First Contribution by Chisom Urom

[UChisom]

Name: Chisom Urom Project: OpenJS Model Link: OpenJS Governance Model

What is the OpenJS Governance model?

The OpenJS Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the development and growth of open-source JavaScript projects and the JavaScript ecosystem as a whole.

The governance model of the OpenJS Foundation is inclusive and transparent, comprising both individuals and organizations that support the foundation's mission. The model allows for the clear and consistent separation of responsibilities between technical and non-technical governance decisions.

The model allows for technical and nontechnical decision-making across the different levels of leadership shown below:

• Board of Directors
• Cross Project Council (CPC)
• Foundation Staff
• Project Specific Governance

The Board of Directors sets overall technical policy through bylaws, mission, and vision statements. They describe the overarching scope of foundation initiatives, technical vision, and direction.

The OpenJS Board of Directors also appoints the Executive Director (ED). The ED runs the organization on a day-to-day basis, contributing to and implementing the strategic initiatives outlined by the Board. The ED reports to the chairperson of the Board but also has additional oversight and input from the rest of the board. Within the limits of the current budget, the ED can hire staff and contractors or partner with other organizations in pursuit of the Foundation’s goals.

While the ED engages in more nontechnical duties, the Cross Project Council (CPC) is the top-level technical governance organization within the OpenJS Foundation. The CPC implements the technical policy and procedures as set by the Board. They fulfill the following tasks in the Foundation:

• Define and maintain neutral consensus on the technical vision for hosted projects
• Shepherd projects through their technical lifecycle
• Identify, recruit, and engage prospective projects
• Establish an individual membership program
• Establish and support hosted projects in their enforcement of the Code of Conduct

OpenJS is managed by the Linux Foundation to ensure effective daily operations.

Finally, in order to meet the diverse demands of the various projects, Project Specific Governance is added to the top-level governance in the OpenJS Foundation and the high-level operational requirements already in place. This allows project contributors and communities the flexibility to meet project-specific needs.

What Roles are there in the OpenJS Foundation?

OpenJS has several roles spread throughout its governance structure as listed below:

1. Board of Directors:

• Chairperson (Platinum director)
• Vice Chairperson (Platinum director)
• Platinum, Gold, and Silver Directors
• Up to 3 Community Directors (appointed by the CPC)

2. Cross Project Council (CPC)

• Chairperson (Voting Member)
• Voting members

3. Foundation Staff

• Executive Director
• Chairperson of the OpenJS Foundation's Standards Working Group
• Marketing and Communications Lead

What’s the Decision-Making Process at OpenJS?

The vision and direction of all projects are set by the board of directors. To form the Board, each Platinum member can appoint one Director, and the Platinum Directors are eligible to serve as chairperson and vice-chairperson.
The Gold and Silver members can vote among themselves to select their delegates. Also, to include community representation, there are up to 3 Community Director positions nominated by the CPC and its chartered committees.

However, within the CPC formal decisions are made by Voting Members. The OpenJS Foundation allows each Impact project to propose two candidates for voting membership. But Regular members, Growth, and At-Large projects can vote for two more nominees.

Lastly, individual projects have their own governance structures suited to their community needs. As such, there's a flexibility that wasn't accounted for in the OpenJS governance model.

How Difficult was it to Find and Understand the OpenJS Governance Model?

Finding the governance model had a 9/10 ease. Comprehending it was similarly easy at 9/10 as well.

[UChisom]

Hi @arliss-NF , I'd love your review of my Governance audit on OpenJS

[maryamgbemisola]

@UChisom . You Title should be something like this First Contribution by your full name

[UChisom]

Hey @maryamgbemisola , thanks for calling my attention to this.

[maryamgbemisola]

@UChisom . My pleasure.