Maven
Role Attribute
The Maven is a master, specialist, or expert who aims to spend their time offering their expertise to their users and customers.
Purpose
The Maven’s responsibility is to give access to their knowledge and experience.
The Maven’s time investment results in expertise to share with others.
Notes
The Maven wants to be recognized for their know-how and mastery.
A Maven is not the same as a Guru. The Guru offers their expertise internally to the team (like a consultant). The Maven offers their expertise to the user/customer outside the team as part of their value offering.
Example:
“Is a software developer a Performer, Creator, or a Maven?”
Think of it as follows: a dancer is a Performer; a sculptor is a Creator, and a teacher is a Maven.
Developers are not Performers because nobody pays money to see developers at work. They are not like dancers, where the value is only in the performance.
Developers are also not Mavens because nobody pays a developer to get an explanation about programming. They are not like teachers, where the value is in the knowledge that they transfer.
Developers are Creators because people pay money for the *result* of their work. They are like sculptors because the value is in the things they create for us.
Rules / Constraints
There can be multiple Mavens, possibly with different areas of expertise.
“The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.”
(Source: Anais Nin)