Cardano Ambassador Tools

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Felix Weber

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Individual

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

5

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We ideate, define and build 2 tools Ambassadors need and want

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

This proposal is a fully independent grass root initiative, yet the Ambassadors program is part of the Cardano Foundation programs, therefore we will closely coordinate with the CF to ensure that proposal actions are well aligned between Ambassadors and the CF

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

Yes, both tools will be fully open sourced on a public github repository under an open source licence

[METADATA] Horizons

Infrastructure

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

First, why dont we already have awesome tooling for ambassadors. Situation is that noone has time, nor skilled Ambassadors nor the CF engineering team. So we are a little stuck in a situation where we may know which tools we need and want, yet, no capacities or resources to build them actually. 

This proposal introduces an solution on how the Cardano Ambassadors program can effectively build the tools it needs by directly collaborating with the wider Cardano Open source developer community

Here's how it goes:

1) We get the proposal funded, which enables us to manage funds

2) We gather ideas, insights and feedback from Ambassadors on tools they would like to have

3) We categorise and prioritise gathered ideas 

4) We translate categories & prioritised ideas into a ambassador-tool roadmap

5) We pick up tools from the roadmap, and we identify and engage skilled cardano builders to develop the tool (in this proposal, we can offer 50K Ada per tool)

6) and thats it

All the process would be managed by the proposal team, in direct coordination with the Cardano Foundation and the selected developers of the tools.

The deployed tools will be open sourced under an public github repository. Ideally using repositories on the Cardano Foundation github.

NOTE*

This is not a proposal by the Cardano Foundation, this proposal is a purely community led initiative.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Ambassadors are well experienced and connected Cardano contributors who support a number of active cardano projects in various roles. Improving Ambassadors tooling to level their performance at the program will ideally support a stronger impact of ambassadors. 

Increases communications

by collectively ideating and defining tools we need, we as Ambassadors increase communications between us and the Cardano Foundation

Increases Coordinations

By aligning ideas and tasks, we increase coordinates of the Ambassadors program to the CF and to the cardano developer community

Increases Collaborations

Well coordinated ideas and items help to facilitate direct collaborations within the Ambassadors, as well as the Ambassadors program with the Cardano Foundation and the developer community.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

I rally and engage collaborations across the Cardano ecosystem since early 2021 since when I also became an Ambassador. I know about the challenges and needs, know how to manage teams and how to admin catalyst proposals and should have all the required time and capacity needed to successfully implement the proposal.

The level of trust and accountability for this proposal should be measured by my previous actions. I have been a funded proposer since earliest Catalyst days and always delivered and completed the proposals I have been part of.

https://www.lidonation.com/en/project-catalyst/users/608

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1

• Milestone duration: 1 month
• Proposal progress in %: 25%
• Milestone Budget: 20,000 ADA

Milestone outcomes

• Gather feedback and insights from Ambassadors for needed/wanted tools through offline/online sessions and async tools like forms/surveys
• Cluster and categorise input into clear items/projects
• Acceptance criteria
• Successfully gathered insights and feedback on tooling needs/wants from ambassadors
• Completed a list of items/projects which serves as a roadmap
• Evidence of Milestone completion
• Public url to a report, summarising the gathered insights and feedback from Ambassadors
• Public url to identified, categorised and prioritised tools 

Milestone 2

• Milestone duration:
• Proposal progress in %: 50%
• Milestone Budget: 20,000 Ada

• Milestone outcomes
• identify and engage Cardano builders to build 2 prioritised tools
• Assign cardano builders to the 2 prioritised tools
• Acceptance criteria
• formalised collaboration with Cardano builders to develop 2 prioritised tools
• Evidence of Milestone completion

Milestone 3

• Milestone duration: 2 months
• Proposal progress in %: 75%
• Milestone Budget: 35,000 Ada

• Milestone outcomes
• Develop 2 prioritised tools in collaboration with Cardano builders
• Acceptance criteria
• Successfully deployed tools
• Evidence of Milestone completion
• link to open source repository on a github for the both tools
• short recorded demo of the both tools

Milestone 4

• Milestone duration:
• Proposal progress in %: 100%
• Milestone Budget: 35,000 Ada
• Milestone outcomes
• Reflection & Retrospective, a online document summarising the proposal effectiveness and performance. Prepare content for close out report & video
• Create proposal close out report
• Create proposal close out video
• Acceptance criteria
• Completed Reflection & Retrospective report, a published summary summarising the proposal effectiveness and performance
• Completed close our report
• Completed close out video
• Evidence of Milestone completion
• Public url to Reflection & Retrospective report,
• Public url to completed close our report
• Public url to completed close out video

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Hey, I'm Felix, full time Cardano and Cardano Ambassador since 2021.

I do this proposal as a solo thingy. Rally people around projects & ideas is sort of my little speciality and i improve on that over time since starting full time Cardano in early 2021. So, i'll be responsible for this whole thing, ha, can clap myself on the shoulder if everything goes well, and everyone knows exactly who to blame when things don't play out XD

As for accountability, I have been a funded proposer since earliest days, and I always delivered on the proposals I have been part of.

While there will be several collaborators, I will take the responsibility to lead on this proposal.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

It is october 2024 while writing this proposal, Ada course is around 0.35 USD.. assuming that both tools would be simple tools, we ideally get good outcomes when enabling 50K Ada per tool, so 100K Ada for both tools together. besides that i would pay myself 2500 Ada per month for 4 months to manage everything else then the tool development. 

Tool 1: 50.000 Ada

Tool 2: 50.000 Ada  

Everything else: 10.000 Ada

Total: 110.000 Ada

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Actually quite convinced that this proposal can bootstrap some interesting (& effective) workflow on how the Ambassadors can coordinate around the tool development for the Ambassadors program itself in direct collaboration with the Cardano open source developer community. If we build Ambassador tools fully open source, in direct collabs with the dev community (from which many of us Ambassadors already are part of), we can ensure that we have highest quality tools on place, built by experienced and committed Cardano developers who have a personal interest in maintaining once developed tools as well. So ye, the value for the money is definitely in enabling collective & collaborative mechanisms to provide hq tooling for Cardano Ambassadors and in high stakes of maintaining once deployed tools, ensuring all together to increase performance of the overall Ambassadors program.