A Guide to Our Agile Project Management

The Wiki Loves Earth Brazil 2026 Campaign

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1. Introduction: How We Organise for Success

This is more than just a list of tasks; it is a window into the agile, transparent, and data-driven culture that powers foto.wiki.br.

Welcome to the operational plan for the Wiki Loves Earth (WLE) Brazil 2026 campaign. We operate using an agile project management methodology, inspired by frameworks like Scrum and Lean.

Why do we work this way?

Our agile approach allows us to be:

Flexible: Rapidly adapting to new opportunities and challenges.
Transparent: Offering a clear view of our work's progress at any time.
Efficient: Focusing on what truly matters and eliminating waste.
Constantly Learning: Ensuring that every project makes us a better and stronger organisation.

What you will see below is a mock project plan for our WLE 2026 campaign. It is a detailed simulation of how we will manage this complex project over five distinct Sprints.

Team Structure

Volunteer Profiles

Our plan uses archetypes based on the real skills within our community. This strategic tool allows us to match the right skills to the right task, empowering our team of skilled volunteers.

A (Ana) - Researcher & Data Analyst
B (Bianca) - Community & Technical Liaison
C (Carol) - Creative & Social Media Communicator
D (Davi) - Educator & Content Creator
E (Elisa) - Logistics & Planning Specialist
F (Felipe) - Partnership Builder

Understanding Our Sprint Plan: A Column-by-Column Guide

1. Epic

What it is: An "Epic" is a large strategic category or a major pillar of our work (e.g., "Marketing & Outreach").
Why we use it: It helps us organise our work and see how much effort we are dedicating to each strategic area.

2. Priority

What it is: Indicates how critical a task is. We use a simple system: Must Have (non-negotiable) and Should Have (high priority, but can be moved if a crisis occurs).
Why we use it: It forces us to be realistic and to prioritise, providing a framework for making tough decisions if we run short on time or resources.

3. Key Task

What it is: The specific, actionable piece of work that needs to be done, described with a clear, active verb (e.g., "Develop script for promo video").
Why we use it: It breaks down a big project into small, manageable chunks, making the work less intimidating and easier to track.

4. Responsible(s)

What it is: This column lists the specific individuals leading the execution of the task.
Why we use it: It creates clear accountability. Everyone on the team knows who the "point person" is for each task.

5. Status (Kanban)

What it is: Shows the current state of the task in our workflow (To Do, In Progress, Done).
Why we use it: It provides an instant, visual overview of the project's progress, helping us identify bottlenecks and manage our workflow.

6. Effort (hours)

What it is: Our best estimate of the total number of person-hours a task will take to complete.
Why we use it: This is a crucial tool for resource management and preventing burnout. It ensures our goals are realistic and sustainable.

7. Dependencies / Blockers

What it is: This column lists anything that must be completed before this task can begin (a dependency) or anything that could prevent it from being completed (a potential blocker).
Why we use it: It forces us to think strategically about the sequence of our work and helps us be proactive.

8. Liaisons & Key Contacts

What it is: This lists the key people, both inside and outside our organisation, that the "Responsible" person will need to communicate with.
Why we use it: It's a communication and risk-management tool. If a task is stuck, we immediately know who holds the key to moving it forward.

9. Definition of Done

What it is: This is a clear, objective checklist that defines what "complete" actually looks like. A task is not "Done" until it meets every point in this definition.
Why we use it: It removes ambiguity. Instead of a task being "sort of done," we have a clear, shared understanding of what success looks like. This commitment to quality and completeness is at the heart of our work.

2. The Project Lifecycle: Five Sprints to Success

The entire WLE 2026 campaign is broken down into five sequential Sprints. Each Sprint has a clear Sprint Goal—a single, overarching objective that the entire team works towards during that period.

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1

Foundation & Strategic Setup

Duration: 3 Weeks
Explanation: This is the most critical planning phase. Before any public announcement, we must build a solid foundation. We answer all the "what if" questions and prepare all our materials in advance to ensure the next phases run smoothly. This is the "measure twice, cut once" principle in action.

Sprint Goal: To establish all foundational frameworks, partnerships, and technical infrastructure, ensuring a smooth launch. The project must be fully planned and ready for public announcement by the end of this sprint.

