Week 29, 2022 — Issue #204

The mOS Workspace: Elements, Configuration, and Consent

Photo by Paul Becker on Unsplash

Each week: three ideas for how to build better organizations. This week: three ideas that help introduce MAQE’s management model.

Your business model explains what you do and your management model explains how you do it. At MAQE, we’re currently working to document our version of the latter (we call it the MAQE Operating System or mOS for short), and we’ve created a workspace in Miro to help manage the process.

Here’s how it works:

1. Components

mOS contains a few different components. First up are the 12 domains that we’ve borrowed from the OS Canvas. Subordinate to those are a growing number of principles and practices that shed light on key parts of the organization — from how we make decisions to how we conduct design workshops. Our aim is ‘barely enough process’ and our practices are closer to guidelines than they are detailed procedures.

2. Configuration

The workspace exists as a Miro board that everyone in the organization has access to. Principles and practices exist in either of four states: (1) proposals submitted by the team, (2) drafts currently in the works, (3) submissions that are up for review, and, lastly, (4) the agreed-upon principles and practices that currently make up mOS. One team acts as stewards, helping to facilitate the process.

3. Consent

The third component centers on a consent process that opens individual proposals for public review and scrutiny. Proposals remain “open for review” for a set period of time and it’s up to the author to solicit the support he or she needs. Proposals that do not attract a veto are presumed as “safe to try” and are automatically entered into mOS. The author will, however, continue to accept feedback and suggestions for as long as the principle or practice remains in effect.

With the workspace, we’re hoping to create a continuously evolving resource that can serve as the first port of call for anyone wanting to know how we do what we do.

That’s all for this week. Until next time: Make it matter.

Andreas

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