a professional and standardized way at our market cap. To alleviate @kot to do PM duties and conferences etc the only thing we can think of is throw more resource at it. Not to mention open communication channels between the community and the Core team which needs to happen imo.

By all means if you have some other solution I would love to hear it.
 
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Hi All,

I also agree with what is written above :). Let me provide some context to the situation.

I have not abandoned community and updates - this is a temporary break in this part of my work. The reason to this is mainly connected to other Dash-related activities. I am sitting at the airport at the moment waiting for my flight to Kiev. We are presenting Dash on this conference there: https://kiev.blockchainconf.world/en

In usual situation it would not be an issue to prepare a communication. Current situation is not usual for me - this is my 4th conference during last 30 days (not counting private travels). As our presence in Europe is limited (comparing to US), I have decided to dedicate my time to Dash promotion in European counties this year. September and October became very hectic months, therefore my limited presence outside the development Slack.
After my return from the conference I promise to prepare a project portfolio report and share it with the community.

Let me also share a short update on other major activities we do in background
- we are working on our legal structure (this is to assure full control of the network over our budgets and board through legal channels)
- we are establishing operating company in US
- we work on internal Core Team Structure and governance
- we prepare delivery model and methodology for the team
- we work on full functional and technical documentation of Evolution - DIPs (after it is done, roadmap and project plans will be updated and presented)
- we hire multiple developers and supporting functions
- meantime we drive usual projects and activities
All of the above requires a lot of attention and effort. In combination with conferences and a lot of bizdev activities and integrations, this gives us very little time for proper communication. And believe me - we are aware of this. I would like to ask you for some patience and trust - I hope we have earned this during last years delivering what was promised and increasing value of the project.

Let me also share my feedback about this pre-proposal discussion. In my personal opinion it would be very bad idea to force the team to hire any person by voting. Let me explain why.
- first of all, we don't have a role and office prepared for such person at the moment - this needs to be prepared carefully. I understand motional posts from the forum but this is important responsibility and needs to be treated as such
- the role needs to be described in details and has to fit in the team structure. When you hire a person, he/she needs to know what to do, how to do, when, with whom etc. Are you going to define it on the forum? I guess it is impossible.
- you need to prepare processes for management and evaluation of the results for the role
- the new person would have to collaborate with other team members - so proper structure and communication channels need to be prepared internally
- someone needs to prepare job description, define salary range, post on the job portals, make screening, interview candidates and select proper candidate, then onboard the person and introduce him/her to new duties
All of the above means a lot of time and effort. We are in the middle of other activities and successful voting of this proposal would mean that we are abandoning current activities and work on this. Do you really think it is a good idea?
It is easy to say that we have to hire someone. It is much complicated and time confuming to do that. We know we need to improve the communication. We know we need to hire dedicated person to this. And we will - as soon as current critical tasks and recruitment activities are closed.

PS. Best regards from the Frankfurt airport :)
20171011_094447.jpg

...boarding time :) see you in Kiev
 
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Can we make project website similar to ARK coin one - https://ark.io/roadmap/

There are different projects with steps/stages to achieve and graphical charts to represents the progress. I suppose every project is updated by project manager with in simple manner. No "secret" information is written or needed to show to the community current activity.
 
kot said:
Hi All,

I also agree with what is written above :). Let me provide some context to the situation.

I have not abandoned community and updates - this is a temporary break in this part of my work. The reason to this is mainly connected to other Dash-related activities. I am sitting at the airport at the moment waiting for my flight to Kiev. We are presenting Dash on this conference there: https://kiev.blockchainconf.world/en

In usual situation it would not be an issue to prepare a communication. Current situation is not usual for me - this is my 4th conference during last 30 days (not counting private travels). As our presence in Europe is limited (comparing to US), I have decided to dedicate my time to Dash promotion in European counties this year. September and October became very hectic months, therefore my limited presence outside the development Slack.
After my return from the conference I promise to prepare a project portfolio report and share it with the community.

Let me also share a short update on other major activities we do in background
- we are working on our legal structure (this is to assure full control of the network over our budgets and board through legal channels)
- we are establishing operating company in US
- we work on internal Core Team Structure and governance
- we prepare delivery model and methodology for the team
- we work on full functional and technical documentation of Evolution - DIPs (after it is done, roadmap and project plans will be updated and presented)
- we hire multiple developers and supporting functions
- meantime we drive usual projects and activities
All of the above requires a lot of attention and effort. In combination with conferences and a lot of bizdev activities and integrations, this gives us very little time for proper communication. And believe me - we are aware of this. I would like to ask you for some patience and trust - I hope we have earned this during last years delivering what was promised and increasing value of the project.

Let me also share my feedback about this pre-proposal discussion. In my personal opinion it would be very bad idea to force the team to hire any person by voting. Let me explain why.
- first of all, we don't have a role and office prepared for such person at the moment - this needs to be prepared carefully. I understand motional posts from the forum but this is important responsibility and needs to be treated as such
- the role needs to be described in details and has to fit in the team structure. When you hire a person, he/she needs to know what to do, how to do, when, with whom etc. Are you going to define it on the forum? I guess it is impossible.
- you need to prepare processes for management and evaluation of the results for the role
- the new person would have to collaborate with other team members - so proper structure and communication channels need to be prepared internally
- someone needs to prepare job description, define salary range, post on the job portals, make screening, interview candidates and select proper candidate, then onboard the person and introduce him/her to new duties
All of the above means a lot of time and effort. We are in the middle of other activities and successful voting of this proposal would mean that we are abandoning current activities and work on this. Do you really think it is a good idea?
It is easy to say that we have to hire someone. It is much complicated and time confuming to do that. We know we need to improve the communication. We know we need to hire dedicated person to this. And we will - as soon as current critical tasks and recruitment activities are closed.

PS. Best regards from the Frankfurt airport :)
View attachment 4955

...boarding time :) see you in Kiev
Click to expand...

We know you have not abandoned the updates, we just no longer see it as acceptable that you provide updates whenever you arent busy doing something else. Your time is valueable as a PM and representing Dash at conferences which is what you do an amazing job at, no one is disputing that. We are trying to lighten your workload so you can be better at what you do, without being hassled to constantly provide updates all the time.

Also, this is all about starting to become a mature, professional and well presented multi-BILLION dollar business. By having proper reporting and communication processes in place this will not only increase confidence, keep Core accountable but show potential investors that we are doing things properly. We should be upholding our standards to that of any other multi billion dollar publicly listed company on the stock market.

Communication has been an issue with the core team since 2014, its not new and something that hasnt been improved in 3 years, thats alot of leeway. You list a bunch of reasons as to why we shouldn't hire a PR resource to handle the communications right now as its not a critical priority. When would you say this should be addressed?? When Evolution has hit world stage, multi million dollar investors are looking at our internal structure to see how professional our processes are and the first thing they see is our Core team cant even get an update or communication out the door in a professional manner, let alone inform investors critical information such as delays.

I think this is the perfect time to start addressing these concerns so we can refine and get the processes deeply embedded into Core team before Evolution so we can be ready for the world stage.

p.s I dont expect this to be an overnight fix, its just we need to start somewhere rather than revisiting the same starting point every 6-12 months. Do you have a timeline for when you think you can address this?
 
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kot said:
I would like to ask you for some patience and trust
Click to expand...
No problem for me. track record is top notch.
kot said:
In my personal opinion it would be very bad idea to force the team to hire any person by voting
Click to expand...
Agreed. proposal comes from the unrealistic notion mno can force someone onto team. feels more like concern / chaos trolling to me.
kot said:
It is easy to say that we have to hire someone. It is much complicated and time confuming to do that. We know we need to improve the communication. We know we need to hire dedicated person to this. And we will - as soon as current critical tasks and recruitment activities are closed.
Click to expand...
Good. thank you for all your efforts.
 
I don't think forcing them to hire someone is a good idea. However, if the communication problem isn't fixed by the next time they ask for funding, I personally would be inclined to temporarily defund them until their communication improves.
 
I respect and trust and appreciate the Dev Team. That's not the issue at all. We are not asking the Dev Team to reveal secrets that would help our competitors.

But, as noted by others now and in the past, this is a chronic problem that must be solved.

No, I don't want to "force" the dev team to hire somebody just to have another body with a new title. I understand that is not an effective way to solve the problem. But what other tools do we have?

There have been many instances where the masternode community needed specific information to make informed decisions, and it was like pulling teeth to get even a scrap of information. This is wildly inefficient, and generates absolutely no good will and makes morale noticeably worse.

"Be patient." "Just wait a little bit longer." You must recognize how unsatisfying those answers are. In terms of communications, we need two things:

1. Regular monthly reports on progress, setbacks, breakthroughs, changes in timelines, etc. This does not seem like an unreasonable request.

2. We need an official person on the team who can provide timely information when the masternodes have specific questions that need to be answered in a timely fashion, like a day or two.

