Working open

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FAQ: How to Work Open at Mozilla

Frequently Asked Questions and helpful resources for when, why and how to work open at Mozilla. 8175049476_798ea876ca_z.jpg

Definitions

  • What does "working in the open" mean at Mozilla?
  • Why does Mozilla do it?
  • How has it changed?

Open vs. Transparent

transparent 
Public, but not necessarily enabling participation.
passively transparent 
Not private; decisions aren’t actively hidden, but are difficult to locate. They may not even be documented. This is usually not done intentionally.
actively transparent 
Everything is written down, is easily searchable and is locatable by interested parties. This requires intentional, sustained effort.
open 
Public and participatory. This requires structuring efforts so that "outsiders" can meaningfully participate (and become "insiders" as appropriate).

Successes

  • What are examples of how working open has made Mozilla successful?

Challenges

  • What's hard about working open?
  • What if I don't believe in the benefits?
  • When there's a conflict between openness and business requirements, how should we navigate that?
  • What are some examples of failures / areas we've done badly?

Strategies and Tactics

  • How do you work open? What are some specific strategies, tactics and best practices?

Different approaches

  • How do different parts of Mozilla take up working open differently? (e.g., design vs. communications vs. QA) What can we learn from each other?

Resources

  • What resources are available for guidance and help?

Resources about the open web:

Ways to Work Open at Mozilla: