From cc33a62e574a58e5fcacfbfdc8cbbfd071ffc54e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: =?UTF-8?q?Mario=20S=2E=20Vald=C3=A9s?= Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2023 16:01:06 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] added governance page --- docs/project/governance.md | 214 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ mkdocs.yml | 2 + 2 files changed, 216 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/project/governance.md diff --git a/docs/project/governance.md b/docs/project/governance.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..be9922a --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/project/governance.md @@ -0,0 +1,214 @@ +# Main Governance Document + +The official version of this document, along with a list of individuals and institutions in the roles defined in the +governance section below, is contained in The Project Governance Repository at: + +[https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/governance](https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/governance) + +## The Project + +The xBFreE Project (The Project) is an open source software project affiliated with the +[NumFOCUS](https://numfocus.org) Foundation. The goal of The Project is to develop open source software and deploy +open and public websites and services for free energy calculations. Any of the Software developed by The Project is +released under a most permissive open source license as possible, developed openly and hosted in public GitHub +repositories under the [xBFreE GitHub organization](https://github.com/xBFreEnergy). Examples of Project +Software include the xBFreE library for calculations, xBFreE-Analyzer for data visualization and its associated +extensions and dependencies. + +The Project is developed by a team of distributed developers, called Contributors. Contributors are individuals who +have contributed code, documentation, designs or other work to one or more Project repositories. Contributors are +also known by the name "xBFreE Development Team (XDT)" in the project license. Anyone can be a Contributor. +Contributors can be affiliated with any legal entity or none. Contributors participate in the project by submitting, +reviewing and discussing GitHub Pull Requests and Issues and participating in open and public Project discussions on +GitHub, Google Groups and mailing lists. The foundation of Project participation is openness and transparency. + +For example, here is a partial list of the current Contributors to the main xBFreE repositories: + +- [https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/xBFreE/graphs/contributors](https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/xBFreE/graphs/contributors) +- [https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/xBFreE-Analyzer/graphs/contributors](https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/xBFreE-Analyzer/graphs/contributors) + +There are also many other Contributors listed in the logs of other repositories of the project. This also notably +does not include contributions of items other than code, such as scientific advice, reporting and commenting on +issues, so is only a subset of the individuals considered to be Contributors. All contributors, including but not +limited to: + +- Developers +- Scientific researchers who contribute and develop new methods +- Documentation writers +- Contributors of tutorials, courses, or any audiovisual material +- Contributions of computing resources + +They will be listed on the [project website](https://xbfreenergy.github.io/project/people/). Any contributor can be +listed as long as it is possible to prove their significant contribution to the project. Depending on the level of +recognition, it will be carried out directly, by the council decision, or through pull requests with majority +approval. Any user may request its inclusion in the documents through a pull request. The final decision will +ultimately rest with the council. + +The Project Community consists of all Contributors and Users of the Project. Contributors work on behalf of and are +responsible to the larger Project Community, and we strive to keep the barrier between Contributors and Users as +low as possible. + +The Project is formally affiliated with the NumFOCUS Foundation ([http://numfocus.org](http://numfocus.org)), a +non-profit organization covered by section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Service code. NumFOCUS +serves as its fiscal sponsor, may hold project trademarks and other intellectual property, helps manage project +donations and acts as a parent legal entity. NumFOCUS is the only legal entity that has a formal relationship with the +project (see Institutional Partners section below). + +## Governance + +This section describes the governance and leadership model of The Project. + +The foundations of Project governance are: + +- Openness & Transparency +- Active Contribution +- Institutional Neutrality + +The xBFreE project emerged as a joint effort by Mario S. and Mario E. Valdés Tresanco, with the scientific advice of +Ernesto Moreno, PhD and Pedro A. Valiente, PhD. In that sense, both Mario S. and Mario E. appear as leader and +co-leader respectively. + +## Project Leader + +The Project will have a Project Leader (PL), who is currently Mario S. Valdés