Portfolio and Plans KB
Create a portfolio listing and knowledge base for Datopian initiatives and projects.
Owner review pending. Retained in the company portfolio after the 2026-09-28 scope review. The commitment dates below have expired; the owner must confirm the current outcome, next milestone, review date, and execution tracker. No renewed commitment is recorded yet.
This project is the rollout of a usable portfolio knowledge base for Datopian initiatives and projects. Daniela owns it because it sits at the intersection of operating clarity, portfolio visibility, and team coordination.
What this project is
The goal is not to create a heavy documentation system. The goal is to make the portfolio tree and the initiative/project pages reliable enough that someone can answer practical questions quickly:
- what exists
- who owns it
- what is active
- what a project is trying to do
- where to go for the current canonical record
This is a bounded rollout project to get the system into a usable state, not an ongoing initiative by itself.
Context
This work is about creating a practical portfolio and planning KB for Datopian:
- initiatives = long-lived things such as products, offers, and internal systems
- projects = bounded pieces of work under those initiatives
The KB lives in this repo (datopian/company) in GitHub Markdown.
Archive and raw material can still live elsewhere when needed, but the portfolio tree and the initiative/project pages should be the canonical source of truth for current portfolio structure.
What exists today
The main assets already in place are:
- a live portfolio tree for navigating current initiatives and projects
- initiative pages and project pages as the canonical portfolio records
- KB guidance explaining how to use and maintain the system
- initiative template and project template defining the minimum standard
- portfolio README and portfolio structure rationale explaining how the tree is organized
If someone wants to understand what we have today, the best path is:
- start with the portfolio tree
- open portfolio/README.md for navigation guidance
- open docs/how-to-use-the-kb.md for the operating model
- open the relevant initiative or project page for the actual current record
Current status
The portfolio structure, generated tree, and core templates already exist. The project has moved from setup into clarity and rollout work.
What is already in place:
- live portfolio navigation surfaces
- markdown-based initiative and project pages
- minimum templates for initiatives and projects
- KB usage guidance
What is still being improved:
- completeness of active pages
- clarity of project pages beyond bare minimum frontmatter
- team understanding of how to maintain the KB as a living source of truth
What success looks like
This project succeeds when the KB is not merely present but actually useful.
That means someone should be able to open an initiative or project page and quickly understand:
- what the item is
- why it exists
- who owns it
- what stage it is in
- what done looks like
- where to find evidence or next-step material
Scope
In scope:
- portfolio structure and conventions
- page templates and minimum standards
- improvement of active initiative and project pages
- rollout and operating guidance for the team
Not in scope:
- turning the KB into a full reporting system
- duplicating every working note or archive source into this repo
- building a second project-management system alongside the KB
Plan of work
| Milestone | ETA | Output / deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio structure and templates defined | 2026-05-09 | Agreed KB guide and initiative/project templates |
| Active pages updated to the minimum standard | 2026-05-23 | Active initiatives and projects on the tree brought up to minimum completeness |
| Team rollout completed | 2026-05-26 | Team informed how to use and maintain the KB |
| KB reviewed as source of truth | 2026-05-31 | Review decision on whether the KB is ready to operate as the living source of truth |
Links / Evidence
- Portfolio tree
- Portfolio map
- Portfolio overview page
- Portfolio README
- KB guide
- Initiative template
- Project template
- Portfolio structure rationale
- Marketing grouping initiative
- Operations Improvement initiative
Reference
Useful external references for this work:
- Life Itself strategy repo: https://github.com/life-itself/strategy
- Life Itself portfolio: https://strategy.lifeitself.org/portfolio/
- Life Itself coordination hub notes: https://r2.flowershow.app/cmiohi5pw0000ju04sdpug19d/main/raw/strategy/docs/plans/2026-04-21-team-coordination-hub-notes.md
- TAO jobs to be done notes: https://tao.lifeitself.org/docs/plans/2026-04-23-tao-ux-jobs-to-be-done.md
Key conventions
Current intended conventions:
| Material | Default location |
|---|---|
| Portfolio structure | initiative and project pages in this repo |
| KB guidance and templates | docs/ in this repo |
| Project tracking issues | GitHub issues |
| Archive / raw material | external folders such as Google Drive when needed |
| Incoming ideas | one designated inbox rather than scattered notes |
Related Issues
- #14 Roll out minimum KB standard for active portfolio items
- #20 Roll out portfolio KB to the wider team
Notes
- The KB should stay lightweight and practical.
- The goal is not to create more docs, but to make the existing initiative and project pages usable and trustworthy.
- This project is still scoped as a bounded rollout project, not as an ongoing initiative.
