---
tags: 2i2c, sustainability
---

# 2i2c Sustainability Team

J. Colliander
2021-11-27

> These notes extend the discussion in this GitHub issue: [https://github.com/2i2c-org/team-compass/issues/300](https://github.com/2i2c-org/team-compass/issues/300)

# 2i2c Sustainability Team Charter

We convene a team to focus on ensuring the **sustainability** of 2i2c.

2i2c will be sustainable when the organization generates enough revenue to cover all operational costs.

2i2c aspires to generate revenue exceeding all operational costs so that the excess can be reinvested into a vibrant open source interactive computing ecosystem.

> The term _sustainability_ as used in the characterization of this team is not directly related to the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations. The larger 2i2c mission may address the SDGs.

### Purpose

The Sustainability Team (ST) develops strategies, and oversees and executes actions to sustain and grow the organization.

### Composition

ST members are drawn from the Steering Council, employees of 2i2c, and colleagues from CS&S. The Chair of the Team will liaise the Steering Council. A Member of the Team will liaise with the Engineering Team. A Member of the Team will liaise with CS&S.

### Responsibilities

1. Develop a robust business around 2i2c's products and services
2. Implement an effective sales operation
3. Continuously improve the business in alignment with 2i2c's mission and values and within the 2i2c + CS&S relationship

### Meetings

1. ST will meet regularly (at least once per month) and as required.
2. Meeting minutes will be shared-by-default with Steering Council.

***
***

## 2021-11-29 ST Launch Plan

**Initial Membership**

+ @colliand (Team Lead)
+ @choldgraf (CS&S Liaison)
+ @damianavila (Engineering Liaison)
+ @rabernat (joining January 2022)

**Narrowing of focus:** 2i2c has ambitious long-term plans. Some of this vision is outlined in [these notes following a startup pitch format](https://hackmd.io/H7SCZ2DUSA-GU_mvTO6Zug?view). Our immediate focus is a more narrow near-term building block: validate 2i2c's capacity to sell managed JupyterHub service. To achieve that outcome, ST will need to develop some shared understanding of business ideas, adapt those to the alpha, and implement some systems to sell and deliver managed JupyterHub service.

**Immediate Goals**

1. establish business around alpha service
2. design and implement **effective sales process** around alpha service
3. design and implement **effective service delivery process** around alpha service
4. prove 2i2c can achieve product-market fit with managed JupyterHub service

### Alpha service business

**Time interval**

+ [2021-11-15, 2022-06-30]

**Offerings**

Two documents ([2i2c Alpha Service Offerings](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FNiDyKNDoe_TgU2WxuNZ5CayYD56tlNJpImQsAIGOmg/edit), [Rationale for hub offerings and management fees](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yEaSjIBkjZYmQDpzxyYuevxbG9unU9bfM-47vx96C44/edit#heading=h.5so35rkzpbpo)) describe and provide justifications for a collection of managed JupyterHub services with pricing:

| Type | Shared Cluster | Dedicated Cluster |
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| Education | $1000/month | $1500/month |
| Research | $1500/month | $2250/month |
| Partnership | custom | custom |

#### Sales process

> Some background with useful ontology: [sales process](https://blog.close.com/how-to-build-a-sales-process-that-gets-results/); [sales operation](https://blog.close.com/sales-operations/); [sales cycle](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-cycle); [lead → prospect → opportunity](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/criteria-to-upgrade-a-lead-to-an-opportunity-and-theyre-not-what-you-think), [sales process engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_process_engineering). A proviso: 95% of the writing on business, startups, sales, ... boils down to the author realizing that the scientific method works.

2i2c has already sold managed JupyterHub service. This milestone was achieved with a combination of luck, manual effort, and latent trust available through prior interactions. Through the alpha, 2i2c aims to transition through manual, luck-based, existing-connections-based, word-of-mouth, unscalable sales toward a robust scalable data-informed business.

##### Sales stages

Lead → Prospect → Opportunity → Close → Delivery → Expansion → Referral

+ Lead
+ an unqualified contact that might lead to a sale
+ inbound: person fills out a form
+ outbound: person responds to contact generated by 2i2c
+ qualify: lead → prospect
+ Prospect
+ prospect critera
+ persona potentially aligned with 2i2c mission
+ persona and usage scenario potentially aligned with alpha
+ BANT
+ budget
+ authority
+ needs
+ timeline
+ qualify: prospect → opportunity
+ Opportunity
+ understand prospect's organization/community
+ confirm prospect's needs met with alpha service offering
+ address obstacles to close
+ information security
+ privacy
+ demo
+ cost
+ Close
+ confirm sale following [defined process with CS&S](https://github.com/2i2c-org/team-compass/issues/262#issuecomment-971141123)
+ An email acknowledgement of the service tier that they want. We can send them the 2-pager, ask them to tell us which they want, and this is enough. We need to cc [e-mail] on the email so that they can keep track of this. This is the START email.
+ 2i2c Engineering team launches service. (See Delivery)
+ Engineering notifies 2i2c sales person when service is available.
+ 2i2c sales person prompts customer for email certifying the establishment of service.
+ An email acknowledgement once the services have been provided. For example, at the end of the month we can send them an email that has template language like "This email is to confirm that services XYZ have been provided as planned". And they respond with "yes I agree". This is the DELIVERED email.
+ CS&S invoices customer for setup fee with cc: [e-mail]
+ CS&S collects setup payment
+ Delivery
+ 2i2c Engineering team + customer establishes service.
+ shared or dedicated cluster? If dedicated, share cloud billing and access details
+ SSO integration
+ Specify software environment
+ Specify support process
+ CS&S issues recurring monthly invoices for service.
+ If dedicated, 2i2c informs CS&S and customer of montly cloud costs.
+ CS&S issues invoice for monthly cloud costs.
+ Expansion
+ 2i2c customer success team supports expansion toward Partnership tier
+ Referral
+ 2i2c customer success team seeks endorsement and referrals from customer to generate new business

##### Service delivery process

The following flow chart shows the process. It's rather complicated!

flowchart TD
    A((START email)) --> B{Set up service};
    B --> C[Dedicated];
    B --> D[Shared];
    C ---> E[Customer's cloud]
    C ---> F[2i2c's cloud]
    E ---> Q{Set up cluster}
    F ---> Q
    Q ---> R{Set up hub}
    D ---> R
    D --> G[Cloud cost]
    F --> G
    G ---> P[\Cloud Invoice/]
    R ---> H{Set up SSO}
    H ---> I{Set up SW Env}
    I --> J[Service Available]
    J --> K((DELIVERED email))
    K --> L[\Setup Invoice/]
    L --> M[\Monthly Invoice/]
    P --> M
    M ---> N[Expand]
    N ---> O[Referral]

We need to work together to streamline the engineering steps required to establish service for a customer.

we need to work with CS&S on the back office functions to build an effective business.