Strategy

Strategy can relate to strategy for the Wikimedia movement, strategy for entities such as the Wikimedia Foundation and Chapters, and roadmaps for individual Projects (e.g., Wikidata or Wiktionary or Wiki Loves Monuments).

2030 strategy process

• First Phase: In 2017 the Wikimedia Foundation facilitated a movement-wide discussion on the future direction of Wikimedia. The outcome of that discussion is the Strategic Direction, which can be endorsed here.
• Second Phase: Through the work of the nine thematic Working Groups, Movement Strategy produced a set of recommendations and Principles to guide the future change in the Movement (published in May 2020).
• Transition: The prioritization events and the Global Conversations, during the Transition phase, helped determine the priorities for implementing the recommendations in the near future.
• Implementation: The implementation of movement strategy is, from now on, underway. You are encouraged to take part in the ongoing discussions or to launch new conversations and bring them into the movement.

Current strategy documents

Strategy of Wikimedia organizations

Discussion of Wikimedia Nederland, February 2011, resulting in the 2013-2015 strategy paper

Chapters

WMAM	Armenia	Strategic Plan 2017-2020 (2013-2018)
WMAR	Argentina	Strategic Plan 2016-2018
WMAT	Austria	Strategy 2016+ Strategic Plan 2012-2014 (de, en), from 2012
WMAU	Australia	Strategic Plan, endorsed by members at 2011 AGM.
WMCA	Canada	Strategic Plan 2017-2022
WMCH	Switzerland	Strategic Plan (defined in summer 2014, 3-5 years)
WMCZ	Czech Republic	Strategic Plan 2021-2024
WMDE	Germany	Strategic Plan 2022
WMFR	France	Strategic Plan
WMIT	Italy	Strategic Plan 2019
Shared Knowledge	Macedonia	Strategic Plan 2016-2020
MNL	Netherlands	Strategy 2022–2024
WMNO	Norway	Strategy 2016-2020
WMPL	Poland	Mission and Strategy, plans for 2017
WMRS	Serbia	Strategy 2015-2017, 2018-2020
WMSE	Sweden	Strategy 2021-2025
WMUA	Ukraine	Strategic Plan 2020-2022
WMUK	United Kingdom	Strategy 2019-2022

Other organizations

Wikimedia Foundation	2016 strategy (18-24 months)
Amical Wikimedia	Amical Wikimedia 2019-2024 Strategic Plan, 2014-2018
CIS-A2K	Strategic plan June 2016 - July 2018

History

First plans for the Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation was formed in 2003, when it became clear that Wikipedia was becoming an important online project, too big to reside on Bomis' servers. Previous to this, most "strategic planning" discussions revolved around the evolving Wikis; many decisions (additional languages, additional projects, core policies) that helped shape future organizational development were boldly made by community members and leaders through the wiki process. Most "Foundation-level" work was done by volunteers, from financial planning to technical scaling. The Foundation was a convenient organizational structure for the projects, not envisioned as an end unto itself. At the same time, Wikimedia Deutschland became the first chapter, planning its own national strategy - from publicity and politics to publishing.

When the first elected community member Trustees took their seats on the Wikimedia Foundation Board, there were a variety of discussions about where the Foundation and the movement should be heading.

• Early discussions: mailing list threads from Anthere and Angela from late 2004 were often about related topics
• Strategic goals: a few open meetings about goals, and some discussions on the wiki (1), ensued
• The Mission and Vision statements were revisited in 2006/2007 to help lay uniform foundations for future work. (The idea was for this to happen regularly, though the next revisit was in 2009)
• In late 2006 there was an internal discussion of strategy with facilitated meetings of Board members and others, resulting in a few one-year planning documents. These do not seem to be public, though many resulting conversations are.

Most discussions about project and Foundation-wide planning have been held on mailing lists (first wikipedia-l, then foundation-l); or on Meta.

Movement strategies

2004: the Board holds its first elections. There was strategic planning before and after

One-year plan, Three-year plan, Five-year plan

a few open meetings were held to discuss the needs of the Projects with the Board.

2006: reflection and review; Angela and Anthere had been on the board since the beginning.

There were committees formed

A Board retreat and SWOT analysis was undertaken

A special projects committee was formed and shared some brainstorming ideas related to the above

Note the various resolutions passed by the SPC.

An email discussion thread about "where do you see Wikimedia in 10 years" meets with interest

2009

A year-long project, Strategic planning 2009, was announced in May and planned for the coming year. Threads about how to proceed were floated on foundation-l, and three one-year contracts to facilitate the process were posted.

Wikimedia Movement Strategic Plan (PDF)

2010-2015

The Wikimedia movement strategy 2010-2015 was developed on the now-archived strategy wiki, from 2009-2010. This was the first strategy for the entire movement; it doubled as a strategy for the Wikimedia Foundation. This covered for instance how effectively the movement is reaching and empowering new people around the world, how well it is providing knowledge, and how balanced its contributors are. See the Wikimedia Movement Strategic Plan Summary for details. Some key Questions about our strategy were also developed. The work on the strategy wiki was later largely migrated back to Meta.

Wikimedia Foundation strategies

The Wikimedia Foundation has developed, on-wiki, the following strategies:

• 2015
• 2016

Mission and Vision

The mission (editable version) and vision (editable version) attempt to formalize the shared goals of the projects. However, they are wordy in places and leave out goals in others.

In 2006 they were rewritten once, and there was a Board/Chapters/Other meeting at which they were discussed along with a general discussion of where the projects should be heading. The idea then was that they would be regularly revised and revisited -- but this has not happened since.

Choosing new projects

New project proposals aren't always given the attention they deserve, considering that how we view ourselves as a collection of sister projects is determined in part by what Projects we support. Newcomers are drawn to the projects by the promise of one or the other environment to work; and expect to find a functioning local society and receptive soil for planting new ideas.

Major projects that have been considered but not accepted so far include : Wikikids, Wikifamily, and Wikicite; other major friendly projects include AboutUs.org and Rodovid/WeRelate.

Strategy proposals, projects, discussions

• Planning for the future
• Suggestions and proposals
• Individual engagement grants (and related project ideas)
• Initiatives of various shapes and sizes
• Strategy project

Discussion as part of Wikimedia Foundation and project governance

Board candidate statements throughout the years:

• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2011
• 2013

Some of largest wikis have, or have had, their own strategy discussions, leading to more specific project strategies and roadmaps. For instance, in the English Wikipedia this includes WP:1.0 and WikiProject Council (for quality and participation). Many discussions about global policy (privacy, BLPs, civility, language incubation) started with discussions on a single large wiki about its own vision and future.