Purpose of this Document¶
The purpose of this document is to outline a minimal governance structure for the UC OSPO Network (“The Network”) as it stands today, in order to facilitate meetings, decision-making, and knowledge-sharing in the near future. It is not the purpose of this document to anticipate all possible hurdles, determine our membership model, nor even necessarily serve as a reference for years to come. Additional procedures, policies, and bylaws will be created gradually as needed. This document is about how we would like to organize ourselves in the near term. Some ideas for the future have been added as an appendix.
Mission Statement¶
The UC OSPO Network works to advance the scholarly success and social impact of open source software and hardware being created at the University of California. We achieve this by fostering a connected, highly visible open source culture across the UC system that attracts vital resources and expertise. Through cross-campus collaboration and knowledge sharing, we unite disparate efforts into a single entry point to UC open source, facilitating student and public engagement with UC open source innovation.
Core Principles¶
The Network holds to these core principles:
Each Member Organization should have a high degree of autonomy.
Each Working Group should have a high degree of autonomy.
Regardless of professional title, all participants meet within the Network as peers. We rely on a combination of top-down and bottom-up decision-making, in keeping with the values of community-driven open source.
We define “Member Organizations” as UC-affiliated institutions, such as campuses or national labs, that have been approved for membership by the Stewardship Group. The Stewardship Group will determine membership criteria at a later date, as described below.
Structure¶
The Network consists of groups that each have an aim (goal) and a domain (scope of authority). Additional within-group roles and processes may be determined by the groups.
Working Groups¶
Aim¶
The Working Groups each work to achieve a particular goal that will advance the Network’s mission.
Details¶
Each Working Group decides on their own aim, domain, membership criteria, and decision-making procedures. Working Groups may consider adopting the existing ORB Working Group’s decision-making procedure as a starting point.
Working Groups can be time-bound or ongoing. Working Groups may be externally-focused, i.e. serving the UC open source community, or internally focused, i.e. on Network operations. Some Working Groups may correspond to particular Network-supported Sponsored Projects, e.g. grants. Even if a Working Group is for all intents and purposes the team from a specific grant, working toward the goals of that grant, they should be able to articulate their goals and scope with respect to the Network mission, not with respect to funder obligations alone.
To support grassroots engagement with the Network, Working Groups can form of their own accord. Such groups are considered “provisional” until they have received approval from the Stewardship Group. A provisional Working Group should be either approved or terminated within a reasonable time frame, perhaps six months from its formation.
Domain¶
Each Working Group has its own domain, which must not overlap with that of any other Network Group.
Advises:
No advisory role.
Briefs:
Briefs the Alignment Group on their progress, goals, and challenges, including progress toward sponsored project deliverables.
Decides:
Scope of authority is determined by the Working Group’s domain.
Composition¶
Membership criteria are determined by the Working Group during the provisional phase. As such, Working Groups decide whether their group is open to the public, only UC affiliates, etc., subject to approval by the Stewardship Group.
Note that each Member Organization must commit to participating in at least one Working Group.
Each Working Group must designate a chair who attends Alignment Group meetings. Other roles, such as facilitator, secretary, or technical lead may be assigned at the discretion of the Working Group.
Alignment Group¶
Aim¶
The Alignment Group facilitates communication within the Network to promote coherence and prevent duplication of work. They ensure the Network’s policies stay relevant and are being observed, and they help ensure that Working Group activities align with the Network’s mission.
Details¶
The Alignment Group does not need Stewardship Group approval for decisions within its domain, but may seek approval of novel ideas or provisional Working Groups. When seeking guidance or approval from the Stewardship Group, the Alignment Group must specify a reasonable deadline. If the deadline passes without a decision from the Stewardship Group or a justifiable reason for extension of the deadline, the Alignment Group is authorized to take interim action on that specific matter.
Domain¶
Advises on:
Disputes between working groups.
The formation or dissolution of WGs.
Changes to the aims or domains of WGs.
Briefs Stewardship Group on:
Network health and morale.
Notable changes in Working Group composition, aims, or domains.
Changes to operational policies and procedures.
Decides:
Operational policies that affect more than one working group, such as onboarding procedures, internal communications, Code of Conduct, and safety protocols.
Disbursing and managing funds within the Stewardship Group-approved operational budget.
Composition¶
Composed of Working Group chairs. Working Group chairs should be deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the working group. If there are staff specifically tasked with sustaining and coordinating the whole network, they will also be members of the Alignment Group.
Stewardship group¶
Aim¶
The Stewardship Group stewards the long-term vision of the Network and safeguards its institutional and strategic integrity. They also steward the criteria and expectations for Network Member Organizations.
Details¶
The Stewardship Group may determine its own internal procedures, but it must meet regularly and must follow the constraints listed in the “Composition” section below.
Domain¶
Advises:
Advises Alignment Group on legal compliance and risk management.
Advises Alignment Group on Working Group aims and domains.
Briefs:
Briefs Alignment Group delegates on Network finances and development efforts.
Decides:
Incorporation and termination of Member Organization memberships.
Member Organization membership criteria.
