Create a Shortlist of Communication Tools, Prioritizing Open Source Options

Proposal by @Ali Hugo on behalf of OpenCraft

Topic

Indicate which topic your proposal falls under:

Overview

Given the strong agreement in favor of reducing the number of communication tools we use vs streamlining them (80-15%!), we should consider merging some of these tools. While this approach may pose challenges—since removing tools can be inconvenient for some—it would ultimately benefit us by consolidating and simplifying our communication channels.

Solution

With the list of communication tools compiled as part of the proposal: Evaluate the Communication Tools We Use and How We Use Them, we can identify tools that overlap in features, helping us to decide which tools to keep and which to lose. This could also be a good opportunity to shift away from synchronous and proprietary tools in favor of async and/or open source alternatives, especially since the survey showed that most CC’s prefer open source tools to proprietary ones.

The goal of the proposal is to create a list of the communication tools we should use, along with clear guidelines on when to use each one. 

Impact

We will measure the impact by following up with survey respondents six months after the guidelines are published, assessing whether there is any remaining confusion about which tool to use and when, or any challenges or inconveniences in using the tools.

Steps

This effort will follow the steps below. Feel free to add any steps/information you think may be missing, or assign yourself to any of the tasks:

• Further Investigate Tool Recommendations: Get feedback on the recommendations from the Evaluate the Communication Tools We Use and How We Use Them proposal, namely:

  • Messaging platform: Continue using Slack, but direct the community to use the forum where it makes sense.

  • Issue Tracking / Project Management: Continue using Github for issue tracking.

  • Collaborative Design: Continue using Figma for collaborative design.

  • Collaborative Documents: Consider replacing Google Workspace with Collabora Online or Nextcloud Office. 🔁 OPENCRAFT TESTING NEXTCLOUD

  • Video Conferencing: Investigate Jitsi or NextCloud Talk as potential replacements for Google Meet. 🔁 OPENCRAFT TESTING NEXTCLOUD

  • Knowledge Bases / Wikis: Investigate replacing Confluence with Discourse Wiki. 🔁 REQUIRES INVESTIGATION

  • Surveys / Polls: Investigate replacing Google Forms with LimeSurvey. 🔁 REQUIRES INVESTIGATION

• Get Tool Shortlist Approved: Share the list with CC’s and refine it until the tool selection is approved

• Write Guidelines for the Open edX Handbook: Create a set of guidelines on when to use each tool and get the guidelines approved and merged into the handbook

• Measure Impact: Check in with CC’s 6 months after guidelines are published to determine whether any changes should be made