Health-check on the NativeScript TSC charter

[shirakaba]

NativeScript TSC Chair speaking. The NativeScript TSC charter hasn't been reviewed since we first onboarded, and we frequently run into oddities with it.

For example, unlike the Node.js charter, the NativeScript TSC charter does not state it extends the TSC Charter. Thus, it does not specify the process for selecting a TSC Chair at all. Presently, a TSC member wishes to nominate as chair somebody who is not on the TSC to begin with, and I can't advise whether this is permitted or not.

Could the CPC please have a look over the charter and inform whether there are any glaring issues that ought to be resolved and please advise on the steps to resolve them (e.g. do I need to hold a vote on each change, or does the Foundation have overriding authority to insist on certain changes). Thank you!

[tobie]

Thanks for opening this issue. It's odd that the NativeSCript's charter doesn't follow the foundation's template charter; I think it would make your life easier.

The other issue imho, is that the charter mixes up high-level concepts with implementation details which belong in a governance document (that you can change without approval from the CPC).

My recommendation would be to split up your existing doc: (1) create a basic charter following the template linked above and (2) put everything else into a governance doc that you can more easily tune to match your needs and don't need the CPC's approval to update.

The only thing you would then have to do would be to have the update (new) charter approved by the CPC.

[shirakaba]

I'd always thought we were actually derived from an older version of that charter, but yeah it doesn't look recognisable when I try to line them up.

We have a chicken-and-egg thing here if we're rewriting the way our organisation works, whilst working within the confines of the previous charter which leaves a lot of things unspecified (like, indeed, the process to change the charter! This has long been a point of paralysis) – what would be the correct order to make changes to the charter?

1. propose changes to TSC
2. seek consensus, taking a vote if needed
3. propose to CPC

[tobie]

So given what your charter and the CPC's charter say, here's what I think:

1. The TSC is empowered to agree on charter changes ("Items are added to the TSC agenda which are considered contentious or are modifications of governance, contribution policy, TSC membership, or release process."). These changes will still need to be ratified by the CPC, however (it would be better if that was spelled out in the charter, but it remains true nonetheless).
2. The decision-making process for agreeing on those changes are described in your consensus-seeking process.

That should be enough to help you solve your chicken and egg problem.

If you're struggling to get to consensus through that process, the problem might be elsewhere. We're happy to help you out figuring where the challenge is and help y'all work through it.