Long-term strategic plans.
Overall network budget, including personnel.
Has the power to discontinue Network activities that threaten the legal, institutional, or financial integrity of the Network.
Termination of Working Groups whose mission is not aligned with that of the Network.
Composition¶
Alignment group delegates:
Two Alignment Group delegates must attend at least part of each Stewardship Group meeting. These delegates should be full-time Network staff if such staff are available and willing to attend.
Member Organization representation:
Each Member Organization must provide one delegate to the Stewardship Group. Member Organizations may choose to designate a back-up delegate who can assume the delegate’s duties when the delegate is unavailable.
The choice of delegate(s) is ultimately up to the Member Organization; the Stewardship Group can provide advice on their expectations for a suitable delegate.
For a prospective Member Organization to join the Network/Stewardship Group, Member Organization delegates must provide the written approval of a Sponsor (described in Sponsors section).
Chair and vice chair:
The Stewardship Group must designate a Chair responsible for ensuring the group fulfills its obligations to the Network, including scheduling regular meetings, facilitating timely decision-making, and managing prompt responses to inquiries. The Chair serves a standard two-year term, renewable for a maximum of three consecutive terms.
The Stewardship Group must also designate a Vice Chair to support the Chair and assume their duties when the Chair is unavailable. To ensure continuity of leadership, the Vice Chair will automatically assume the role of Chair upon the current Chair’s resignation or the conclusion of their term.
In exceptional circumstances where a critical decision must be made immediately and the full Stewardship Group cannot be convened, the Chair is authorized to make that decision on behalf of the group. Any emergency decisions must be promptly disclosed to the Stewardship Group for review.
The Stewardship Group may remove a Chair from leadership prior to the end of their term by a two-thirds vote by the full Stewardship Group membership. Justifiable reasons for removal include but are not limited to: abuse of emergency executive authority, failure to adequately perform assigned duties, or failure to adhere to the Network’s Code of Conduct.
Sponsors¶
Sponsors champion the vitality, viability and long-term sustainability of the Network at their Member Organization and across the UC system. Ideally, they also identify opportunities for increased coherence within the Member Organization, building connections with entities whose mission overlaps with that of the UC OSPO Network. The acceptance of a Member Organization into the Network is ultimately a bilateral agreement between the Stewardship Group and the Sponsor. Member Organizations can also withdraw from the Network—this is a unilateral action that rests with the Sponsor.
Sponsors should be leaders with division-wide executive authority and final oversight of institutional budgets and strategic operations. For university campuses, they should either be, or report directly to, the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, Provost, or a Vice Chancellor. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by case basis.
Appendix: Ideas for the future¶
Decision-making processes¶
Each group (Stewardship, Alignment, and Working Groups) is responsible for agreeing upon a reasonable, equitable, and transparent decision-making process. The ORB WG’s decision making framework can be found here, as an example. Additional decision-making procedures will likely be developed over time, as this template was not developed to be a one-size-fits-all solution.
Groups are encouraged to reflect on their procedures for the following:
Making low-stakes decisions quickly
Making high-stakes decisions
Making high-stakes decisions quickly
Processing concerns and feedback
Future governance efforts¶
This document is not set in stone. If members of the Network find that this structure does not work for them, they are encouraged to initiate a conversation about how to change it. Within-group changes that do not affect other groups should be made without waiting for approval from any other group. Changes that affect multiple groups should be negotiated between affected groups, perhaps through mediation by a neutral arbiter if a consensus cannot be reached.
Network-supported Sponsored Projects¶
Many UC affiliates are awardees of grants or other sponsored research agreements whose resources are contingent upon certain obligations to the funder. Such a project becomes an official “Network-supported Sponsored Project” if it either:
Expects to receive additional services from the Network beyond our standard offerings, OR
Requests a letter of support from the Network.
Each Network-supported Sponsored Project project has its own governance structure, defined according to the needs of the host organization, partner organizations, the funding mechanism, and the specific work that is being defined.
Crucially, UC affiliates do NOT have to get permission from the UC OSPO Network to write a grant to do work around open source / open scholarship. Also, mere mention of the UC OSPO Network in a grant, or benefitting from our standard services, does not obligate a research team to volunteer with the Network.
Network-supported Sponsored Projects commit to sustaining the Network through:
Regular updates to the Stewardship Group (e.g. every 6 months), AND
Participation in at least one Working Group.
Network-supported Sponsored Projects may create a new Working Group as required, and this may count toward their required participation in at least one Working Group, but teams are encouraged to participate in existing WGs if their mission and scope are aligned with the deliverables of the funded project.
Advisory group¶
Aim: The Advisory Group (AdG) supports the OSPO Network in achieving its mission by advising the SG.
Domain: Provides advice and recommendations to the SG on such topics as fundraising, budgeting, and strategic positioning.
Composition: 10-15 members, invited by the Stewardship Group. Members are experts in open source who are primarily affiliated with organizations outside of the UC system. Examples include leaders and developers at technology companies, faculty or staff at other academic organizations, staff at government agencies (local, state and federal), and representatives of philanthropic organizations.