🏛 TODO Group Governance Repo
This repo was created with the aim of helping community participants better understand how TODO operates:
Mission and Decision-Making
In TODO, it is the community participants that shape the project initiatives. Community participants can include individual contributors to any of the TODO repositories, such as OSPOlogy, frequent attendees of TODO virtual or in-person meetings, OSPO Ambassadors building local chapters, or organizational representatives joining as General Members or Associates.
The Steering Committee (SC) holds a supporter role, providing scaffolding processes to help the community implement initiatives and keep them maintained in the long term. This includes establishing and maintaining operational processes that ensure continued progress and successful outcomes for both the project and its community.
đź“ť About TODO Charter
The purpose of having a charter for the TODO Group is to help people understand its mission and scope. The TODO Group Charter is a living document, allowing the community to propose changes and updates as the project evolves. TODO mission is to elevate the professional practice of OSPOs by sharing best practices and other collaborative educational resources on open source management and strategy within organizations. You can learn more by reading TODO [charter](https://github.com/todogroup/governance/blob/master/CHARTER.adoc) ([PDF version](https://github.com/todogroup/governance/blob/master/TODO%20Charter%20and%20Agreement%20v2.0.pdf)).
🧠TODO Steering Committee Member Responsibilities
In TODO, it is the community that shapes the project initiatives. The Steering Committee exists to support the community by helping drive progress. They serve the community by ensuring that TODO’s strategic goals are aligned with our mission, that these goals are met,and that the voices of all participants are heard. SC members are responsible for:
1. Attending monthly calls to coordinate with the Project Manager and oversee the group's day-to-day operations.
2. Define yearly TODO strategic goals based on community input
3. Approving, modifying, or discontinuing project initiatives, working groups, and real-time chat channels associated with the TODO Group name, logo, or branding.
4. Establishing and maintaining the project’s operational processes to support the community’s continued progress and achieve successful outcomes.
The Steering Committee shall be elected for their expertise and contribution to the advancement of open source program management.
⏰ TODO Steering Committee Member Commitment Expectations
Steering Committee Members meet for a 1-hour Zoom call each month to review community proposals and address key discussion topics that require further attention. We ask that members attend at least three consecutive calls and actively contribute to the discussions.
In addition to the monthly calls, most of the Steering Committee’s work is conducted asynchronously via slack Pull Request Reviews and mailing list discussions. Each member has the flexibility to determine how much time they can dedicate to supporting the community’s efforts.
🙋‍♀️ Steering Committee Members from 2023 to 2025
| Name | Company | Elected/Appointed | Term |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Leslie Hawthorn](https://github.com/lhawthorn) | RedHat | Elected | 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31 |
| [Georg Kunz](https://github.com/gkunz) | Ericsson | Appointed | 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31 |
| [Annania Melaku](https://github.com/annania) | NGINX | Appointed | 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31 |
| [Ashley Wolf](https://github.com/ashleywolf) | GitHub | Elected | 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31 |
| [Brittany Istenes](https://github.com/BrittanyIstenes) | Fannie Mae | Appointed | 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31 |
| [Nik Peters](https://github.com/nikpete) | Porsche | Elected | 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31 |
| [Stephen Augustus](https://github.com/justaugustus) | Cisco | Elected | 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31 |
đź—ł 2025 Steering Committee Election Process
The Steering Committee Election happens every year during October and anyone can become a candidate by submitting the [application form](https://forms.gle/CXgUJhjuXYqsjsXr6) before October 10th, 2024.
While participation is open to all, individuals who actively engage with the TODO community or projects are more likely to be elected. Active participation or contribution in TODO includes: (1) Supporting TODO as a General Member, OSPO associate representative, or TODO Ambassador OR (2) Acting as a Maintainer and/or contributing actively to any of the TODO GitHub repositories (such as OSPOlogy, RepoLinter, OSPO Book, OSPO Landscape, etc. OR (3) Hosting local events supported by TODO, like OSPO Local Meetups, or participating in the OSPOlogyLive series.
There are two types of seats: Elected seats and Appointed seats. **Appointed seats exist as a mechanism to ensure diversity in terms of region, gender, and industry**.
- Elected seats: Each TODO General Member's main contact reviews candidate applications and casts their votes during October. Elected Candidates will be notified in November, and the SC onboarding period will begin.
- Appointed seats: Current Steering Committee members appoint a candidate from the 2025 list.
🧩 About TODO Structure
TODO is a Linux Foundation project and operates as a community-driven project. The TODO Group has various working groups and local chapter groups around different geographies. It is recommended that you join our general TODO slack and then select concrete channels based on your location and topic needs. TODO Slack and groups io general mailing list is open, all access is free.
The [TODO structure folder](https://github.com/todogroup/governance/blob/main/TODO%20Structure/structure-mindmap.md#todo-groups-structure) shares an overview of the TODO Group's structure, including existing communication channels, meetings, regional chapters and working groups.
TODO Group is formed by its *Community Participants* including *OSPO Associates*, *General Members* and *Ambassadors. TODO Group Community is open to all. Sometimes, there are community participants with an established OSPO or open source initiative who wish to support TODO by becoming a [General Member](https://todogroup.org/about/members/) and/or [OSPO Associate](https://todogroup.org/about/associates/). Please see [TODO Group overview presentation](https://todogroup.org/about/about-us/) to learn more.
Our Playbook - Operational Guidelines
The TODO Playbook is a practical guide designed to help community participants understand and navigate processes within the project. While the Charter gives a general overview of the project structure and governance, the Playbook covers the specific operational details that ensure smooth participation and collaboration. It includes guidelines on how the community participants can submit new proposals, where and how these proposals are discussed, and the processes for onboarding new members. Essentially, the Playbook serves as a hands-on resource for the community, outlining procedures that are not explicitly covered in the Charter, ensuring transparency and accessibility for all participants.
đź“š File proposals by the community
The Community can file proposals via the OSPO Forum. [The OSPO forum is at the ospology repo, under GH Discussions.](https://github.com/todogroup/ospology/discussions)
đź“š How to open a new proposal
1) Go to [Discussions](https://github.com/todogroup/ospology/discussions)
2) Start a new Discussion
3) Select the category `Ideas` or `Poll`
4) Provide a description of the proposal as well as additional assets to successfully implement the proposal such as frameworks, timelines or action items required.
5) TODO PM will label the new discussion as `proposal`
6) Steering Committee will review on a regular basis the discussions within the [proposal tag](https://github.com/todogroup/ospology/discussions?discussions_q=label%3Aproposal) and give input.
đź“š Manage general member teams and individuals
To onboard a new organization and/or new team members from an existing organization that is TODO General Member, please:
1) [Open a new onboarding issue template.](https://github.com/todogroup/governance/issues/new/choose): The new organization issue template works also to add additional members.
2) [Read and share General Member onboarding guide](https://github.com/todogroup/governance/blob/main/onboarding/general-member.md#general-member-onboarding)
3) TODO PM or SC will label this as `onboarding` and complete the checklist items.
To offboard team members from an organization that is a TODO General Member, please:
1) Notify TODO PM via email or slack DM
2) Remove contact info from MEMBERS.csv by submitting a PR
đź“š Process for Shutting Down Inactive Channels or Working Groups
This section outlines the procedure for managing and eventually shutting down inactive Slack channels, mailing lists, or working groups within
the TODO and OSPOlogy groups. The goal is to ensure active engagement and efficient resource use across the community.
- Phase 1: No activity for 3 months in any Slack channel, mailing list, or working group.
- Responsible: Project Manager (PM) monitors and identifies inactivity.
- Action: PM sends a warning to inactive groups, asking for volunteers to re-engage, and notifies the Steering Committee for awareness.
- Deadline: 2 weeks for volunteers to come forward.
- Phase 2: If no one volunteers within 2 weeks, PM sends a closure notification.
- Action: PM archives all related materials and officially closes the group and notifies the Steering Committee for awareness.
- Documentation: Record the process via the GH discussions for transparency.