Skip to content
New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Simplify docs around Chair election, roles, and responsibilities #432

Open
wants to merge 1 commit into
base: main
Choose a base branch
from
+47 −10
Open

Simplify docs around Chair election, roles, and responsibilities #432

Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
1 commit
Select commit
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions CHANGELOG.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
# OpenSSF TAC Changelog

* 2025-01-08: Simplify docs around Chair election, roles, and responsibilities [#432](https://github.com/ossf/tac/pull/432)
* 2025-01-08: Add initial onboarding document for incoming TAC members [#429](https://github.com/ossf/tac/pull/429)
* 2024-12-11: Added global cyber policy to sandbox working groups
* 2024-11-07: Add security baseline reqs to project lifecycle templates
Expand Down
10 changes: 9 additions & 1 deletion elections/tac-and-scir-election-process.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -73,7 +73,15 @@ The Governing Board will appoint three people from the list of TAC and SCIR Nomi

## TAC Chair and Vice Chair Election

After the results are announced the TAC members will elect a Chair and a Vice Chair with 1 week for nominations and 1 week for votes. Results may be announced when all votes are cast. The candidate with the most votes will serve as Chair and the second as Vice Chair. The Chair may however choose to swap seat with the Vice Chair if agreed by the Vice Chair.
After the results of the community elections and Governing Board appointments are announced, the TAC members will elect a [Chair and a Vice Chair](/process/tac-member-R&Rs.md#tac-chair).

The TAC Chair nomination period shall commence as soon as new TAC members are seated (typically, at the beginning of the year) and shall conclude at the end of the first TAC meeting of the year.
Copy link
Member Author

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

@ossf/tac — I've edited this section to reflect what we're currently in the process of doing, as opposed to the one week for nominations and one week for votes.

Happy to revert that piece, but calling it out, as it's a decision point that merits discussion.

Copy link
Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

This is fine with me but I have to say that we've got to do better at following whatever process we have. This hasn't been the case unfortunately. We just can't keep changing our documentation to match what we did just because we ignored our documented process. It's fine to change our process of course but it's got to be intentional.

Copy link
Contributor

@marcelamelara marcelamelara Jan 9, 2025 •
edited
Loading

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

We still did take ~1 week for nominations (it was relatively informal) prior to the Jan 7 TAC meeting, and are taking 1 week for voting. So, I actually don't think that's changed. And we won't be concluding this year's election by the first TAC meeting, but I'm ok with bounding the timeframe for the election to the second TAC meeting. The biggest change I see is the involvement of OSSF staff this year. In the past, voting was done "internally" within the TAC.

EDIT: to be clear, given that we actually did follow the documented process relatively well, I think we need to keep that text in the documentation, and just refine it with the time bound.

Copy link
Member Author

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

And we won't be concluding this year's election by the first TAC meeting [...]

@marcelamelara — just a point of clarification, the proposed text says that:

The TAC Chair nomination period [...] shall conclude at the end of the first TAC meeting of the year.

i.e., nominations need to be in by the end of the first meeting so that we can complete elections ahead of the second meeting

I'll refine the language a bit more based on the other feedback.

Copy link
Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

Ah! Thanks for clarifying, I misread that. I'm do worry that bounding nominations to the first TAC meeting may end up giving the new TAC only a couple of days (depending on the meeting schedule), but I'm generally still ok with saying that the TAC SHOULD aim to complete the chair/vice-chair election process by the second TAC meeting of the year.


OpenSSF staff will coordinate the election process and results will be announced soon after all votes have been cast.
Copy link
Contributor

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.

I think we should add (back) a bit more detail and a concrete timeline to this aspect of the process. For instance, stating that the election period is 1 week, starting after the conclusion of the nomination phase / the end of the first TAC meeting. This adds clarity to the process (helps staff) and is in fact in alignment with the currently documented process and what we decided to do this year.


The candidate with the most votes will serve as Chair and the candidate receiving the second-most votes will serve as Vice Chair.

***The Chair may instead choose to serve as the Vice Chair, if agreed to by the newly-selected Vice Chair.***


## Standard Nomination, Election, and Appointment Timeline
Expand Down
4 changes: 2 additions & 2 deletions process/TAC-Decision-Process.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -2,9 +2,9 @@

The OpenSSF Technical Advisory Council (TAC) is a body comprised of 9 individuals that are either elected for a 2 year term or appointed by the governing board for a 1 year term.

!! ADD link to TAC election process !!
The election and appointment processes are described in a [separate document](/elections/tac-and-scir-election-process.md).

The TAC has a chairperson and vice-chairperson that are elected by the TAC members annually and are responsible for organizing and coordinating the TAC to conduct the technical management and oversight of the foundation's Technical Initiatives. The TAC chair acts as a standing voting member of the Governance Committee (GC), and the vice-chair acting as their alternate/delegate. A second TAC member, as determined by the TAC, is also included as a voting member of the GC.
The TAC has a [chairperson and vice-chairperson](./tac-member-R&Rs.md#tac-chair) that are elected by the TAC members annually and are responsible for coordinating the work of the TAC.

