Use a phased approach for processing Suggestions

[Grifter]

Concise description:The map foundry has a phased approached with a graduation process to go from one phase to another. Should do the same for suggestions and ideas. Also a a forum for each phase

Specifics:

• Ideas and suggestions would go through 4 phases: 1) Submission 2) Assessment 3) Confirmation 4) Documentation
• All suggestions start in the Submission phase. This is used to measure general interest in the idea
• If there is enough interest then the idea is reposted into another forum in the Assessment phase. Here the idea is worked out to its specifics and alternatives can be proposed.
• If the suggestion passes Assessment then it is reposted into a Confirmation forum where people can vote on the idea if they like it or not. At this point the specifics of the idea are set and discussion should be limited to "yes I like it" or "no I don't"
• Once the suggestion completes the Confirmation phase then the idea would be documented including why it was accepted or rejected. This should be kept somewhere it is not deleted. I have noticed that the discussion threads for past ideas have disappeared.

This will improve the following aspects of the site:

• Reduces the clutter of silly or dumb ideas since they will be confined to the the Submission forum.
• An Assessment forum will contain only the serious ideas. Easy to see what is being considered. Same with the Confirmation forum.
• Can easily see what is being looked at

In the spirit of this suggestion it is now in the Submission phase. Please post if you find it interesting.

[ender516]

I like this idea. I especially like the permanent Documentation phase. It's good to be able to review the rationale for a decision at a later date to ensure it still makes sense. Also, having a history of the discussion that led to the decision can prevent it from being undone later when what was a good reason may have been forgotten.

This idea would mesh nicely with my earlier suggestion Subforums for Suggestions & Bug Reports; anything that would help organize Sugs & Bugs is welcome in my view.

[Thezzaruz]

Some interesting points but the suggestion also a few problems we need to work out IMO.

* For it to be the easy viewing (in each suggestion/thread) you want we would need to have the original suggester coming back to change the OP and title to match the current suggestion. And that doesn't happen much of the time.
* Polls has to be put up, taken down or changed by the OP so any polls down the line so to say is also dependant on the original suggester coming back.

* The merit of a suggestion is in no way linked to how much an original suggester is active (as per the above points) and hence a suggestions possibility to progress through your sub-forums shouldn't be dependant on the original suggesters activity.
* A suggestion will never be implemented because of or by popular support but rather due to lack and hence anything that that tries to stop or approve a suggestion based on popular support or suggester activity is a moot point.

* Getting around the issues with suggester activity would require the mods to take over those duties and I doubt they would want that.


The bottom line is that I agree on the fact that more documentation and structure around here would be a good thing but I don't think that the foundry way of doing things would suit us.

[AAFitz]

* For it to be the easy viewing (in each suggestion/thread) you want we would need to have the original suggester coming back to change the OP and title to match the current suggestion. And that doesn't happen much of the time.

Not true. Mods can change the title pretty easily, as they do in C&A forums when someone is [busted]

* Polls has to be put up, taken down or changed by the OP so any polls down the line so to say is also dependant on the original suggester coming back.

I would not be surprised if mods could do this, though they probably would not.

* The merit of a suggestion is in no way linked to how much an original suggester is active (as per the above points) and hence a suggestions possibility to progress through your sub-forums shouldn't be dependant on the original suggesters activity.

This is true for the most part, though active players will possibly have some more recognition.

* A suggestion will never be implemented because of or by popular support but rather due to lack and hence anything that that tries to stop or approve a suggestion based on popular support or suggester activity is a moot point.

This is not completely true. Popular support or disaproval, especially when overwhelming does affect decisions. All of the mods are players too, so without a doubt the suggestions that people are begging for are indeed given more attention.

* Getting around the issues with suggester activity would require the mods to take over those duties and I doubt they would want that.

They can get over most of them, and its not as hard as it seems...but I agree that doesnt mean it will necessarily happen.

The bottom line is that I agree on the fact that more documentation and structure around here would be a good thing but I don't think that the foundry way of doing things would suit us.

This here is probably more of a function of letting people know the status, rather than the implementation. Though some may very well get fast tracked, realistically, they will only be programmed when there is time to do so. However, for those interested in the progress, it would be interesting info to have, whether its worth doing or not is another question.

[Thezzaruz]

* A suggestion will never be implemented because of or by popular support but rather due to lack and hence anything that that tries to stop or approve a suggestion based on popular support or suggester activity is a moot point.

This is not completely true. Popular support or disaproval, especially when overwhelming does affect decisions. All of the mods are players too, so without a doubt the suggestions that people are begging for are indeed given more attention.

Ah sorry, I worded it poorly. Popular support alone will never push a suggestion through just as the lack of support doesn't mean the suggestion is dead. So if the system suggested here was put in place any suggestion that made it through all 4 stages would still ultimately need lack's approval too before even being considered for implementing. IMO this would mean that either lack would need to be more involved in all stages of the suggestions discussion or we would have a big risk of getting disillusioned and disgruntled players thinking that "but we've already approved the suggestion, where did it go/why isn't it done".

* For it to be the easy viewing (in each suggestion/thread) you want we would need to have the original suggester coming back to change the OP and title to match the current suggestion. And that doesn't happen much of the time.

Not true. Mods can change the title pretty easily, as they do in C&A forums when someone is [busted]

* Polls has to be put up, taken down or changed by the OP so any polls down the line so to say is also dependant on the original suggester coming back.

I would not be surprised if mods could do this, though they probably would not.

* Getting around the issues with suggester activity would require the mods to take over those duties and I doubt they would want that.

They can get over most of them, and its not as hard as it seems...but I agree that doesnt mean it will necessarily happen.

Keeping track of all current suggestions and updating titles, polls and OPs in line with the discussion is quite a lot more work than adding a [Busted] to the title of a thread that has led to a bust. Of course it is possible but I really can't see any mod wanting to add it to their duties.