I am willing to be patient. I am willing to wait longer. But for how long? IF Core Team will set a deadline for when and describe how this will be improved, that would go a long way towards improving morale and de-escalating the situation. I am willing to accept any reasonable deadline.

Name a deadline and a plan. Problem solved.

Addendum: I'm utterly convinced that the Core Team wants to make this better. I'm not doubting that at all. I'm just concerned that if this is not addressed sooner rather than later, it will turn into a bigger problem. So again, with respect, and with emphasis:

CORE TEAM, PLEASE SET A DEADLINE.
 
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kot said:
Hi All,

I also agree with what is written above :). Let me provide some context to the situation.

I have not abandoned community and updates - this is a temporary break in this part of my work. The reason to this is mainly connected to other Dash-related activities. I am sitting at the airport at the moment waiting for my flight to Kiev. We are presenting Dash on this conference there: https://kiev.blockchainconf.world/en

In usual situation it would not be an issue to prepare a communication. Current situation is not usual for me - this is my 4th conference during last 30 days (not counting private travels). As our presence in Europe is limited (comparing to US), I have decided to dedicate my time to Dash promotion in European counties this year. September and October became very hectic months, therefore my limited presence outside the development Slack.
After my return from the conference I promise to prepare a project portfolio report and share it with the community.

Let me also share a short update on other major activities we do in background
- we are working on our legal structure (this is to assure full control of the network over our budgets and board through legal channels)
- we are establishing operating company in US
- we work on internal Core Team Structure and governance
- we prepare delivery model and methodology for the team
- we work on full functional and technical documentation of Evolution - DIPs (after it is done, roadmap and project plans will be updated and presented)
- we hire multiple developers and supporting functions
- meantime we drive usual projects and activities
All of the above requires a lot of attention and effort. In combination with conferences and a lot of bizdev activities and integrations, this gives us very little time for proper communication. And believe me - we are aware of this. I would like to ask you for some patience and trust - I hope we have earned this during last years delivering what was promised and increasing value of the project.

Let me also share my feedback about this pre-proposal discussion. In my personal opinion it would be very bad idea to force the team to hire any person by voting. Let me explain why.
- first of all, we don't have a role and office prepared for such person at the moment - this needs to be prepared carefully. I understand motional posts from the forum but this is important responsibility and needs to be treated as such
- the role needs to be described in details and has to fit in the team structure. When you hire a person, he/she needs to know what to do, how to do, when, with whom etc. Are you going to define it on the forum? I guess it is impossible.
- you need to prepare processes for management and evaluation of the results for the role
- the new person would have to collaborate with other team members - so proper structure and communication channels need to be prepared internally
- someone needs to prepare job description, define salary range, post on the job portals, make screening, interview candidates and select proper candidate, then onboard the person and introduce him/her to new duties
All of the above means a lot of time and effort. We are in the middle of other activities and successful voting of this proposal would mean that we are abandoning current activities and work on this. Do you really think it is a good idea?
It is easy to say that we have to hire someone. It is much complicated and time confuming to do that. We know we need to improve the communication. We know we need to hire dedicated person to this. And we will - as soon as current critical tasks and recruitment activities are closed.

PS. Best regards from the Frankfurt airport :)
View attachment 4955

...boarding time :) see you in Kiev
Click to expand...

Agree that forcing Core to hire someone is counter-productive and I agree on the fact that setting up some infrastructure to allow improved communications will take time away from other activities.

However, unless you are saying Core is never going to attempt to improve communications then this has to be undertaken at some point.Thus, it makes sense to begin this process now as the closer to we get to Evo release the MORE busy you and other core team members will get. I can only see you guys having less and less time to handle this issue going foward.

IMO, this is a classic "if not now, when" situation.
 
Let us not forget, this is largely a consequence of growing so dang fast. So, while it is a nuisance, it is not unexpected or insoluble.
 
We have a project manager right? Shouldn't our PM be able to fill the role of updates on what's up with Devi?
 
This might not be entirely PR, but from my perspective i think core needs a community manager who coordinates the majority of the communication between core and the various proposal owners and community members. Right now it seems like everyone has various contacts within core and it seems inefficient unless it gets aggregated into a daily or weekly time-slot. Ideally Ryan would have a executive assistant as he mentioned back at the open house which would be beyond helpful in many ways. Unfortunately these roles are not very easy to do and end up being very important. I don't think the road-map is the biggest growing pain to worry about.
 
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