Is/Is Not
Whats it for?
Is-Is Not Analysis is a method of narrowing down or focusing by successively asking both "What it is" and "What it is not". Use it when you want to decide what is in scope and what is not in the scope.
Examples can be seen here & here
Once completed, it allows for a clear statement to be made that answers ("Is" column) the main question.
The statement to be completed is "The purpose of the Future Group is..."
Benefits of using Is/Is Not
- Describes what the group will and will not address
- Protects against scope creep
- Once completed, can be used as a reference for future activities to prevent unnecessary work being completed
- Forces a review of all aspects and in particular the boundaries
- Answers to the questions, when combined, provide the overall statement
Guidance
Some important points to remember when completing this activity:
- Your answers should be short and to the point, see the linked examples above. As with the SWOT analysis, think "headlines"
- Be specific in your answers where possible
- Try to ignore the work completed by other people in the group when completing your own. The objective of this is to find out what you think is the purpose of the FG
- The beginning of each answer begins with "The purpose of the Future Group..."
- You then answer each question as if you were finishing that sentence
Once you have answered all questions, starting from the bottom "Is" answer, you should be able to make a single sentence that answers the main question.
The purpose of the Future Group is...
Blanca
The purpose of the Future Group is........
| Question |
Is |
Is Not
|
| When are we going to be finished? |
By the beginning of June 2014, write up end of June 2014 |
After July 2014
|
| Who are we going to impact? |
Anybody involved with OSM |
Finantial interests
|
| What is our work going to achieve? |
To clearly define in detail short and long term goals. To propose solutions to existing problems. |
Implementations, solutions for only small groups of users
|
| Why are we doing this? |
To make OSM the online mapper of choice |
To waste our time
|
| Where are we getting our information from? |
Own experience, other users, technological demands and trends |
Other online mappers
|
| How are we going to collect information? |
By interacting with users at different levels: conferences, workshops, industry, and documenting the findings |
On our own without clear and common guidelines
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is to clearly define goals and propose solutions to existing problems by the beginning of June 2014 to make OSM the online mappper of choice by collection information from users at different levels. "
|
Clifford
The purpose of the Future Group is........ Glassman (talk) 21:03, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
| Question |
Is |
Is Not
|
| When are we going to be finished? |
Summer 2014 |
Standing committee
|
| Who are we going to impact? |
OSM Contributors and developers, system admin, OSMF and 3rd Party Data Users |
The open nature and culture of OSM
|
| What is our work going to achieve? |
A strategy to help OSM define and achieve its goals |
Wish list of just the committee members
|
| Why are we doing this? |
We want to see OSM as THE map people use. We see great possibility for the little map that Steve created. |
Personal gain or individual attacks
|
| Where are we getting our information from? |
From as broad a segment of the OSM population as possible |
Just vocal people on mailing lists
|
| How are we going to collect information? |
Surveys and interviews with OSMF Board members, contributors and developers. Data gathered from OSM statistical reports |
Asking just power users and OSMF Board members
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is to gather information from a wide spectrum of the community to define its goals and formulate a strategy to implement those goals by July 2014. "
|
Dave
The purpose of the Future Group is........
| Question |
Is |
Is Not
|
| When are we going to be finished? |
Finish by June 2014 with a repeat activity every 12 months |
Continue this analysis indefinitely
|
| Who are we going to impact? |
Users of OSM |
Other map providers
|
| What is our work going to achieve? |
Show what users like, dislike and want in OSM |
Implement change
|
| Why are we doing this? |
To improve the user experience |
Force through changes
|
| Where are we getting our information from? |
As many current, inactive and future users of OSM as will provide information |
Isolated views from high profile figures
|
| How are we going to collect information? |
Gather and analyse feedback through as many "wide net" data collection methods as are appropriate |
Our own opinions.
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is to gather and analyse feedback through as many "wide net" data collection methods as are appropriate from as many current, inactive and future users of OSM as will provide information in order to improve the user experience by showing what users of OSM like, dislike and want and to complete this by June 2014 with a repeat of this activity every 12 months."
|
Dermot
The purpose of the Future Group is........
| Question |
Is |
Is Not
|
| When are we going to be finished? |
Never, but with yearly milestones. |
A simple process with beginning, middle and end
|
| Who are we going to impact? |
Mappers |
Map data users (changes in their behaviour should result from our actions, though)
|
| What is our work going to achieve? |
The relevance of OSM to tomorrow's geo-data world |
A uniform authoritarian project
|
| Why are we doing this? |
Because some necessary developments will not arise by chance |
Because we know better than others mappers how this should be done
|
| Where are we getting our information from? |
Mappers, data users, non-data users, Geo-data industry occurrences (like acquisition of Waze) |
Our own intuition with no backup
|
| How are we going to collect information? |
Varied methods, directly asking people, reading published material (mailing lists, fora, blogs, press releases) |
Sit back and believe the loudest voices
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is to used various specific methods [could elaborate inline] to inform ourselves from mappers, data and non-data users and from industry events, because certain developments within OSM will not result from chance, of the relevance of OSM to tomorrow's geo-data world, with the goal of informing mappers and allowing them to consider their behaviour, with this process becoming an ongoing one with yearly milestones."
|
Johan
The purpose of the Future Group is........
| Question |
Is |
Is Not
|
| When are we going to be finished? |
the first step in Summer 2014 |
Earlier or later than summer 2014
|
| Who are we going to impact? |
an opencrowdsourcing community of, in the long run, millions users and contributors |
Nobody
|
| What is our work going to achieve? |
Change |
Standstill
|
| Why are we doing this? |
to unleash the giant potential OSM has for future users and contributors.
|
An attempt to prevent change.
|
| Where are we getting our information from? |
all sources available (including available discussions in the Wiki/talk etc.) |
Just our own thoughts
|
| How are we going to collect information? |
gather and analyse interviews, blogs, articles, surveys (by splitting tasks over various persons) |
Not
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is to gather and analyse interviews, blogs, articles, surveys from all sources available in order to unleash the giant potential OSM has for future users and contributors by change for an opencrowdsourcing community of, in the long run, millions users and contributors by setting the first step by Summer 2014. "
|
| Define the purpose of the Future Group
|
| "The purpose of the Future Group is...[How]....[Where]...[Why]....[What]....[Who]....[When]. "
|