Platform roadmap

This document describes our ongoing work to implement the ideas and principles described in our manifesto. It is directed at those who share our goals and visions who would like to collaborate with us and others to bring them about.

We call the outcome we are working toward a “platform”, a package of technologies designed to provide a robust starting point and foundation to help any individual or group to achieve their goals in a collaborative way. We envision that this technology can serve to unite existing groups to work together more closely and form larger groups based on shared interests, as well as empowering individuals with information technology that provides flexibility, freedom and privacy.

We propose that it is possible for people around the world who have shared goals and values to work together much more effectively and harmoniously. The path to achieving this will be to create a flexible framework that can serve as a living, evolving repository for proven and effective methods of collaboration and decision-making, which is easy to change, improve and customise. All users of such a system will be able to contribute to its improvement, much like the Wikipedia has drawn upon a large number of contributors to become the largest and most up-to-date repository of encyclopedic knowledge in a number of languages. This is the vision Platform seeks to fulfil.

We now have a functional system that we've been using for our own organisation and project management. It still has some critical elements missing and is currently based on a MediaWiki framework (which is why we are calling it Wiki Organisation). This has been useful for us to develop and refine a prototype within, which also contains the initial content and structure of the Platform. We are currently “packaging” the prototype Wiki Organisation technology we have developed this way to allow the setting up of platforms. A foundation exists, but further work is required to document the system and to make it more user friendly, easier to customise, technically efficient and robust.

Vision

The purpose of Organic Design is to fulfil the following

Our vision is to see all of our world's inhabitants governing ourselves with an open, accessible and understandable global system which has as its bottom line the common good, and which we define and operate ourselves by effectively utilising and allocating our common expertise and resource.

One way of deriving a group is from how people answer a specific set of questions. Even if the "members" of such a group don't appear on any list, are not stored anywhere or never communicated their answers to anyone, the group still exists in a certain sense if it exhibits the potential for action. Here at Organic Design we call this kind of "non-explicit" group an organic group, as distinct from a trust group which is one whose members are known to one another.

One such question is, if you were performing a particular task, would you like to know if anyone anywhere else performing the same task had a better way of doing it? Another related question is, would you like to live in a world where all such "best ways" were made openly accessible to and easily understandable by everyone? An overwhelming majority would answer "yes" to the first question. The second though is one that many people would think about more deeply before answering and may answer "no".

The people who share the common vision we talk about here at Organic Design are those that answer "yes" to both of the previous questions. We don't know how many people that is, but judging from the popularity of the free software movement and other similar projects, we can be very sure that even if it's not a global majority it's certainly hundreds of millions of people world-wide!

That's an enormous potential for action, but how does an organic group like this begin to achieve anything together? We believe the answer lies in alignment...

Within this wider context, the Platform technology provides

A suite of free, customisable software applications that can run on any computer in any language. What this means in practise: Download a software package or burn a DVD ROM that can be installed on any computer, which includes a continually-updated operating system, email, office and collaboration software.

A portal to a network of people to communicate, do business and debate matters of governance with. What this means in practice: Being able to select a legal and financial framework in alignment with your values, to pursue your goals within, with the ability to question and change any aspect and to connect with peers who abide by the same governance.

A turn-key organisation based on continually updated, proven best practices for personal organisation and setting up businesses. What this means in practice: Fill in a number of electronic form to set up your personal and business goals, projects and manage resources.

Values

Underlying the Platform technology is a set of values that have guided its development and continued evolution. The platform is defined as technology actively supporting the expression of the following values:

Freedom and Privacy

We believe use of technology should progressively empower and free people and ensure privacy. In practice this means having full knowledge and control over who accesses personal data and the routine application of strong encryption to ensure privacy. Freedom means being able to choose what the technology looks like and how you use it without having to compromise on functionality or connectivity.

• Free Software Definition - This page clearly defines what freedom means in the context of software
• Privacy - portal by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on privacy for more information

Openness and Transparency

If systems are open then they are able to improve scientifically through peer-review of clear analysis and objective reporting, thus minimizing inefficiency and corruption. Note that the concepts of transparency and of privacy can appear contradictory, but each has its place; people have a right to real privacy in their personal and financial affairs, but systems must be transparent to all who are affected by its operation and decision-making. A concrete way to pursue this approach is to implement open standards wherever possible.

• Open Organisation - article on P2P foundation site defining open organisation in more detail
• EFF transparency portal - the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Independence (Bottom-up, Peer to peer)

All platforms are able to operate independently of their connectivity with other platforms, but when that connectivity is available it's fully utilised. Independence also implies the principle that every platform should have the ability to fully replicate other platforms. The package comes with all the documentation and tools to create bootable USB sticks or CD's for other people to create their own platforms with.

In an effort to prevent centralisation and monopolisation, we ensure that the latest state of our technology is available in easy-to-use form without restrictions to anyone, and that it can be used to connect directly and privately with any other person or group using the technology to communicate, trade and govern.

• Peer-to-peer - peer-to-peer article on Wikipedia

Organisation and Accountability

We submit that the widespread adoption of decentralised forms of organisation can help empowered citizens work together to solve problems and take responsibility for those aspects of civic life that are currently regarded as poorly administrated or managed. Technology should support the collaborative and democratic management of matters both trivial and profound. Policy decisions should be traceable to a point of origin and people in positions of responsibility should be directly accountable to all affected stakeholders. At the same time, we like to think of our approach as "business-like", this is reflected in our adoption of common business concepts and their terms, such as "department", "project", "task" and "report". Similarly, be believe in a truly free market and a level playing field, where ideas, products or services can be openly and freely compared and discussed so that people can choose or reject them on their own merits. It should be noted that "free market" is a term that has been heavily distorted in recent times and has come to be almost synonymous with a narrow-minded focus on the financial bottom line, which is not what we are advocating.

Goals

This is the specific sequence of goals we want to achieve in implementing Platform specification. Each milestone comprises a number of projects and associated tasks. These "organisational milestones" are conceptually the same as milestones within projects, except at the level of an organisation.

Milestone 1: Prototype Organisation System Complete

Wiki organisation is the technology we are using to build the prototype organisational system. This system will be available for use by members of the public who can set up a free trial version. Packaging is at a level where someone can download the wiki technology with a basic set of records and subscribe to updates from the demo system. Development can continue in the form of releasing packages to extend the functionality of the org system. People can choose to set up their own "blank" system, one with user guides, with demo content, or OD default content ("live" projects to improve the system itself). The goal is to define the minimal set of features and content required for this stage and to separate out development work that can be handled as part of the package release cycle. In addition to being able to maintain a synchronised system, the users are also able to share selected data with other trusted entities or the general public using the system. This allows users to create and publish projects within the trusted network. Some design and UI improvements will round off the initial system.

Milestone 1 Projects

Note: This list will include links to live projects formatted similarly to blog posts, using either section 0 or description field content with a link to the actual project.

• Merge OD Wiki and PrivateWiki
• Documentation
• Demo Organisational System
  • MediaWikiLite
  • Payment integration

Milestone 2: Prototype Fully Packaged and Deployment-ready

By the end of this phase, we will have the packaging of the system refined to the level where it is self-contained and can run offline. What we mean with that specifically, is that anyone could cheaply obtain an installation CD or memory stick with the current version of the desired Platform software package and install it on any computer they desired, to "boot up" into a free operating complete with any software required, as well as any copyright-free content such as the Wikipedia. Upon opening a web browser, the user could then access a fully functional Wiki Organisation containing the Platform interface. Some people may also wish to do this using a "live" system that could be removed again without making changes to the host computer.

The Platform software package could then be set up on a number of other computers to be used by the members of the platform to do work, locally or further afield. Users of the Platform software package will then be able to choose from a number of methods to exchange software updates, emails, organisational records, files and other data, rather than gambling the continuity of their work on the uninterrupted availability of broadband Internet connections. This is not to say that the Platform software package would not take full advantage of fast Internet, the availability of which would allow for dynamic video and 3d interaction between members. This approach also brings with it the ability to distribute data securely across a trust network and securely log into one's own personal "roaming profile", containing all up-to-date personal files and settings. In this way, people using the Platform software package will have access to cloud computing services with the peace of mind they offer, without having to sacrifice their privacy.

