Product and Technology Advisory Council
October 16, 2024.
Today, the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) is introducing the Product and Tech Advisory Council (PTAC) and its members as a one-year pilot. This council addresses the Movement Strategy initiative to form a Technology Council. It supports the recommendation to "Coordinate Across Stakeholders" by bringing technical contributors and the Wikimedia Foundation together to co-define a more resilient, future-proof technological platform. We anticipate the PTAC pilot to meet over one year and, upon its completion, members of the Council will make a joint decision whether to continue the program.
Proposed in July 2024, the WMF received 63 applications and interviewed 22 candidates for 8 volunteer slots. Candidates selected for the full interview series met with Jack Wheeler, the Lead Community Tech Manager, Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer, and WMF Board member, Lorenzo Losa. It was not an easy process; many candidates were qualified for the PTAC and we ultimately selected a group of applicants with a breadth of experience, expertise, and representation across the Wikimedia movement.
The PTAC pilot consists of the following members:
- 3 WMF: Selena Deckelmann, Birgit Müller, Rita Ho
- 8 Volunteer representatives:
- 2 Affiliate representatives: EPorto WMB, 1 additional affiliate member will be identified shortly.
- 2 members of the WMF board will join this group, and we will announce these members once the board elections have concluded.
- Jack Wheeler from WMF will support the PTAC as a facilitator and note-taker.
The PTAC will kick off on October 31, 2024 in a virtual session and meet monthly. In addition, the group will meet in January or February 2025 to collaborate and discuss technical challenges and opportunities to advance the movement.
The PTAC will focus less on making discrete decisions (for example, approving an extension), and more on ambiguous problems such as prioritizing newcomer or experienced editor growth, or platform improvements versus user-facing feature development. They will also discuss the necessary tradeoffs and strategy to ensure the movement’s success. The PTAC will try to publish a set of community-validated recommendations that can serve as a potential 2-3 year blueprint for product and technical success.
We do not anticipate this group to operate in a vacuum. PTAC members are encouraged to engage with their respective communities about the PTAC’s discussion and recommendations. In addition, we will invite stakeholders across the communities to engage with the PTAC. More to come shortly, and please welcome the pilot PTAC.