AKI: Agile Katalyst Intrapreneurs

Detailed Plan

This proposal consists of two parts:

AKI-Framework, A framework for agile development in a decentralised ecosystem
AKI-Pilot: Dandelion, A first pilot to start using the AKI framework in an existing ecosystem

AKI [ak ee]

Agile Katalyst Intrapreneurs - Overview

This proposal introduces a framework for decentralized project based, agile iterative development.[1] The framework combines agile development teams with representative community members who guide and assess the work. The representatives and their engagement functions as a measure of the agile team's output. This, in the end, should inform funding of further iterations of the agile team.

The goal of the pilot is to start defining the framework by using it (similar to Catalyst). The Dandelion project is creating a self sustaining network for API access to the blockchain.[2] It is already being used by other funded projects and it has plans to create a project treasury to support further development.This makes the Dandelion project an ideal testing ground for such a framework.

At the core, the proposal tries to find a solution to how a decentralized treasury system can ensure that funds are being used in an effective and accountable manner. The outcome should provide insights for designing Rapid Funding Mechanisms and potentially could serve as a building block for other systems. Specifically those that distribute funds based on reputation, team, fixed time/interval as opposed to long term planning and estimations.

The pilot will run for 3 months (6 iterations of 2 weeks). The proposal asks for funds to reward the agile team per iteration. Each iteration should deliver some value to the Dandelion ecosystem. Additionally some time in each iteration is used by the proposer to report on the pilot and refine the framework.

[1] <https://agilemanifesto.org/>

[2] <https://dandelion.link/>

Agile Katalyst Intrapreneurs - Detail

Why is this needed?

Consider someone in the community who wants to work (with a small team) on projects that directly benefit other members and projects in the community: A Catalyst Intrapreneur. Among the community are direct benefactors of the work the intrapreneur will do. We will call them the Interested Parties. To achieve agile and iterative development of this work the interested parties should be directly involved in the process, from concept to delivery, together with the intrapreneur.

Planning and aligning all this work upfront with input from all these interested parties in order to propose in Ideascale would require a lot of coordination and effort. Besides, by the time the proposal is funded the requirements and the priorities of the interested parties might already have changed.

Allocating a budget for a fixed number of iterations of work instead, using input and guidance from the interested parties, allows the work to respond to change. Additionally, the combined interests of these parties help ensure that the work is generally beneficial to the broader community.

What are the goals?

Start a pilot adhering to the agile principles in collaboration with an existing project (Dandelion).
Form a Dandelion Interest Group.
Form a first team (starting with the proposer) to start contributing to this existing project.
Use this pilot as an experiment to further define the AKI framework

Who would benefit?

The lessons from this pilot should be beneficial to other funding mechanisms who plan to work with rapid iterations. The framework will be designed to be interoperable with systems that provide fixed income for active participants or want to work with fixed time, flexible scope. Additionally the output of the team should add some direct value to the Dandelion Ecosystem.

Example Projects that would qualify as interested parties for this specific pilot:

Gimbalabs PBL
Gimbalabs Core Dev
Dandelion IAN
GameChanger Wallet
CardanoSharp
Stakeboard
…

Method

AKI Framework

This is an initial version of an adaptive and iterative framework. The Framework will be expanded on as it is used. Both the Framework and the work in the pilot will tracked and documented using Miro:

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOdgbj28=/?invite_link_id=471495186729

At the start the Framework will include:

Interest Group
Project Backlog
Review & Alignment session
Retrospective
Public reporting

Work will be allocated and planned per iteration, each iteration will take 2 weeks.

Initialy the interest group will hold 7 seats:

3 fixed seats (people with a high interst in the whole dandelion ecosystem)
2 flex seats (open seats for other Interested Parties)
2 active observer (RFM challenge team members, other RFM projects)

At the end of each iteration the Agile Team and the Interest Group will hold a Review & Alignment session. In this sessions work from the previous iteration is reviewed and a focus for the next iteration is determined. This session should include some public report.

Budget & Time allocation

Budget is based on rewards per iteration for the Agile Team, funds can be released iteratively

: ~24h allotment per week for the agile team, ~48h per iteration

40 hour AKI - pilot, 8h framework and administration

Either fixed rate or scaling up to certain max after each iteration (to include some early reputation based reward system)

As this is a pilot and the means of accountability still need to be proven, the hour rate would be capped at 40

Roadmap

If the pilot is a success it will run for 3 months with continuous engagement from the Interested Parties and the agile team has delivered in each iteration. A refined version of the framework is presented to the broader community.

Possible long term continuation:

3-6 months: The initial groups formed will continue to use the framework. The framework is expanded based on previous experience. Additional projects and teams start adopting it to their own needs. Other funding mechanisms incorporate some of its elements.

Long term success would see this pilot help Dandelion become a self-sustaining ecosystem. Additionally, several other community driven projects use similar agile methods to fund further development from project treasuries guided by representatives of the community.

Challenge Alignment

The AKI framework focuses specifically on how accountability and transparency can be achieved for work being done on community projects. The framework can function as a template which makes it scalable and adaptable. Though in its first version it will not offer a complete solution to rapid funding on its own, it can be expanded on iteratively. More importantly it could help to answer some of the core questions of this challenge for other Rapid Funding Mechanisms.

*** | About the Proposer | ***

Self-employed since June

I Plan to work in the direction of this proposals regardless of funding

For personal information, external reference and a visual overview:

<https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOdUcZlU=/>

haveANiceDay to get access

Personal Motivation

I am a strong supporter of decentralized, modular and open solutions. I care about Personal Data Ownership, Freedom of Movement between (Digital) Systems and responsible, transparent use of Artificial Intelligence.

I have been actively participating in Catalyst since I joined. I want to continue to offer my expertise and do so in a more constructive manner. With this proposal I hope to directly involve those that should benefit from my efforts and fund those efforts in an accountable manner.

I chose to propose in this format because I support the collaborative spirit of the Catalyst experiment. The goal is to be of assistance to those that are already doing good work without putting any burden on them to make this happen.

Background

Basic academic background in the fields of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence & Computational Logistics. Professional experience with software development and applied AI in the domains of Education (EdTech) & Health (e-Mental Health).

From a (inter)national, technological perspective the educational ecosystem is a fairly decentralized ecosystem. From student data moving between applications to fair assessments and accreditation of their efforts. Many of the lessons from this domain are applicable to Decentralized ecosystems like Cardano & Catalyst.

Catalyst Participation

Joined feb 2021 (during F3), participating in Gimbalabs since march, swarm since april

Current ongoing engagements:

Part of 3 Challenge Teams

No prior funded proposals

Concurrent proposals

For the sake of transparency and easy overview, below are the concurrent proposals in this funding round from the proposer:

<https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Community-Consultancy-Tokenomics/384043-48088>

<https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Community-Consultancy-AI-Data/382539-48088>

None of the proposals rely on another proposal to be funded for success and they can function independently. I have the capacity to deliver if all 3 proposals are funded (total hours: 24-44 p/w, depending on the AKI-pilot team composition.

20% of the personal rewards received from either of these 3 proposals will be 'reinvested' into a buffer fund for the first Agile Team set up as part of the AKI-pilot. This is to start ensuring continued development after this initial funding round.

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