The Balean Handbook

• 1: IT
• 1.1: Tech stack
• 2: Community
• 2.1: Code of Conduct
• 3: Compliance
• 3.1: Confidentiality
• 4: Strategy
• 4.1: Balean Values

1 - IT

Documentation of the platform design

To keep track of architectural decisions, functional and technical design, a separate docs site (Internal only) is made available.

Architectural design records

Building a platform requires architectural decisions to be made continuously. Tracking this in issues / epics creates the danger of loosing track of what is current and actual. Architectural decision records provide an easy way to document decisions and link newer decisions to previous ones. Since architectural decisions are directly linked to the technical and functional design, these decision records are kept in the same place as the system documentation.

Use case diagram

When building a new platform from scratch, many new features and functions need to be created and designed. To keep an overview of all the functions, systems and subsystems, a use-case diagram seemed the best approach to document this. Another way of making design decisions is to use issues or epics to create new designs and decide on what to build. The disadvantage is that this is isolated to the context of the issue. You miss the broader overview and interactions with other parts of the system. Even though Balean is using an agile approach, using use-cases enables us to keep overview and make holistic desicions on the design of the platform.

1.1 - Tech stack

Office applications

Development

2 - Community

2.1 - Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct outlines the standards of behavior we expect from everyone involved in Balean, including team members, partners, collaborators, and users of our platform. By participating in our ocean sustainability community on Discord, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct.

We value your contribution and we hope you will welcome other members with an open mind as well.

Our Standards

Balean’s community standards are based on our values.

1. Be Respectful: Treat others with kindness, empathy, and understanding.
2. Keep it Civil: Avoid using language or tone that might be perceived as aggressive, discriminating, condescending, or dismissive.
3. Accountability and Transparency: Be honest and open in your actions, take responsibility for your contributions, and strive to foster an environment of trust.
4. Constructive Feedback and Improvement: Focus on helping each other grow and improve rather than discouraging others.
5. Focus on the Issue: Engage in constructive discussions without resorting to personal attacks or inflammatory rhetoric.
6. Respect Diverse Perspectives: Recognize and appreciate differing viewpoints while maintaining a commitment to respectful dialogue.

Our Responsibilities

As a member of the Balean community, we are committed to providing an environment that is:

1. Safe: Welcoming and free from harassment, hate speech, and other forms of unacceptable behaviour.
2. Inclusive: Welcoming individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
3. Respectful: Fostering a culture where all members feel valued, heard, and respected.

To achieve this goal, we:

1. Monitor community interactions: Regularly review online discussions to ensure they align with our Code of Conduct.
2. Address concerns promptly: Respond quickly to reports of unacceptable behaviour or other issues that may impact the community’s well-being. Balean holds the right to remove content that is against Balean’s Code of Conduct.
3. Foster open communication: Encourage members to share their thoughts, ideas, and respect each other’s opinions, perspectives, and dignity.

Unacceptable Behaviour

1. Harassment: No form of harassment, including but not limited to:
   • Verbal abuse
   • Threats
   • Intimidation
2. Hate Speech: Language or behaviour that discriminates against individuals based on their identity (e.g., race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities).
3. Unwelcoming Behaviour: Dismissive or exclusionary behaviour, or making others feel unwelcome contradicts our standard of inclusivity.
4. Spamming: Posting excessive content with the intention of disrupting discussions.
5. Advertisement: Posting advertisement for other initiatives than Balean, being commercial or non-commercial, without notice and written approval by Balean.

Reporting Incidents

If you experience or witness any behaviour that doesn’t align with this Code of Conduct, please report it by:

1. Reaching out directly: Contacting the individual involved (if comfortable doing so).
2. Using our reporting mechanism: Utilizing Balean’s designated reporting system to alert moderators.

All reports will be handled with confidentiality and with the safety and well-being of our community members as a priority.

Consequences

Repeated instances of unacceptable behaviour may result in consequences such as:

1. Temporary or permanent suspension: Restricting access to specific features, forums, or the entire community.
2. Removal from roles: Revoking responsibilities related to community management and content curation.

By adhering to this Code of Conduct, we can foster a positive environment that encourages collaboration, learning, and growth within our ocean sustainability community.

Acknowledgement

By participating in Balean’s online forums or engaging with the platform, you acknowledge having read and understood these guidelines. If you have any questions or concerns about this Code of Conduct, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

3 - Compliance

3.1 - Confidentiality

Content confidentiality

For each page in our handbook, we will track the confidentiality of the content of that page. We do this by adding a rating to the page metadata. The rating field in the metadata section indicates how this data is rated based on the following values.

4 - Strategy

Business architecture

To position Balean in the world at large, a business architecture is developed. This architecture is available in a draw.io diagram (For internal use only).

4.1 - Balean Values

The values we believe in

Balean is a purpose organisation that wants to make a positive impact. Everything we do to make this positive impact, should be guided by our 5 core values: Sustainability - Collaboration - Open mind - Honesty & Transparency - Trust.

What each of these values means to us is explained below.

Sustainability

In our organization, sustainability is our guidance and moral compass in everything we do and decisions we make. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 13 (climate action), 14 (life below water) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) are central for Balean, where we help partners achieve their own sustainability ambition.

Collaboration

In our global vision, collaboration outperforms competition for a positive impact. We search actively for mutually beneficial collaboration across disciplines. We continuously improve and embrace long term partnerships.

Honesty and transparency

We are transparent and honest about what we do and how we do it, in everything we do. Collaborative learning is central in public discussions both within Balean as towards 3rd parties.

Open mind

To make impact we need new ideas and perspectives. For our mission, anyone can contribute from their perspective, where we respect each others views and opinions. Diversity in background, culture, gender, or other any other factor enhances creativity and solutions.

Trust

Authenticity, empathy, and reliability is the basis for Balean. Everyone can make mistakes and we assume positive intent in our mission to a positive impact. Help each other in fixing things and learn collaboratively to improve together.