I also have bad associations to MetaMed (not based on direct evidence, though). Mentioning here that there’s a perception (I had the same impression – but see localdeity’s comment for two retrospectives) that MetaMed didn’t get a proper retrospective seems relevant. That said, it’s been a while since then and it’s not like Zvi hasn’t done anything else in the meantime. (I think the regular “updates” posts on various topics are excellent and demonstrate types of skill that seem quite relevant for the announced project – though obviously other more org-related skills are also required.) I’d say it’s on the (potential) funders to evaluate what they’re comfortable with. I think the things you mention (at least lean implementations thereof) sound like good practices either way, whether or not the track record has flaws. Going beyond what’s common practice could be worth it if the funders have specific concerns, but maybe they’re fine without and that would be okay – and there’s also the danger that too much accountability ties you down and creates bad incentives. (For instance, setting specific goals can make it harder to pivot in situations where pivoting would benefit the mission. Though maybe you can set goals in such a way that they’re flexible and you get mostly just the positives out of goalsetting/accountability.)
Overall, I think I agree with the spirit of the comment, but, at the same time, I don’t find myself too worried about this. (I’ve never met Zvi and have no conflicts of interest.)
I also have bad associations to MetaMed (not based on direct evidence, though). Mentioning here that there’s a perception (I had the same impression – but see localdeity’s comment for two retrospectives) that MetaMed didn’t get a proper retrospective seems relevant. That said, it’s been a while since then and it’s not like Zvi hasn’t done anything else in the meantime. (I think the regular “updates” posts on various topics are excellent and demonstrate types of skill that seem quite relevant for the announced project – though obviously other more org-related skills are also required.) I’d say it’s on the (potential) funders to evaluate what they’re comfortable with. I think the things you mention (at least lean implementations thereof) sound like good practices either way, whether or not the track record has flaws. Going beyond what’s common practice could be worth it if the funders have specific concerns, but maybe they’re fine without and that would be okay – and there’s also the danger that too much accountability ties you down and creates bad incentives. (For instance, setting specific goals can make it harder to pivot in situations where pivoting would benefit the mission. Though maybe you can set goals in such a way that they’re flexible and you get mostly just the positives out of goalsetting/accountability.)
Overall, I think I agree with the spirit of the comment, but, at the same time, I don’t find myself too worried about this. (I’ve never met Zvi and have no conflicts of interest.)