Session 04: Identify Compass Terms

Session 03: Deliverables
Session 05: Defining the Ideal State

Hello and welcome to this session of the Compass Definitions project where I am illustrating the ideal state of Cryptiquest by defining the terms of the compass statements (vision, mission, and value statements). In the previous session, I listed out all the deliverables. In this session, I will start production by identifying all the compass terms. If there is time, I will create objective and measurable definitions for them.

To begin, I need to have the compass statements handy. Here they are:

Vision Statement
To responsibly unlock and inspire creators of any and every identity.

Mission Statement
To CREATE immersive MEDIA with inclusive fiction;
To SHARE content creation TOOLS with the world; and, 
To MODEL corporate humanistic POLICIES for the industry.

Value Statements
A. MEDIA
1. Inclusive: Content must strive for representation while avoiding tokenism, stereotyping, and cultural appropriation.
2. Original: Content must be unique and consistent to the world it creates.
3. Quality: Content must be entertaining, professional, and understandable.

B. TOOLS
1. Obtainable: Tools must be freely available for any would-be creators.
2. Refinable: Tools must be open to refinement based on feedback from users in order to increase tool effectiveness.
3. Useful: Tools must be engineered for ease of use by the novice creator.

C. POLICIES
1. Diverse-Seeking: Business must seek diversity in talent and in partnerships.
2. Human-centric: Business must treat people as people first (regardless of relation to the business).
3. Respectable: Business must serve as an industry role model regarding culture, conduct, and professionalism.

Starting with the vision statement, I have these terms:

  1. Responsibly
  2. Unlock creators
  3. Inspire creators
  4. Identity

Next, from the mission statement:

  1. Create
  2. Immersive media
  3. Inclusive fiction
  4. Share
  5. Content creation tools
  6. With the world
  7. Model
  8. Corporate humanistic policies
  9. Industry

Finally, from the value statements:

  1. Content
  2. Representation
  3. Tokenism
  4. Stereotyping
  5. Cultural appropriation
  6. Unique
  7. Consistent to the world it creates
  8. Entertaining
  9. Professional
  10. Understandable
  11. Tools
  12. Freely available
  13. Would-be creators
  14. Open to refinement
  15. Feedback
  16. Users
  17. Tool effectiveness
  18. Ease of use
  19. Novice creator
  20. Business
  21. Seek diversity
  22. Talent
  23. Partnerships
  24. People-first
  25. Industry role model
  26. Culture
  27. Conduct
  28. Professionalism

There’s some overlap of some terms and others that are probably generic enough to not warrant a definition. Either way, I think I’ll start defining the values since there are more of them.

TermLoose Definition
Content Fictional characters, settings, plot, or other types of story elements that are used in a narrative or in any other capacity (e.g. an example in a reference manual, etc.).
RepresentationProminent inclusion of people of diverse identities that may or may not be typically featured in media
TokenismThe inclusion of an identity just to serve as a symbol of diversity and/or a character who only exists to portray an identity
StereotypingA myth or over-generalized belief assigned to all people of an identity
Cultural AppropriationThe taking of cultural element or elements from one identity and re-purposing it for something else
UniqueDifferent enough from everything else to appear genuinely fresh
Consistent to the world it createsA minimal amount of plot holes, paradoxes, and scientific inaccuracies (reasonable to the science established in the containing content)
EntertainingNot boring or frustrating to experience
ProfessionalStandard of quality is above amateur
UnderstandableNot confusing, misleading, or convoluted
ToolsSurveys, worksheets, instructions, and other documents used for educating
Freely availableObtainable for free and with ease
Would-be creatorsPeople who either have created or have yet to create but either way may create in the future
Open to refinementSystem is versioned to track older iterations from the current
FeedbackCriticisms, suggestions, and other comments regarding quality
UsersPeople who actively use the tools
Tool effectivenessThe production rate for the intended purpose
Ease of useMinimal loss in production rate due to tool design
Novice creatorThe person is either new to creation or relatively new to being a person
BusinessCryptiquest, as a content creator, a policy maker, and an income generator
Seek diversityActively find people with backgrounds which differ from previous projects
TalentContent creators who are contracted by Cryptiquest
PartnershipsThird party or those who are otherwise contracted by Cryptiquest who are not content creators
People-firstRespect people’s identities and validation before addressing performance
Industry role modelAn example to which similar companies respect and take inspiration
CultureThe environment fostered within Cryptiquest in which social and professional interactions exist
ConductThe ways in which Cryptiquest manages policy and public relations
ProfessionalismThe quality of skill in which Cryptiquest performs

Okay, so those definitions are loose, rough, and off the cuff. They will serve as a foundation for which to build objective value statements. Here are the next wave of definitions based on terms identified from within the mission statement.

TermLoose Definition
Content creation tools
Guides, surveys, worksheets, and other documents used to directly or indirectly generate content
Corporate humanistic policiesPolicies are based on the assumption that humans have opinions, ideas, and experiences which are valid and valued and that decisions should be based on data to support a vision while permitting humans to have opinions, ideas, and experiences
CreateCryptiquest fabricates or commissions the fabrication of content
Immersive mediaContent that is entertaining, unique, consistent to the world it creates, professional, and understandable
Inclusive fictionInvented story and/or story elements which strive for representation while avoiding tokenism, stereotyping, and cultural appropriation
IndustryThe businesses, contributors, users and other associated individuals and organizations that foster content creation as Cryptiquest does
ModelServe as an example to which others look up
ShareProvide freely
With the worldAny and every human

I did that list alphabetically and wish that I had done the same with the first one. In hindsight I wish I had chosen a different method for displaying the data than a table since I now see how limited I am in copying and pasting data from it (I should have known better). The remaining list only has a few terms so I’ll use a table for consistency’s sake.

TermLoose Definition
IdentityOne or more categorical labels by which a person feels representation
Inspire creatorsProvoke and/or assist creators to create
ResponsiblyEnsuring that toxic philosophies are cast in a negative light
Unlock creatorsConvert a non-creator into a creator

That concludes identifying the list of definitions based on the compass statements. Next I’ll try to take these definitions and form measurable objectives for Cryptiquest. Should be fun and arduous. Ha. See you there.

Action Items

  1. Not sure how to do this reliably, but I need to figure out a way to identify if I will have a future need for data before I put it into an HTML table.

Project Notes

  1. Keep an eye out for project evolution (not scope-creep) with an attempt to identify when it happens (if it happens) and if there is an opportunity to incorporate a step for that in project management documentation.
Session 03: Deliverables
Session 05: Defining the Ideal State