[OpenID board] in-person chat about Connect and v.Next

Sun May 23 20:54:41 UTC 2010

Hi Brian

I'm a big fan of Pragmatic Marketing and their Product Management model and I can add am MRD to the v.Next SOW. The charters should encapsulate most of a PRD. An overall v.Next PRD would be useful as the WGs spin up and a holistic product vision emerges. I don't think we have enough data for a v.Next PRD at this point, but we can create a draft MRD.

Given David and Jospeh's desire to get something out quickly, I don't think they will be wanting to wait for an MRD -- I would guess they think they know what they need for their use cases (and I believe they do have a good understanding of their use cases) -- and I don't get a sense they want to focus on their immediate use cases rather than take a holistic approach.

I'm hoping that if we sit down and chat over some beers, we can brain storm and figure out how to move forward. I don't think an MRD or PRD will be the path, but we can discuss that.

-- Dick

On 2010-05-23, at 11:18 AM, Brian Kissel wrote:

> +1, thanks Dick for driving this forward.
>  
> I'm sure that there are lots of things that need to be resolved, but here are some that seem to be critical at this point, welcome input from others.
>  
> 1.      Is it reasonable to try to integrate OpenID Connect charter into the V.Next WG charter or do we need separate charters?
> 2.      Is it reasonable to not fork the technology and still achieve the charters that David & Joseph are advocating relative the charter that Nat & John Bradley are advocating?
> 3.      If the answer to #2 is no, should we be willing to have a comprehensive OpenID V.Next charter that allows for forking the technology, but manage it all within the OIDF?
> 4.      If we are willing to allow forking of the technology, how do we minimize the adverse impact on RPs and end users who may start out with one application or use case, but then want to expand into others without breaking existing deployments?
>  
> Also, I know that we use the words "charter, requirements, specifications" in foundation speak, but for clarity of understanding, I’d suggest we think in terms of a “product” which is what the market wants from us.  In our case, the product isn’t code per se, but standards and specifications that deliver functionality and benefits to the RP and end user in a clear, consistent, reliable, and interoperable way.  The best guidance I’ve seen on moving from concept to product is from Pragmatic Marketing: http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com
>  
> As I think about what we’re trying to accomplish, it seems like what we need (regardless of what we call it) are the following:
>  
> ·         Market Requirement Document (MRD) – what needs in the market are we trying to address (easier registration and login, portable reuse of personal profiles and other metadata, social publishing across sites, enhanced security, etc.).  As Eric and Raj observed at the last board meeting, it doesn’t seem like we can paint this with a broad brush.  Perhaps there are some baseline requirements across all markets and applications, but there may be unique requirements by segment (social web, ecommerce, media & entertainment companies, government, etc.).   Seems like we should first agree on the key markets/applications and corresponding personas and use cases we’re trying to address with V.Next + OpenID Connect.
> ·         Product Requirement Document (PRD) – this is designed to allow people within an organization to understand what a product should do and how it should work.  Key components are:
> o   Purpose and scope, from both a technical and business perspective
> o   Stakeholder identification
> o   Market assessment and target demographics
> o   Product overview and use cases
> o   Requirements, including
> §  functional requirements (e.g. what a product should do)
> §  usability requirements
> §  technical requirements (e.g. security, network, platform, integration, client)
> §  environmental requirements
> §  support requirements
> §  interaction requirements (e.g. how the software should work with other systems)
> o   Constraints
> o   Workflow plans, timelines and milestones
> o   Evaluation plan and performance metrics
> ·         Functional Specification (FS) – Seems like only after we have agreement on the MRD and PRD can we deliver the FS and any corresponding open source libraries, test suites, deployment guides, etc.
>  
> Maybe this seems like a lot of work, and it is non-trivial, but unless we agree on what we’re trying to deliver, for who, and with what benefits, it will be hard for us to succeed.  You wouldn’t typically try to build a house without architectural designs and construction drawings, and if you did, you might not get what you thought wanted at the outset.
>  
> I’m not advocating that this has to be overly detailed and protracted, but if we can quickly come to consensus on some of these things, it seems like it will accelerate our long term progress and reduce a lot of friction along the way.  It will also be invaluable in communicating to RPs and end users what to expect – not only from V.Next, but w.r.t. the other initiatives like Artifact Binding, Discovery, Contract Exchange, OAuth 2.0, Portable Contacts, Activity Streams, etc. and how all these will work together to address market needs.  I’d love to see us publish an MRD and PRD for V.Next (using whatever nomenclature we think is appropriate) on the OpenID Foundation website to share with the world on what’s coming.
> 
> Welcoming input from others.
>  
> Cheers,
>  
> Brian
> ___________
>  
> Brian Kissel
> CEO - JanRain, Inc.
> bkissel at janrain.com
> Mobile: 503.342.2668 | Fax: 503.296.5502
> 519 SW 3rd Ave. Suite 600  Portland, OR 97204
>  
> Increase registrations, engage users, and grow your brand with RPX.  Learn more at www.rpxnow.com
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: openid-board-bounces at lists.openid.net [mailto:openid-board-bounces at lists.openid.net] On Behalf Of Dick Hardt
> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 10:05 AM
> To: David Recordon; Joseph Smarr; Allen Tom
> Cc: board at openid.net
> Subject: [OpenID board] in-person chat about Connect and v.Next
> Importance: High
>  
> David, Joseph, Allen
>  
> As fellow board members, fellow tech comm members and local residents, I believe it would be useful for the four of us to get together and hash out these topics.
>  
> Would you guys be interested in getting together?
>  
> If so, Monday afternoon or evening works for me. Alternatively, how about Friday afternoon? (I am in Denver for Glucon Tue-Thu)
>  
> I could also meet this afternoon or evening (Sunday) -- but that is likely too short of notice.
>  
> Somewhere in SF that is not too loud that serves beer and yummy snacks. My treat!
>  
> I think it is everyone's interest that we start rowing together in the OpenID boat: the community is looking to us for leadership.
>  
> (If others feel that could contribute and are able to meet in person, you are more than welcome to join!)
>  
> -- Dick
>  
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