Tresanco, PhD. The PL has the +authority to make all final decisions for The Project. In practice the PL chooses to defer that authority to the +consensus of the community discussion channels and the Steering Council (see below). It +is expected that the PL will only rarely assert their final authority. Because rarely used, we refer to PL’s final +authority as a “special” or “overriding” vote. When it does occur, the PL override typically happens in situations +where there is a deadlock in the Steering Council or if the Steering Council asks the PL to make a decision on a +specific matter. + +The PL is chair of the Steering Council (see below) and may delegate their authority on a particular decision or set +of decisions to any other Council member at their discretion. The PL is responsible for ensuring that all SC +activities that require a vote are properly documented. The PL can appoint their successor, but it is expected that +the Steering Council would be consulted on this decision. If the PL is unable to appoint a successor (provided that +the co-leader is no longer an active member, in which case, the authority passes directly to the co-leader), the +Steering Council will make a suggestion or suggestions and vote. + +In academic work, such as writing articles, presenting posters, talks, and other events, the decision falls on the +founding members of the project. Any work that partially includes any component of the xBFreE Project must be +consulted and approved by the Project Leader and co-leader, who make the final decision. + +## Project co-Leader +xBFreE emerged as a joint effort. Given these circumstances, there will be a co-leader (PcoL) with similar authority to make +decisions and represent the project. It will be able to perform all the functions of the Project Leader if the +Project Leader is unavailable. In such cases, the co-Leader may also delegate their authority on a particular decision +or set of decisions to any other Council member at their discretion. +However, if necessary, the Project Leader maintains their authority status as a “special” or “overriding” vote. +The co-Leader will disappear as Mario S. Valdés Tresanco or Mario E. Valdés Tresanco leaves the project permanently. +In specific cases, both may return to their role (or vice-versa) as the project does not undergo a paradigm shift +during their departure and the Steering council has not been renewed. + +## Steering Council + +The Project will have a Steering Council that consists of Project Contributors who have produced contributions that +are substantial in quality and quantity, and sustained over at least one year. The overall role of the Council is to +ensure, through working with the PL and taking input from the Community, the long-term well-being of the project, +technically, financially, and as a community. + +No Council Members may report to the same person through employment or contracting. + +During the everyday project activities, council members participate in all discussions, code review, article writing +and other project activities as peers with all other Contributors and the Community. In these everyday activities, +Council Members do not have any special power or privilege through their membership on the Council. However, it is +expected that because of the quality and quantity of their contributions and their expert knowledge of the Project +that Council Members will provide useful guidance, both technical and in terms of project direction, to potentially +less experienced contributors. + +The Steering Council and its Members play a special role in certain situations. In particular, the Council may: + +- Make decisions about the overall scope, vision and direction of the project. +- Make decisions about strategic collaborations with other organizations or individuals. +- Make decisions about the Services that are run by The Project and manage those Services for the benefit of the + Project and Community. +- Make decisions when regular community discussion doesn’t produce consensus on an issue in a reasonable time frame. +- Grant or revoke commit rights. + +Initially, the steering council will be 4 people including the PL. As the community expands, the council will be 5-7 +people and will be selected following the guidelines mentioned above. Being on the steering council is a responsibility, +not a recognition of being a long-time contributor. + + +### Council membership + +To become eligible for being a Steering Council Member an individual must be a Project Contributor who has produced +contributions that are substantial in quality and quantity, and sustained over at least one year. Potential Council +Members are nominated by existing Council members and voted upon by the existing Council after asking if the +potential Member is interested and willing to serve in that capacity. The Council will be initially formed through +PL nomination from the set of existing Developers who meet the above criteria. + +When considering potential Members, the Council will look at candidates with a comprehensive view of their +contributions. This will include but is not limited to code, code review, infrastructure work, mailing list and +chat participation, community building, user and developer support, education and outreach, grant writing, and +design work. We want to encourage a diverse