Epic	Task & Rationale	Responsible(s)	Status (Kanban)	Effort (Hrs)	Dependencies / Blockers	Definition of Done
Governance & Partnerships	Must Have Partner Outreach: Identify potential partners and draft formal partnership proposals. Rationale: Partnerships amplify our reach and lend credibility. We secure these before launching to leverage their networks from day one.	Coordinator 1, Felipe (F)	To Do	16	None	✓ At least 3 partnership agreements are confirmed in writing.
	Must Have Jury Recruitment: Identify, invite, and receive confirmations from jury members with diverse expertise. Rationale: A diverse, expert jury is essential for a fair contest. Confirming them early allows us to use their names in promotional materials.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	To Do	12	None	✓ A full jury panel is confirmed and has accepted the invitation.
	Must Have Legal & Compliance Review: Review contest rules with legal counsel and confirm alignment with WMF grant requirements. Rationale: Ensures our rules are fair, compliant, and aligned with WMF grant requirements.	Coordinator 1	To Do	4	Availability of Legal Counsel	✓ The official contest rules are finalised and published on the wiki.
Technical Infrastructure	Must Have Platform Update: Review and update the WLE Brazil contest page on Commons with 2026 dates, rules, and jury information. Rationale: A clear and functional contest page is crucial for a positive user experience.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	To Do	8	Access/permissions to contest page	✓ The contest page is live and fully updated.
	Should Have Conservation Unit Review: Cross-reference the official CNUC to update our list of eligible sites. Rationale: Accuracy is a core value. This ensures our contest is based on the latest official data.	Ana (A), Coord 1	In Progress	10	Access to the latest CNUC database	✓ The list of eligible Conservation Units is accurate and complete for 2026.
	Should Have Wikidata Creation for New Sites: For any new Conservation Units identified, create their corresponding Wikidata items. Rationale: Creating Wikidata items in advance connects photos to structured data from the moment of upload.	Ana (A)	To Do	6	"Conservation Unit Review" task	✓ All new Conservation Units have a Wikidata item.
	Must Have Upload Wizard Test: Perform a full end-to-end test of the upload process to identify and flag any bugs. Rationale: A broken upload process is the biggest reason participants give up. Rigorous testing prevents frustration.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	To Do	4	Contest page near-final	✓ The upload process is confirmed as functional.
Marketing & Outreach	Must Have Promotional Video (Pre-production): Develop script, storyboard, and asset list. Rationale: Separating planning from execution improves quality and reduces stress during the busy launch phase.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	In Progress	12	None	✓ The script and storyboard are finalised and approved by the team.
	Should Have Tutorial Videos (Pre-production): Script short tutorials on participation, photography tips, and uploading. Rationale: Provides "just-in-time" learning for participants during the contest period.	Coordinator 2, Davi (D)	In Progress	10	None	✓ Scripts for at least 3 tutorial videos are finalised.
	Should Have Social Media Planning: Create the content calendar for the launch phase and prepare initial assets. Rationale: A consistent, high-energy social media presence is the engine of participation.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	To Do	8	Approval of promotional themes	✓ The content calendar for Sprint 2 is complete and populated.
Expedition Prize Planning	Must Have Location Shortlisting: Research and select the top 3 potential locations for the prize expedition. Rationale: The expedition is our grand prize. Early research and planning identify risks and ensure the prize is feasible, safe, and exciting.	Coordinator 2, Elisa (E)	In Progress	12	None	✓ A document with the 3 shortlisted locations, including a safety assessment, is created.
Expedition Prize Planning	Must Have Draft Expedition Budget: Create a detailed draft budget covering all costs for the core team plus the winners. Rationale: Ensures the prize we are offering is financially viable.	Coordinator 1, Elisa (E)	To Do	4	Completion of "Location Shortlisting"	✓ The draft expedition budget is complete and reviewed by the team.

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2

Launch & Engagement

Duration: 4 Weeks (The Contest Period)
Explanation: This is the "live" phase. The contest is open to the public. All the preparation from Sprint 1 allows the team to focus entirely on two things: amplifying our message to attract participants and providing excellent support to our community.

Sprint Goal: To successfully launch and run the Wiki Loves Earth contest, maximising public participation through a dynamic marketing campaign and providing continuous, welcoming support to all contributors while producing high-quality marketing content.

