[Drupal-twg] TWG Mandate description & Minutes for the call

[Jeremy Thorson]

Hey all,

The following was what I wrote in my notes today as a definition of the TWG
mandate:

*Technical Working Group Mandate:*
- The role of the TWG is as the 'conflict resolution body for technical
conflict' (similar to how the Community working group is the conflict
resolution body for 'people' conflict).

- The TWG also has a responsibility as the community 'curator' of technical
policy, accountable for ensuring that community technical policies are
documented, published, and maintained current.

- The community perspective seems to be that we are responsible for
'authoring' policy; or driving the conversation and facilitating the
process of gaining community consensus on all policy proposals (more
specifically, all of the coding standards issues which were moved to our
queue).

- I don't feel that the working group is well positioned to actually take
on this perceived role, as attempting to keep abreast of every potential
technical policy proposal being made or debated within the community would
quickly bury us ... and my view is that we are not looking to 'replace' the
existing community consensus-driven approach, only augment it in order to
guide the community when that existing process breaks down.



*Meeting Minutes*

As a rough 'meeting minutes' for the call, I also jotted down the following:

*Perceived operational issues:*
- Ability to comment within the issue queues, and fear of 'own' comments
being mistaken as an authoritative comment on behalf of the 'TWG'.
- Working group members not subscribed to notifications of new issues being
opened or commented on within the TWG queue
- Lack of transparency regarding the working group within the larger
community (administrative foundation, policies and procedures regarding how
we operate and interact with the community)
- Lacking a working group 'chair', who assumes responsibility for the
administrative and facilitative operation of the working group (i.e.
scheduling meetings, setting agendas, establishing milestones and/or
deadlines, etc)
- Availability, interest, and initiative of existing working group
membership in the absence of an official chair driving active working group
progress

*Actions and Next Steps:*
- Need to appoint a chairperson.  Howard to consider the role, and touch
base with Dries within a few days
- Mark stepping down from the working group.  Everyone to consider
potential replacement suggestions (provide to Dries).
- Need to ensure we have a regularly recurring meeting slot scheduled in
everyone's calendar.  Suggested frequency is monthly.  Accountability for
the action to be assigned to the new working group chair.
- Suggested that next meeting include a discussion to ensure working group
member alignment on the group's perceived mandate.
- Jeremy to forward his interpretation/description of the TWG mandate to
everyone on the call.


Thanks again for the call ... good to hear from everyone again.  :)

- Jeremy
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