U+1 Team creation and objectives

Who created the U+1 Team?

The U+1 Team was created in Launchpad in March, 20th 2012 by Effenberg0x0.

Why was the U+1 Team created?

As described in the "About U+1" section of this Wiki, U+1 was created as an attempt to provide better resources to and empower some Ubuntu users that had naturally engaged into uncoordinated testing tasks.

Why create yet another team?

Our members could have joined other QA-Related teams in the past if they wanted to. Only a portion of them did. Yet, their contributions to testing and reporting bugs is valuable. The U+1 Team was created to join and provide resources and recognition to those testers, while respecting their working preferences.

How is it different from other teams?

• It's the result of a naturally formed community of testers. It's is not composed by absorbed teams and groups and other artificially created structures. Its members test Ubuntu because they enjoy doing it. They will continue to do so, with or without the team.
• It does not focus on providing resources and performing tasks to other Ubuntu formal and informal teams, groups, leaders, structures or legacy processes. Members simply want to improve Ubuntu by testing.
• The team is not submit to other large structures and its processes. As it happens in the real (free) world (countries, large companies, etc), enormous structures are hard to manage and deal constantly with internal conflicts for power. Members tend to loose interest quick as they see no real chance to participate actively in management.

• The U+1 Team relates to other teams, groups, leaders, structures, projects and processes through partnerships. Partnerships can be established and broken, their scope and length can be defined, according to the interests of both sides. Partnerships also allow us to differentiate people that are really working and actively contributing to those that are only in it for power and influence. Working with the larger Ubuntu community via partnerships, the U+1 Team can guarantee its independence.

U+1 Team independence

Why is U+1 defined as an "independent" team?

The U+1 Team is independent in the sense that it is not under the governance of other teams and structures. It's members are free to do what they enjoy doing, and the team will empower them to continue doing it. We will help improve the results of their efforts, not attempt to force a change in the way they have chosen to work and contribute to Ubuntu.

• U+1 Team members are free (and encouraged) to decide the future of the team, to take part in leadership and management (via elections and voting).
• The team does not have to submit to other teams and structures in order to operate. Members are not to be forced into activities they dislike or see no real use.
• Members are free (and encouraged) to suggest team activities and areas to focus.

• The U+1 Team relates to other teams, groups, structures, leaders, etc via partnerships, much like companies do in the real (free) world. Partnerships are only valid as long as both sides want (and work) to keep it that way.

Why is it important to keep U+1 as an independent team?

• It is very common to see teams, groups and collective efforts fail, both in the real and "online" world. Even in the Ubuntu community, it's not unusual to see projects and teams fall apart. Among the many reasons that cause it, one of them is the loss of interest by team members.
  

• As long as the U+1 Team is independent, it can engage in any activity it desires, from engaging into learning efforts to supporting documentation, testing of development releases, stable releases, specific packages, etc. It can establish partnerships to other teams, end partnerships or limit their scope, and only commit to activities its members actively support.

What are the factors that put U+1 Team independence in risk?

• Unfortunately, as any group of individuals succeed into creating and developing successful communities in the FOSS (Free and Open Source) world, existing non-functional groups, failed leaders and ambitious individuals see in this an opportunity to absorb such successful communities into their own agenda.

• Mark Shuttleworth mentioned this subject in a recent article in his blog.

• In such cases, communities rarely survive. Takeovers, hostile or not, are just a quick way to create numbers and fake the success of actually unsuccessful projects.
• The U+1 Team was created with a transparent agenda, and it's one of the only teams in Ubuntu that makes its processes, rules, goals and governance clear in all aspects, through its Wiki page. The team only compromise is with its members and Ubuntu.

U+1 Team partnerships

How do partnerships work?

• Partnerships have clear objectives, a defined length, tasks are delegated to each partner and the success of a partnership can be measured.
• Partnerships are established one management members of two or more teams join and discuss ways to achieve a common goal. The partnership characteristics (partners, goals, length, scope) are defined and documented.

How are partnerships different from the way other teams work?

• Partnerships do not involve absorbing teams and members, or influencing each partner's management and processes. They only target results.
• Partnerships allow all partners to track each other's results. Through partnerships, we can easily differentiate working partners from those that have not engaged the partnership tasks and have not helped with achieving the partnership goals.
• Since partnerships are precise in its characteristics (partners, goals, length, scope) they can easily be documented.