Epic	Task & Rationale	Responsible(s)	Status (Kanban)	Effort (Hrs)	Dependencies / Blockers	Definition of Done
Contest Management	Must Have Official Launch Communication: Announce the start of the contest across all channels (Social Media, Mailing List, Wiki). Rationale: This is the official starting signal that mobilises the community and partners to begin participating and promoting.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	To Do	6	All pre-production marketing assets are complete.	✓ The contest is officially live and receiving submissions.
	Must Have Community Support: Monitor helpdesks, social media DMs/comments, and email for participant questions. Rationale: A positive and supportive experience is key to retaining volunteers. Fast and helpful responses make participants feel valued and are crucial for the contest's reputation.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	In Progress	20	None (Ongoing task)	✓ A response time of <24 hours is maintained for all participant queries.
	Should Have Submission Monitoring: Use contest tools (e.g., Toolforge) to track submission numbers and flag technical issues. Rationale: Allows us to track progress against our goals in real-time and quickly identify any platform issues that could hinder participation.	Coordinator 2, Ana (A)	In Progress	10	Access to contest monitoring tools.	✓ A weekly internal report on participation metrics is produced.
Marketing & Outreach	Must Have Promotional Video (Production & Release): Film (if necessary), edit, and release the main 1-minute promo video. Rationale: This is a high-impact asset designed to capture attention and drive initial awareness and participation at the start of the campaign.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	To Do	15	Final script and storyboard from Sprint 1.	✓ The main promotional video is published on all primary channels in the first week.
	Should Have Tutorial Videos (Production & Release): Produce and release the tutorial videos on a weekly basis. Rationale: Releasing tutorials during the contest provides "just-in-time" learning, helping participants overcome technical hurdles and improve the quality of their submissions.	Coordinator 2, Davi (D)	In Progress	18	Final scripts from Sprint 1.	✓ All 3 tutorial videos are published and shared by the end of the sprint.
	Must Have Social Media Execution: Execute the planned social media calendar on TikTok and Instagram. Rationale: This is the engine of participation. A consistent and high-energy social media presence keeps the contest top-of-mind and continuously attracts new contributors.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	In Progress	25	Pre-made assets from Sprint 1.	✓ Social media engagement rate meets or exceeds the target KPI of 3%.
Jury & Post-Contest Prep	Must Have Jury Training: Schedule and conduct a mandatory online training session for all jury members. Rationale: A well-trained jury ensures that the judging is fair, consistent, and aligned with our quality standards. Doing this during the contest respects the jury's time.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	To Do	6	Confirmation of the full jury panel.	✓ 100% of jury members have attended or watched the recording of the training.
Jury & Post-Contest Prep	Must Have Judging Tool Setup: Ensure the online judging tool is correctly configured and that all jury members have access. Rationale: A functional and accessible tool is critical for a smooth and efficient judging process.	Coordinator 2	To Do	4	Finalised judging criteria.	✓ The judging tool is ready and has been successfully tested.
Expedition Prize Planning	Should Have Formal Authorisation Requests: Submit formal requests for authorisation to the top 2 shortlisted park authorities. Rationale: Securing permissions early is a key risk-mitigation step for the prize expedition.	Coordinator 1, Felipe (F)	To Do	8	Finalised expedition dates.	✓ Formal authorisation requests have been sent, and receipt has been confirmed.

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3

Judging & Winners Selection

Duration: 3 Weeks
Explanation: The contest is closed, and the focus shifts to a fair and transparent evaluation process. This phase is about maintaining the trust of the participants and beginning the transition from the contest to the prize expedition.

Sprint Goal: To complete a fair, transparent, and efficient judging process, select and officially announce the winners, and successfully onboard the grand prize winners to begin the expedition planning phase.

