[wp-hackers] Community Views on Now and the Future

[Podz]

Robert Deaton wrote:
> - What are your views on project's leadership?

It's not about leadership, it's about management - and there is none.

Pre-2.0 I was asked what WordPress needed and I replied "A project
manager". I would repeat that again.
No-one has a good overview of the situation and even those who do read
all the lists and the forums while we might think we have a good view we
do not because we all have our own agendas. Certain coders said 2.0 was
ready for release, others did not, docs were not ready said some,
support was not ready, testing was not complete. But it happened. And
somehow it all hung together. That cycle will be repeated and repeated
because the decision to let the code free is in the hands of 2 or 3
people at most.

With all the glory of 'being WordPress' comes all the responsibility
too. I certainly think that responsibility needs to be collectively
shared - it is not now.

WP needs a manager. Someone who can be objective, who can pull all the
parts into shape and move each part forward or in the direction needed
to make WP into whatever it will be. It needs a manager who knows how to
manage. It needs someone who is nothing to do with WP to get in and do
whatever is needed. I think that were this to happen it would initially
be painful for some but the benefit would far outweigh such disruption.
And if no-one is appointed to manage ? That either means that there is
nothing or that current methods of work are approved of.

Leading is easy. Managing is a whole different ball game.

P.