Slides of my February 2021 talk at FOSS Backstage, https://foss-backstage.de Moving house with the help of a group of friends is an interesting exercise in collective improvisation and coordination. Everybody can help with most of the jobs at hand, so the challenge is to keep people busy in a meaningful way, to make the best use of the physical and intellectual resources available, while keeping people happy and engaged. Sounds familiar? The Moving House model does apply to other types of group projects, including software development. Adhocracy, Asynchronous Collaboration and a can-do attitude, as practiced in Open Source communities, are key elements that enable groups that have no formal structure to collaborate efficiently and smoothly - like when helping friends moving house.

1. THE MOVING HOUSE MODEL
adhocracy & remote collaboration
FOSS Backstage 2021 - Bertrand Delacrétaz, Adobe & Apache

2. THERE ARE MANY PARALLELS..

3. –Any change implies risk-
“Making a Decision”

4. YOU DECIDE TO MOVE
"define the project's vision"

5. YOU ARE A BIT AFRAID
"no guts, no glory"

6. –Before the team starts working-
“Preparing the Move”

7. YOU INVITE FRIENDS TO HELP
"assemble the right team"

8. YOU PUT THINGS IN BOXES
"break the problem in smaller parts"

9. YOU DON'T FORGET THE LABELS
"foster loose coordination"

10. –Enough planning, let's start doing!-
“On the Day”

11. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS
"good craftsmen have good tools"

12. YOU CLEAN UP ALL SHARP THINGS
"provide a safe space for team members"

13. YOU PROVIDE FOOD & BEVERAGES
"create a productive and sustainable environment"

14. YOU SHARE THE PLAN
"make sure everybody has the same information"

15. PEOPLE START MOVING THINGS
"stop talking, start doing!"

16. SPECIALISTS TAKE SPECIFIC TASKS
"we're not fully interchangeable"

17. –Let's ship this thing!-
“At Destination”

18. YOU WELCOME AND ORIENT PEOPLE
"think before doing"

19. YOU PROVIDE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
"the power of the written form"

20. YOU CHECK FOOD & BEVERAGES
"keep the team productive and engaged"

21. YOU ARE HERE TO HELP
"self-service information only goes so far"

22. –It's not finished until it is-
“The Last Mile”

23. YOUR TEAM CONTINUES TO HELP
"autonomous agents"

24. YOU ALL PRACTICE ADHOCRACY
"adaptive, creative and flexible behavior"
Adhocracy ...is defined by a lack of formal
structure ...it is characterized by an
adaptive, creative and flexible
integrative behavior...

25. –Know when to stop-
“We are There!”

26. YOU REACH "GOOD ENOUGH"
"nothing's ever 100% finished, we need to let go"

27. YOU INVITE PEOPLE TO STOP
"don't overdo it"

28. YOU ALL CELEBRATE!
"team achievements deserve celebration"

29. YOU ARE TIRED BUT HAPPY!
"nothing comes for free"

30. –It worked, we moved!-
“Coda”

31. THERE ARE MANY PARALLELS
"simple principles go a long way"
Bertrand Delacrétaz - @bdelacretaz - Adobe & Apache - FOSS Backstage 2021 - images are from Adobe Stock