U+1 Team relations to other teams and structures

What is the relation of U+1 Team to UbuntuForums?

• UbuntuForums is a Forum. It is managed by the [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ForumCouncil|Forum Council]].

• While some of U+1 Team members are UbuntuForums users, this is not a requirement to join U+1 Team. The U+1 Team recruits its members on UbuntuForums, IRC, other forums, other Ubuntu communities, etc.

• The U+1 Team is not a project of UbuntuForums.

• The U+1 Team plans to establish a solid partnership with UbuntuForums, as it considers that community a relevant source for potential members.

What is the relation of U+1 Team to the Ubuntu+1 sub-forum at UbuntuForums?

• The Ubuntu+1 sub-forum at UbuntuForums is not a team. As a resource of UbuntuForums, it is managed by the [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ForumCouncil|Forum Council]].

• The Ubuntu+1 sub-forum is used by many Ubuntu users as a place to learn, share experiences and offer support to development releases users and other testers.
• Some U+1 Team members use Ubuntu+1, but that is not mandatory.

What is the relation of U+1 Team to QA Team?

• The QA Team is the official QA (Quality Assurance) structure in Ubuntu. It has it's own management, resources, members, sub-teams and groups under its governance.

• Most U+1 Team members are not QA Team members. Some are. U+1 Team members are free to join QA Team and any other team they want. However, considering the U+1 Team works via partnerships to other teams, U+1 won't join QA as a whole, forcing it's members into that team. U+1 members must be free to choose what they will join.

• The U+1 Team has been developing a healthy partnership with the QA Team, engaging into and supporting some activities related to testing of development releases. However, as this is a partnership, the U+1 Team is kept independent of the official QA structure.

• There are many official and unofficial QA-Centric groups and teams in the Ubuntu community. Yet, we see space for improvement in QA-Related activities. The U+1 Team was created with the goal of being a long-term objectives, community-driven, legacy-free, democratic and meritocratic structure, which will undertake some of QA-Related activities according to its members ideas and plans, and to the team available resources. In order to be able to do so, a comprehensive set of management, leadership and governance processes has been defined and will be preserved. The U+1 Team has a strong belief that QA benefits from the community diversity, as do all working and healthy FOSS structures, and that centralized structures and management increase the risk of failure. We believe in alliances and partnerships of self-managed QA-Centric communities. We should target delivering results, not changing working structures.

• Initially, there was no expectation of having an official relationship with the QA Team or to be included in its processes. An opportunity to influence the future of Ubuntu QA positively was recently presented to the U+1 Team. The U+1 Team is working to develop a solid partnership to QA Team.

• The U+1 Team has been working to support the development of a New QA Structure Plan and on defining the best way for U+1 to fulfill some of its needs. Until such a plan and the new structure for QA is defined, U+1 has been sporadically supporting QA Team. Despite any future partnership to the QA Team, the team will maintain its structure untouched, as a way to guarantee its independence and existence in the future.

What is the relation of U+1 Team to Ubuntu?

• The Ubuntu community is free to create teams and engage into any activities, as long as minimal guidelines are followed. One of these guidelines is that teams and members sign and operate according to the Ubuntu Code of Conduct. The U+1 team requires its members to sign this document.

What is the relation of U+1 Team to Canonical?

• The U+1 team is aware of Canonical efforts to revitalize and enhance the current QA structure and has engaged into the process of helping with some of QA Team current needs. * * The U+1 Team has been supportive to all communications and requests of the Community QA Coordinator.

• The U+1 Team also recognizes other Canonical employees in community positions, such as the Community Council and Community Coordination. Some members of the U+1 Team are Canonical employees.

What are the factors that put U+1 Team existence in risk?

• Deviation from the team solid principles by the team leadership: If the team elects individuals (for Team Leadership, Team Council) that are not testers, are not committed to the principles established in the Team's foundation, or that follow their own political agenda, such leaders can easily destroy the team independence, by simply submitting it to another structure. It takes seconds to do it in Launchpad.

• Hostile takeover: As the team continues to grow and develop in a healthy and sustainable trajectory, but insists on maintaining its independence, there are no guarantees that it can't be simply taken over by people with power to do so.

