Projects

Section 1: The Purpose of Projects

Projects are one of the principal ways in which the philosophy of Thronos is put into practice.

A Project is a deliberate undertaking by one or more people to bring a worthwhile outcome into existence, improve an existing condition, solve a problem, develop something of value, or faithfully carry a responsibility.

Projects provide a place where intention meets reality.

They are therefore not merely ideas or declarations of ambition. A Project should involve something that its participants intend to actually pursue.

Section 2: Who May Create a Project

Any member of Thronos may propose or create a Project, subject to the requirements established by Thronos.

A Project may be personal or collaborative.

It may concern a person's family, education, career, business, craft, community, ministry, research, creative work, or another worthwhile purpose.

Projects do not need to be large, novel, profitable, or publicly significant.

A Project may be as small as repairing something that has been neglected or as ambitious as building an institution.

The significance of a Project is not determined solely by its scale.

Section 3: The Project Brief

A Project should clearly communicate what its creator is attempting to accomplish.

Where appropriate, a Project should identify:

the intended outcome;

the problem, need, or opportunity being addressed;

the reason the Project matters;

the people or community affected;

what is currently preventing progress;

the capabilities, knowledge, relationships, resources, or structures required;

the people involved;

and the intended next steps.

The purpose of this information is not to require certainty at the beginning of a Project.

It is to make the undertaking understandable enough for others to determine how they may contribute.

Section 4: Projects and Reality

Projects should be treated as hypotheses about what can be accomplished, not as guarantees of what will happen.

Project creators are encouraged to test their assumptions, gather evidence, measure progress, acknowledge setbacks, and change their approach when reality demonstrates that a different approach is necessary.

A Project may change substantially from its original form as its participants learn.

Changing a Project in response to evidence is not necessarily failure.

Continuing an ineffective course merely because it was originally planned is not necessarily faithfulness.

Section 5: The Problems Around a Project

A Project should identify the obstacles that may prevent its realization.

These may include gaps in:

knowledge;

skills;

discipline;

resources;

relationships;

time;

systems;

infrastructure;

information;

or other necessary conditions.

Members may use the Project to make these needs visible to the community.

The purpose is not merely to ask, “Who can do this for me?”

It is also to ask:

“What must I become capable of doing, and what must we build, obtain, or understand, for this Project to become possible?”

Section 6: Community Contribution

Members may contribute to Projects in whatever lawful and appropriate manner they are able and willing to provide.

Contribution may include:

knowledge;

advice;

skills;

labour;

introductions;

equipment;

resources;

encouragement;

criticism;

research;

collaboration;

or other forms of assistance.

No member is required to contribute to another person's Project merely because they are a member of Thronos.

Members should not pressure others to participate.

Section 7: Financial Assistance

Projects should not be designed on the assumption that the Thronos community will provide financial support.

Thronos is not a crowdfunding platform, and membership does not create an entitlement to money from other members.

Where a Project genuinely requires financial resources, its creator may identify that need and pursue appropriate sources of funding outside the ordinary obligations of membership, subject to any rules established by Thronos.

Members may voluntarily provide financial assistance where permitted, but such assistance remains voluntary and does not constitute an obligation created by Thronos membership.

Section 8: Collaboration and Credit

People contributing to a Project should be treated fairly.

Project creators should make reasonable efforts to acknowledge meaningful contributions and should not present another person's work, ideas, research, or creation as their own.

Where a Project involves formal agreements concerning ownership, compensation, intellectual property, employment, partnership, or other legal rights, the participants should establish those matters clearly rather than relying upon assumptions created by participation in Thronos.

Participation in a Thronos Project does not, by itself, determine ownership of work produced through the Project.

Section 9: Project Spaces

Where appropriate, a Project may have a corresponding Space within The Third Place.

The Project represents the work being undertaken.

The Space represents the people gathered around that work.

A Space may therefore contain discussion, collaboration, questions, resources, updates, criticism, encouragement, and other interactions relevant to the Project.

Not every conversation within Thronos needs to belong to a Project, and not every relationship within Thronos needs to produce a Project.

Section 10: Project Conduct

Project creators and participants remain responsible for their own conduct and for complying with applicable laws, regulations, safety requirements, agreements, and professional obligations.

Thronos does not assume responsibility for every action taken by a member merely because that action is associated with a Project hosted or discussed within the community.

Projects must comply with the Community Guidelines and may not be used to facilitate abuse, fraud, exploitation, unlawful activity, or conduct fundamentally inconsistent with the purposes and foundation of Thronos.

Where a Project presents significant risks to people or the community, Thronos may require additional safeguards or decline to host the Project.

Section 11: Project Review

Thronos may review Projects before or after they become visible to the wider community.

Review may consider whether a Project:

falls within the purposes of Thronos;

complies with the Community Guidelines;

is presented honestly;

creates significant risks to participants or others;

or is fundamentally inconsistent with the Christian foundation of the organization.

Review is not intended to guarantee the success, quality, safety, legality, or wisdom of every Project.

Responsibility for the undertaking remains with its creator and participants.

Section 12: Project Progress

Project creators are encouraged to document meaningful progress.

Updates may include:

what has been accomplished;

what has been learned;

what has failed;

what has changed;

what assistance is needed;

and what will happen next.

The purpose of documenting progress is not to manufacture activity or impress an audience.

It is to make the work visible enough for participants and contributors to understand what is happening and to learn from the process.

Section 13: Completion, Pause, and Abandonment

A Project may be:

completed;

paused;

substantially changed;

transferred to another person or group;

or abandoned.

Completion should be understood in relation to the Project's stated purpose rather than merely the passage of time or volume of activity.

A Project that is abandoned should not be treated automatically as a personal failure.

Where appropriate, the lessons, work, resources, or relationships developed through a Project may remain useful to other people.

Section 14: Projects as a Place of Growth

Projects are not only mechanisms for producing things.

They are also places where people develop judgment, discipline, knowledge, skill, relationships, resilience, and responsibility.

A Project may therefore produce value even when its original objective is not achieved, provided that its participants learn honestly from what occurred and use that learning responsibly.

Thronos seeks to cultivate Projects in which people do not merely complete things, but become more capable through the process of attempting them.

Section 15: The Purpose of Projects

The purpose of a Thronos Project is ultimately not activity for its own sake.

Projects exist to give people a place to act on worthwhile intentions, meet reality, develop capability, contribute to others, and bring something meaningful into existence.

The Project is the work.

The community around it is the Space.

And the people who undertake the work are changed by what they build.