Epic	Task & Rationale	Responsible(s)	Status (Kanban)	Effort (Hrs)	Dependencies / Blockers	Definition of Done
Contest Management	Must Have Round 1 Judging Facilitation: Monitor jury progress and provide technical support. Rationale: A smooth first round is essential to ensure a high-quality pool of finalists for the final judging meeting.	Coordinator 2, Bianca (B)	To Do	15	Contest submission period is closed.	✓ Round 1 is completed by the deadline. A shortlist of at least 50 finalist images is generated.
	Must Have Round 2 Judging (Finalists): Convene and facilitate the final synchronous jury meeting to select the top 15 winners. Rationale: Transparency and fairness are paramount. This live meeting ensures a robust and defensible selection of the final winners.	Coordinator 2, Coordinator 1	To Do	8	Completion of Round 1; Availability of the final jury panel.	✓ The ranked list of top 15 winners is finalised and formally documented.
	Must Have Public Announcement: Prepare and publish the official announcement of the winners on all channels. Rationale: A timely and exciting public announcement celebrates the winners and provides a satisfying conclusion for all participants.	Coordinator 1, Carol (C)	To Do	10	All winners notified and consent given for the announcement.	✓ The public announcement is published on the wiki, social media, and shared with partners.
Expedition Prize Planning	Must Have winners Notification & Verification: Contact all winners privately to notify them, verify their identity and submissions. Rationale: This ensures the integrity of the contest results before the public announcement.	Coordinator 1, Felipe (F)	To Do	6	Finalised list of winners.	✓ All top 15 winners have been successfully contacted and have verified their details.
	Must Have Grand Prize Winners Onboarding: Contact the first-place winners of each category to officially offer the expedition prize and confirm acceptance. Rationale: This is the moment the prize becomes real. Clear and professional communication with the winner is essential.	Coordinator 2, Elisa (E)	To Do	8	Finalised first-place winners.	✓ The grand prize winners have formally accepted (or declined) the prize in writing.
	Must Have Location Finalisation & Authorisation: Based on the winners' details and park responses, finalise the expedition location. Rationale: Finalising the location and securing authorisations is a critical step that requires careful coordination.	Coordinator 1, Felipe (F)	In Progress	10	Formal acceptance from the winners; At least one positive response from park authorities.	✓ The expedition location and dates are confirmed in writing.
Logistics	Should Have Logistics Booking: Begin booking flights, accommodation, and local transport for the confirmed dates. Rationale: Booking travel and accommodation early often secures better prices and availability.	Coordinator 2, Elisa (E)	To Do	12	Confirmed dates and location.	✓ Core travel and accommodation for the expedition are booked.
Governance & Reporting	Should Have Mid-Project Review & KPI Analysis: Conduct an internal review of the contest's performance against its goals. Rationale: This is our "build-measure-learn" loop in action. We immediately analyse the data to see what worked and what didn't. These learnings will directly inform the strategy for our next contest.	Coordinator 1, Ana (A)	To Do	6	Contest is closed and final numbers are available.	✓ An internal report is created summarising final contest metrics and key learnings.
Governance & Reporting	Must Have Financial Reconciliation (Phase 1): Collect and organise all receipts for contest-related expenses (prizes, outreach). Rationale: Timely financial reporting is a key part of our accountability to our funders.	Coordinator 1, Ana (A)	In Progress	4	Contest prizes have been distributed.	✓ All contest-related expenses are logged in the financial spreadsheet.

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4

Expedition Execution & Content Management

Duration: 2 Weeks
Explanation: This is the most intensive field-work phase. The small, expert team travels to the chosen location with the prize winners. The goal is to be extremely efficient in the field, focusing on safety, collaboration, and the core task of content creation.

Sprint Goal: To safely and successfully execute the prize expedition, capturing a high-quality collection of audiovisual content while ensuring a positive, educational, and well-managed experience for the winners and the entire team.

Epic	Task & Rationale	Responsible(s)	Status (Kanban)	Effort (Hrs)	Dependencies / Blockers	Definition of Done
Expedition Execution	Must Have Final Logistics & Communication: Purchase travel insurance, confirm all bookings, and distribute the final itinerary. Rationale: Clear final communication and confirmation of all logistics ensure a smooth and safe start to the expedition.	Coordinator 2, Elisa (E)	To Do	8	All bookings are confirmed.	✓ The final itinerary is distributed to all participants.
	Must Have Conduct Expedition: Execute the field expedition according to the agile plan (Daily Scrums, focus areas, etc.). Rationale: This is the core delivery of our grand prize. A safe, well-organised, and inspiring experience generates high-value content.	All Team on site	To Do	80 (total)	Team arrives safely at the location.	✓ The expedition is completed without any major safety incidents.
	Must Have Winners Onboarding & Mentorship: Provide the winners with guidance on scientific photography and Commons upload best practices. Rationale: This has the potential to turn the winners into a long-term, highly engaged community leader.	Coordinator 1, Davi (D)	In Progress	6	Active participation of the prize winners.	✓ The prize winners reports a positive and valuable experience in a post-expedition feedback survey.
Content Management	Must Have Daily Backups: Implement and manage a strict "3-2-1" backup rule for all photos taken each day. Rationale: Data is our most valuable asset. A professional, redundant backup process is non-negotiable and mitigates the single greatest risk of any field expedition: data loss.	Coordinator 1, Ana (A)	In Progress	8	Functional hard drives and cloud storage.	✓ 100% of the media is securely backed up in at least two separate locations.
	Should Have Initial Curation & Logging: At the end of each day, perform a quick initial review of photos and log highlights. Rationale: Initial curation in the field saves a huge amount of time in post-production and helps identify key narrative moments for the documentary.	All Photographers, Ana (A)	In Progress	8	Time allocated at the end of each day.	✓ A preliminary log of the best images and key narrative moments is created.
	Should Have Documentary Footage Capture: Capture behind-the-scenes video clips and interviews for the documentary short. Rationale: This footage adds a human element to the expedition and provides valuable content for outreach and reporting.	Carol (C), Coordinator 2	In Progress	10	Willingness of team members to be on camera.	✓ A diverse range of footage is captured for the documentary.
Financial Management	Must Have Real-time Expense Tracking: Collect and digitise all receipts and invoices during the expedition. Rationale: Financial accountability is key. By tracking expenses in real-time, we ensure we stay within our budget and can make adaptive decisions if unforeseen costs arise.	Coordinator 1, Elisa (E)	In Progress	4	Team members must provide receipts promptly.	✓ All expedition-related expenses are documented and logged.
Financial Management	Must Have Mid-Expedition Budget Review: Conduct a budget check on day 2 or 3 to ensure spending is on track. Rationale: This quick check allows for early course correction and demonstrates responsible financial management.	Coordinator 1	To Do	1	"Real-time Expense Tracking" is up-to-date.	✓ The budget review is completed and documented.