We intend to use the technology at this stage to expand our network of aligned organisations using a shared system, by offering customisation and consultancy services around Platform implementation. This activity will presumably result in a boost to the development efforts around the Platform software packages and an ensuing decentralisation of development work, taking the pressure off Organic Design and giving rise to other flavours of Platform, with other names, in other languages, which would necessitate the development of a language- and technology-independent specification of the Platform, so that in spite of increasing diversity within the network, effective collaboration will remain easy.

Milestone 2 projects

Note: This task list needs to be turned into projects associated with milestone 2

• ISO and LAN
• Distributed server (starting with distributed OpenID based on our account propagation)
• Trust groups
• Full offline functionality
• Research & Education material such as Wikipedia, legal glossary and documentaries
• Linux distro for managing IT infrastructure
• User management

Milestone 3: Technology-Independent Specification and Development

• User Experience and Interface design
• Turnkey Organisational System
• Taking platform development fully into "Web 3.0" based upon detailed specifications
• XMPP
• JavaScript Content Management - Wave style

Milestone 3 projects

• Wave Migration

Milestone 4: Global Multilingual Network

Milestone 4 projects

• Internationalisation

Milestone 5: Currency and Trade

• Financial framework for trading together, funding projects and handling accounting and reporting

Milestone 5 projects

• Financial System

Funding & Organisational Structure

We are currently preparing to crowd-fund the first two milestones listed here to give us a fully functional, packaged system to deploy for partner organisations. At this point we will re-assess the most effective path forward. We will be in a position to focus on the development of the platform network and progress the rest of the milestones in parallel and with much more momentum.

In presenting our work to the public for crowd-funding, we intend to show how much work we have already put into the technology and that we have a solid plan moving forward. We are moving the development work into the public realm to offer transparency, accountability and credibility to potential backers. Our demo system will allow any member of the public to try and use the technology for themselves to see whether it is something they want to use or support. In addition, we plan to offer members of the public an easy way to set up their own wiki organisation for free.

Organic Design itself is a virtual organisation, comprising members who share the vision of Organic Design, who use the Wiki Organisation prototype to collaborate on a range of projects, including the development of the system itself. The Organic Design wiki is also a collaborative effort, it serves as a development hub and repository for research and other documentation. About Organic Design elaborates further on the organisation, which has been operating in this evolving form for the past five years. Organic Ontology gives further detail on the structure of the current organic design departments and the scope of the work.

Organic Design is currently developing a synergistic relationship with the Platform One project, showing that there is a real organisation behind our technology and willing to implement the technology fully. Platform One will be a leading edge sustainable learning community in rural New Zealand, designed to develop and model new sustainable technologies and showcase existing leading-edge eco-technologies. The Platform 1 charitable trust, as the legal and financial management foundation, has a constitution incorporating the core of the Organic Design manifesto and will use the Platform technology as a foundation for all software systems and the IT infrastrucutre. In doing so, it will drive the development of the Platform technology and the Platform network, while ensuring that all operational methods and procedures will be available as a "living template", allowing the entire organisation to be "cloned" and implemented in parallel on a wider scale. This lends considerable leverage to the work done at Platform One, allowing effective solutions to be deployed rapidly and aiding the development efforts undertaken by exposing the work to global peer-review. In collaboration with Organic Design, the stakeholders of Platform One will be eventually able to foster an entire eco-system of learning communities.

Related projects

Some organisations and projects involved in similar work:

• The Business Class.Net - Setting up workspaces with accommodation to ensure consistent standards for people working around the world
• Dreamfish - Creating a worldwide network to collaborate on projects
• Couchsurfing - Creating a world-wide peer-to-peer trust community
• Gaiasoft - Facilitating the development of shared templates

Related concepts

• BOK
• Commons-based peer production
  • TED talk by Yochai Benkler
  • The emergence of open-design and open-manufacturing - Michel Bauwens
  • Quality management of peer-production
• Wikinomics - see also the Wikinomics book by Tascott & Williams
• Mass collaboration
• P2P-Based Economy - The Political Power Of Peer-To-Peer Networks