Broadly, there are three main methods that the TAC will use to make decisions and ensure those decisions are appropriately documented:

Expand Down
42 changes: 35 additions & 7 deletions process/tac-member-R&Rs.md
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -2,23 +2,51 @@

- Commit to abiding by the OpenSSF Code of Conduct
- Provide ongoing, technology-neutral technical guidance and sponsorship to Technical Initiatives throughout the respective lifecycle stages
- Establish and drive an overall Technical Vision aligned with the Foundation's MVSR for the community
- Establish and drive an overall Technical Vision aligned with the Foundation's MVSR for the community
- Regularly attend TAC meetings, participate in discussions, voting, and ad-hoc meetings as needed to support Technical Initiatives
- Approve, establish, structure, organize, and archive Technical Initiatives and associated policies and procedures; identify gaps that require new Technical Initatives and advocate to close those gaps in the open source community; if a need for shared services that benefits stakeholders is identified by the community, communicate with the governing board to evaluate services on a case-by-case basis
- Approve, establish, structure, organize, and archive Technical Initiatives and associated policies and procedures; identify gaps that require new Technical Initiatives and advocate to close those gaps in the open source community; if a need for shared services that benefits stakeholders is identified by the community, communicate with the governing board to evaluate services on a case-by-case basis
- Review and engage on open Github Issues and Pull Requests in advance of upcoming TAC meetings, with the goal to approve or provide active comments and feedback preventing approval at each meeting. Between TAC meetings comment on open Issues, seeking to drive Issue resolution on behalf of the community in a timely manner.
- Provide sponsorship and guidance to new Technical Initiatives that petition to join or be created within OpenSSF
- Sponsorship includes ensuring Technical Initiatives operate within the scope of the OpenSSF and adhere to OpenSSF code of conduct, legal and IP policies. Sponsors also reserve the right to consult with the rest of the TAC to raise any concerns about an Initiative's operations or conduct.
- Participate in Technical Initiatives regularly to ensure alignment with the Technical Vision and MVSR of OpenSSF, and to identify any resource or funding requirements
- Regular dialogue with Technical Initative leads
- Provide technical review of funding requests for Technical Initatives
- Participate in Technical Initiatives regularly to ensure alignment with the Technical Vision and MVSR of OpenSSF, and to identify any resource or funding requirements
- Regular dialogue with Technical Initiative leads
- Provide technical review of funding requests for Technical Initiatives
- Coordinate technical community matters related to the success of Technical Initiatives and the mission of the OpenSSF, including in support of end-users and ambassadors;
- Participate in community events to raise awareness of OpenSSF tools and standards among project maintainers
- Plans to engage & recruit community members
- Be available and responsive to OpenSSF staff for consulting early and often on operational plans, issues and communications that have direct or indirect impact on OpenSSF community
- Be available and responsive to leaders of “adjacent” initiatives (i.e. Alpha/Omega, GNU Toolchain) for early and often changes in strategy, roadmap, and press releases, etc

- TAC and Technical Initiative meetings shall be open, public meetings. For special circumstances, the TAC may hold meetings limited to the TAC voting representatives, invited guests, and LF staff
- Annually elect a Chairperson who will preside over meetings, set the agenda for meetings, ensure meeting minutes are taken, and serve on the Governing Board as the TAC’s representative (the “TAC Representative”)

- Time commitment: average 5+ hours per week
- Must inform the TAC if unable to continue fulfilling committed Technical Initiative sponsor role, so that a new sponsor can be identified and transitioned into the role.

## TAC Chair

This section is primarily derived from [OpenSSF charter][charter] 5c, vi:

> The role of the TAC is to structure and facilitate collaboration among the Technical Initiatives. The TAC will be responsible for:
>
> vi. annually electing a chairperson to preside over meetings, set the agenda for meetings, ensure meeting minutes are taken, and who will also serve on the Governing Board as the TAC's representative (the "TAC Representative")
### Additional Chair Roles

- TAC Voting Representative for the OpenSSF Governing Board (GB)
- TAC Voting Representative for the OpenSSF [Governance Committee][gov-comm]

### Responsibilities

- Fulfill TAC member responsibilities
- Fulfill the responsibilities of the TAC Chair's [additional roles](#additional-chair-roles)
- Preside over meetings
- Set the agenda for meetings
- Ensure meeting minutes are taken
- Coordinate the TAC to conduct technical management and oversight of OpenSSF Technical Initiatives
- Organize the selection of a TAC member to serve on the OpenSSF [Governance Committee][gov-comm], *in addition to the TAC Chair's membership*

### Vice Chair

The TAC Vice Chair shares responsibilities with the Chair and serves as the Chair's alternate for [additional designated roles](#additional-chair-roles), unless otherwise specified by the TAC or GB.

[charter]: https://openssf.org/about/charter/
[gov-comm]: https://github.com/ossf/Governance-Committee