U+1 Team leadership and governance

Who runs the U+1 Team?

The U+1 Team is managed by a Team Leader and a Team Council. But important topics and decisions involve all of its members (voting).

• The leader is elected by members with the term length of one(1) development cycle.
• Council members are nominated by team members and chosen by the current council members (public voting) with the term length of one (1) development cycle.

• The team founder (Effenberg0x0) holds a permanent position in the council.

Why was ownership of the U+1 Team transfered to the U+1 Team Council?

• Any team creator (founder) is automatically granted team "ownership" in Launchpad.
• Many founders refuse to share the team management with other members, causing dissatisfaction and, many times, the failure of some communities.

• The U+1 Team founder, Effenberg0x0, created a Team Council to share the team management with other members. This action created the possibility of having members elected for Team Leadership, as well as for Council Members. The founder (Effenberg0x0) holds a permanent position in the team council.

Can anyone occupy a role of Team Leader or a position in the Council?

The only requirements for the position of Team Leader are:

• The applicant must be a U+1 Team member;
• The applicant must have signed the Ubuntu Code of Conduct;
• The applicant must follow the procedures explained in this Wiki ("About" section) and follow procedures and deadlines in order to apply;
• The applicant will be voted by other members, including council members and the current team leader;

The only requirements for the position of Team Council member are:

• The applicant must be a U+1 Team member;
• The applicant must have signed the Ubuntu Code of Conduct;
• The applicant must follow the procedures explained in this Wiki ("About" section) and follow procedures and deadlines in order to apply;
• The applicant will be voted by other Council Members;

What exactly is expected from the Team Leader and Council members?

The basic guidelines for Team Leaders and Council Members are:

• Team leaders must work to make sure all of the team principles are being respected by team members;
• Team leaders must make sure the Ubuntu Code of Conduct is being followed by all team members;
• Team leaders will actively engage into activities that bring good opportunities to team members and empower the team;
• Council members must make sure the Team Leader decisions are correct and respect the community (U+1 Members) vision and opinions;
• The Council must work to ensure that the team is managed in a democratic, participative and collaborative way, maintaining it's autonomy and independence, engaging in fruitful partnerships and finishing or limiting the scope of other partnerships.

Joining U+1

Who are the people that join U+1?

• People that join the U+1 Team are Ubuntu users, with different skill levels: From ordinary new users, to intermediary ones and even developers. There's no need to be a Kernel Dev/Programmer/Super Genius to join U+1, as we can make use of anyone's talents. All you need is little ambition, a bit of patience, a good attitude towards helping others, and a willingness to learn. Basic knowledge of using the terminal might help, but there are many great tutorials available to help you learn more.

Why should I join U+1?

• Anyone that wants to contribute to Ubuntu improvement and share a wonderful learning experience with an amazing group of helpful individuals is invited to join. If you have any interest at all in Ubuntu and the wonderful community that goes with it, than U+1 is a team that you definitely want to be a part of.

How can I help U+1?

• There are many different ways that you can help U+1. The best thing to do is usually just the thing that you're good at. Take a look at the Roles page and see if there's an open position that would be well suited to you. You can also talk to anyone in the #U+1 channel on irc.freenode.net, along with our mailing list. If you're willing to help, we'll be more than happy to help you put your talents to good use.

How can I help keep U+1 as an independent team?

• The backbone of an independent team is a strong government. By participating in elections, speaking during team meetings, and working closely with the leaders in power, you strengthen U+1's community and independence.

How can I help U+1 achieve its goals?

• Participate in team government, help out on the Forums and IRC, write documentation, recruit new members, and anything else you're good at! Treat every open role and request for support as an opportunity to better yourself, Ubuntu, and to help others.

What can U+1 do for me?

• Probably more than you think! We are a community of people who are ready to learn from and help each other. By signing up to be a tester for U+1, your feedback becomes part of the determining factors that shape Ubuntu. You are given a voice that is really heard by developers, and you can be proud to know that you helped Ubuntu become the wonderful operating system that it is.

What can I expect from U+1 in the future?

• As the team develops, we look to expand the number of tester we have on-board. We are also determined to keep our focus strong to help solve the main issues in Ubuntu. Of course, the real future of U+1 is dependent on how you contribute to our community.

How can I join U+1?

• Take a look at the Recruitment page for full instructions.