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5

Post-Production, Reporting & Retrospective

Duration: 4 Weeks
Explanation: The fieldwork is done, but the project is not. This final sprint is about transforming the raw materials from the expedition into valuable, public assets on Wikimedia Commons. It is also about fulfilling our commitment to accountability by delivering our final reports and, most importantly, learning from the entire process to make the next project even better.

Sprint Goal: To process and publish all content from the contest and expedition, deliver all final reports to stakeholders, and conduct a full project retrospective to document and integrate learnings for the next operational cycle.

Epic	Task & Rationale	Responsible(s)	Status (Kanban)	Effort (Hrs)	Dependencies / Blockers	Definition of Done
Content Management	Must Have Post-Production (Image Selection & Editing): Select the best images from the expedition and perform necessary edits. Rationale: The highest quality photos are useless if they remain on a hard drive. This is the final, crucial step of "delivering the value."	All Photographers, led by Coordinator 1	To Do	40 (total)	Expedition complete; secure backup of RAW files.	✓ The full, curated collection of expedition photos (>700 images) is selected and edited.
	Must Have Batch Upload & Metadata: Use tools like Pattypan to upload the expedition collection to Commons with rich, standardised metadata. Rationale: A proper upload with rich metadata makes the content discoverable and useful for the entire Wikimedia ecosystem.	Ana (A), Coordinator 1	To Do	20	Final edited images are ready; metadata template is created.	✓ The full collection is successfully uploaded to Commons with accurate metadata.
	Should Have Wikidata Integration: Edit Wikidata items to link them to the new images and add relevant statements. Rationale: This multiplies the value of our content by connecting it to the structured data ecosystem.	Ana (A), Davi (D)	To Do	15	Images are live on Commons.	✓ At least 50 Wikidata items have been improved with new images or data.
	Should Have Expedition Documentary Short (Post-Production): Edit and publish the 3-7 minute expedition documentary short. Rationale: This tells the story of our work, building community trust and inspiring future participation.	Carol (C), Coordinator 1	To Do	18	Behind-the-scenes footage is organised.	✓ The documentary short is published on YouTube and Commons.
Governance & Reporting	Must Have Grant Completion Report: Finalise and submit the grant completion report with all metrics, learnings, and financials. Rationale: This is our commitment to transparency and accountability. The grant report demonstrates to our funders that we have delivered on our promises.	Coordinator 1, Coordinator 2, Ana (A)	To Do	16	All quantitative and financial data is complete.	✓ The Grant Completion Report is submitted and formally accepted by the funder.
Governance & Reporting	Should Have Public Report / Blog Post: Create a public-facing report summarising the results and impact of WLE Brazil. Rationale: The public report shares our successes and learnings with our community, building trust and inspiring future participation.	Carol (C), Coordinator 1	To Do	8	Contest and expedition results are finalised.	✓ A public report is published and shared on social media.
Continuous Improvement	Must Have Post-Contest Documentation: Document the social media strategies and learnings on the Outreach Wiki. Rationale: This captures our learnings, ensuring future campaigns can build on this year's successes.	Felipe (F), Coordinator 1	To Do	6	Internal social media analytics are compiled.	✓ The documentation page on the Outreach Wiki is updated with 2026 data and learnings.
	Must Have Project Retrospective: Conduct a full team retrospective on the entire WLE project (Sprints 1 to 5). Rationale: This is the heart of the agile and Lean philosophy: learning and improving. It allows us to assess what went wrong and what went right honestly.	Scrum Master (Coordinator 2)	To Do	3	Main project activities are complete.	✓ The project retrospective is held and its findings are documented.
	Should Have Create/Update Project Playbooks: Update the "Wiki Loves Contest" and "Expedition" playbooks with new learnings. Rationale: By updating our playbooks, we ensure that the next team starts from a better, more informed position. This is how our organisation grows stronger.	Davi (D), Coordinator 2	To Do	8	The retrospective document is complete.	✓ The internal project playbooks are updated with the 2026 learnings.