Subject: [Rfced-future] Qualifications for series leader / advisor / subject matter expert

From: "Joel M. Halpern" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2020 12:04:18 -0500

In trying to articulate to someone my (admittedly rather amorphous) 
concerns with current proposed text, I realized that I make some 
assumptions that may not be shared.  Maybe articulating these will help 
us find our clear differences and then resolutions for them.

I assume that we want a significantly skilled subject matter (technical 
publishing) expert.  I also assume that we the odds are that if we can 
find such a person they will not have a deep understanding of our 
processes, expectations, habits, ...

Thus, we are asking someone to come in and spend significant time and 
energy to learn to work with us.  And learn what we need.

This has multiple implications.  It implies a significant degree of 
early engagement so they can actually learn our reality.   It also 
suggests that we will not want to have to invest in that too often.

As a corollary, I assume we want someone who learns to engage 
effectively with the community, in listening, advising, and to whatever 
degree we select directing / selecting / pointing...

The closest I can come to articulating my overall concern is that some 
of the descriptions either will not be such that we will be unable to 
find a sufficiently skilled person to take the job.
Or, even worse, we could find someone with apparent sufficient skills 
whose is a master of producing consultant reports that get thrown in a 
drawer and ignore.

Yours,
Joel

---

From: Brian E Carpenter <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2020 11:46:59 +1300

Joel,
> degree we select directing / selecting / pointing...

Yes. That is of the essence, whether the person is Editor or Advisor.

> whose is a master of producing consultant reports that get thrown in a 

Agreed, that is a horrible danger that is built into the "contractization"
of previously community-volunteer roles. We've all seen it in other
contexts, and we don't want to see it in the RFC sphere.

(That's not to say that contracts are automatically evil. But contractors
are part of our community too.)

   Brian

---

From: Russ Housley <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2020 17:53:33 -0500

> are part of our community too.)

We are all more successful when contractions are partners in the journey!

Russ