array of backgrounds, viewpoints and talents in our team, which is why +we explicitly do not define code as the sole metric on which council membership will be evaluated. + +When invited to join the Steering Council Contributors are committing to serve for 2 years. At the end of the two +years, with the consent of the rest of the council, may elect to rejoin the council. If they chose to not re-join +the council the process above is used to recruit new members. + +The Steering Council members, other than the PL or PcoL, will serve in 2 equal classes whose terms are offset by 1 +year. +This will help preserve the continuity on the Steering Council over time. + +A Steering Council member can step down at anytime. If a Council Member becomes inactive for a period of 6 months, +they will be approached by the PL to see if they plan on returning to active participation. If not they will be +asked to step down. If the Council Member indicates they intend to be active again but have not done so after 1 +month the Council may vote to remove them. + +If a Council Member leaves the council early they may be replaced, using the same process as above. Their +replacement will join the same class and serve the remainder of the 2 years. + +Each class can fluctuate between 2 and 3 members so long as the total council size (including the PL) is between 5 +and 7. If a class gets too small, an additional member must be recruited. + +All former Council members can be considered for membership again at anytime in the future, like any other Project +Contributor. Retired Council members will be listed on the project website, acknowledging the period during which +they were active in the Council. + +The Council reserves the right to eject anyone, including the Council Members, from the project's online spaces if +they are deemed to be actively harmful to the project’s well-being, and attempts at communication and conflict +resolution have failed by a super majority vote. + +### Conflict of interest + +It is expected that the PL, PcoL, and Council Members will be employed at a wide range of companies, +universities and non-profit organizations. Because of this, it is possible that Members will have conflicts of +interest. Such conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to: + +- Financial interests, such as investments, employment or contracting work, outside The Project that may + influence their work on The Project. +- Access to proprietary information of their employer that could potentially leak into their work with the Project. +- An issue where the person privately gains an advantage from The Project resources, but The Project has no gain or + suffers a disadvantage. + + +All members of the Council, PL included, shall disclose to the rest of the Council any conflict of interest they may +have. Members with a conflict of interest in a particular issue may participate in Council discussions on that +issue, but must recuse themselves from voting on the issue. If the PL has recused themselves for a particular +decision, they will appoint a substitute PL for that decision. + + +## Institutional Partners and Funding + + +The PL and Steering Council are the primary leadership for the project. No outside institution, individual or legal +entity has the ability to own, control, usurp or influence the project other than by participating in the Project as +Contributors and Council Members. However, because institutions are the primary funding mechanism for the project, +it is important to formally acknowledge institutional participation in the project. Such institutions are +Institutional Partners. Institutional Partners include recognized legal entities that employ at least one Steering +Council Member participating in Council work as part of their official duties at the Institutional Partner. + + +## Changing the Governance Documents + +Changes to the governance documents are submitted via a GitHub pull request to The Project's governance documents +GitHub repository at [https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/governance](https://github.com/xBFreEnergy/governance). +The pull request is then refined in response to public comment and review, with the goal being consensus in the +community. After this open period, a Steering Council Member proposes to the Steering Council that the changes be +ratified and the pull request merged (accepting the proposed changes) or proposes that the pull request be closed +without merging (rejecting the proposed changes). The Member should state the final commit hash in the pull request +being proposed for acceptance or rejection and briefly summarize the pull request. The full Steering Council must +vote and at least 2/3 of the votes must be positive to carry out the proposed action (fractions of a vote rounded up +to the nearest integer). Since the PL holds ultimate authority in The Project, the PL has authority to act alone in +accepting or rejecting changes or overriding Steering Council decisions. diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml index 40dad02..799d14d 100755 --- a/mkdocs.yml +++ b/mkdocs.yml @@ -182,6 +182,8 @@ nav: - Home: index.md - Project: - Project: project/project.md + - Governance: project/governance.md + - People: project/people.md - Roadmap: project/roadmap.md - Apps: apps.md - Sponsors: sponsor/index.md