What sort of governance is suitable for a software project that is in many ways about decentralised architecture? How should we govern and sustain the federation?
# Manifesto
We look to create not simply a solution, that is a set of rules, that meet a set of objectives or ideals, but rather something we can use here-and-now, together with a process to manage the growth in sophistication that will inevitably be required to provide the requisite variety that will be needed over time.
In the face of our own ignorance, we need to recognise the roles of:
- Simple adaptive heuristics - Evolved Resilience of ecosystems - Power and Delusion of architectures
Managing complexity is not easy. It requires an appropriately complex structure to provide the required balance, feedback loops, representations and decision making patterns. However decisions need to be made.
Simple processes, and decision structures are powerful, but not necessarily wise. Short term effectiveness, can come at the cost of long term rigidity and a failure to learn and adapt.
In terms of conscious design at the systemic scale, which is an untested and recent capability of the human species, we might be wise to study and learn from (and be wary of):
- Nature and ecosystems - Complexity and scale of computer networks - Agile and facilitation practices for small teams - Machines, ants a simple heuristics
# See also