| Technical Steering Committee (TSC) |
| ********************************** |
| |
| TSC Member Role |
| ############### |
| |
| The TSC role and its responsibilities is defined in the `Zephyr project charter`_. |
| |
| Membership |
| ++++++++++ |
| |
| A TSC member plays a pivotal role in shaping the technical direction of the |
| Zephyr Project. TSC members work collaboratively with other TSC members, |
| contributors, and stakeholders to ensure the project's success and |
| sustainability. |
| |
| By fulfilling the rights and responsibilities below, TSC members contribute to |
| the overall success and growth of the Zephyr Project, ensuring that it remains a |
| vibrant and thriving open-source community for years to come. |
| |
| |
| Rights |
| ------ |
| |
| Decision Making |
| Participate in key decisions related to the project's technical direction, |
| including architectural changes, feature additions, and release planning. |
| |
| Voting |
| Exercise voting rights on important matters discussed within the TSC, |
| including feature proposals, code contributions, and community initiatives. |
| |
| Access |
| Gain access to relevant project repositories, documentation, and communication |
| channels to stay informed and contribute effectively. |
| |
| Leadership |
| Take on leadership roles within working groups or subcommittees dedicated to |
| specific technical areas or initiatives. |
| |
| Representation |
| Act as a representative of the broader Zephyr community, advocating for the |
| interests of contributors, users, and stakeholders. |
| |
| Responsibilities |
| ---------------- |
| TSC members are expected to fulfill the following responsibilities, though it is |
| not mandatory to fulfill all: |
| |
| Technical Oversight |
| Provide guidance and oversight on technical matters, ensuring alignment with |
| project goals, standards, and best practices through active participation as |
| core members in working groups and committees. |
| |
| Code Review |
| Participate in code reviews to maintain code quality, consistency, and |
| compatibility with project standards. |
| |
| Community Engagement |
| Engage with the community through forums, mailing lists, conferences, and |
| other channels to foster collaboration, address concerns, and gather feedback. |
| |
| Documentation |
| Contribute to the development and maintenance of project documentation, |
| including technical guides, API references, and best practices. |
| |
| Release Management |
| Collaborate with the release manager and other stakeholders to plan and |
| coordinate project releases, ensuring timely delivery and quality assurance. |
| |
| Contributor Support |
| Support and mentor new contributors, helping them navigate the project's |
| codebase, processes, and community norms. |
| |
| Issue Triage |
| Assist in triaging and prioritizing issues reported by users and contributors, |
| facilitating timely resolution and communication. |
| |
| Compliance and Licensing |
| Ensure compliance with project licensing requirements and open-source best |
| practices, addressing any licensing-related issues that may arise. |
| |
| Conflict Resolution |
| Facilitate constructive discussions and resolution of technical disagreements |
| or conflicts within the community, promoting a healthy and inclusive |
| environment. |
| |
| Continuous Improvement |
| Continuously seek opportunities to improve project governance, processes, and |
| infrastructure, driving innovation and sustainability. |
| |
| |
| Appointed TSC Members |
| +++++++++++++++++++++ |
| |
| See `Zephyr project charter`_ for more details. |
| |
| - Appointed TSC members have no term limits besides the term of their employment |
| at the organization they represent or their organization's membership in the |
| Zephyr Project. |
| - Appointed TSC members can select an Alternate from the same organization. |
| |
| Elected TSC Members |
| +++++++++++++++++++ |
| |
| Per the `Zephyr project charter`_, TSC members can nominate representatives from |
| the technical community at the rate of no more than one per quarter. |
| |
| - Majority vote is required to confirm a candidate. |
| - Once elected, a TSC member serves for 2 years. |
| - Elected TSC members do not have the right to appoint an Alternate. |
| - To ensure continuity of the TSC, at the end of the 2 year term, the TSC is |
| required to reconfirm the membership of elected members. If the elected member |
| declines a new term or if the TSC fails to reconfirm the term, the seat will |
| be open for new nominations. |
| - If an elected TSC member resigns before the end of the 2 year term, their spot |
| will be open for new members outside of the quarterly nomination limit. The |
| elected member will serve a 2 year term. |
| - The TSC has the right to terminate elected members who become inactive and are |
| not fulfilling the responsibilities of TSC members as described in this |
| document. |
| - The number of elected members shall not exceed 20% of the total of appointed |
| members. |
| - Existing TSC members who were elected before May 2024 shall be re-confirmed |
| after completing the 2 year term since they were first elected. |
| |
| Suspensions |
| +++++++++++ |
| |
| As noted under Section 8b of the Project Charter, voting rights for a |
| representative who misses three consecutive meetings are subject to suspension |
| and suspended representatives do not count towards the quorum requirement. |
| |
| A representative’s suspension will end and voting rights be restored at the start |
| of the next attended meeting. The TSC enforces the suspension policy for voting |
| members who miss three consecutive TSC weekly meetings. |
| |
| Multi-day meetings (F2F events) are counted as "one" meeting. The TSC voted on |
| February 16, 2022 to discontinue default enforcement of the suspension policy. |
| The TSC voted on January 18, 2023 to re-enact default enforcement of the |
| suspension policy. |
| |
| Notice of suspension will be sent to representatives who miss three consecutive |
| meetings, noting that rights will be restored upon next attendance of a TSC |
| meeting. |
| |
| .. note:: |
| |
| As per Section 4b of the Project Charter, Platinum and Silver |
| Members may choose to opt out of a voting seat on the TSC. |
| |
| Members who opt out and then wish to reclaim their seat later will have their |
| voting rights restored at the start of the second consecutive meeting |
| attended following notification to the TSC Chair. |
| |
| |
| Voting |
| ++++++ |
| |
| Voting in the Zephyr Project is defined under Section 8 of the Project Charter. |
| |
| Additional points of clarity / TSC interpretation have been added below. The |
| Governing Board may opt to update the Charter to include the below |
| refinements. Until then, additional clarifications (if/where needed) will be |
| discussed in the Process Working Group, and approved in the TSC. |
| |
| - TSC In-Meeting Voting For items requesting an in-meeting vote of the Zephyr |
| Technical Steering Committee (TSC), assuming quorum requirements have been |
| met, the default voting mechanism will be a verbal motion to determine if |
| there is general consensus. |
| - If there are no objections to a motion being brought forward, general |
| consensus is assumed and the motion passes. |
| - Should there be any objections raised, the vote will move to email, and be |
| executed using the Voting Guidelines outlined in Section 8 of the Project |
| Charter. |
| - Should a motion be deemed urgent by the TSC Chair, and assuming quorum |
| requirements have been met, the Chair may call for a roll call vote |
| in-meeting. |
| |
| Voting Options |
| -------------- |
| |
| - Voting Options are: |
| |
| - "Yes", |
| - "No" or |
| - "Abstain" |
| |
| Abstention |
| ---------- |
| |
| Abstentions do not count in tallying the vote negatively or positively; when |
| members abstain, they are in effect attending only to contribute to a quorum. |
| |
| Abstentions do not impact the number of votes needed to decide a vote. |
| |
| Quorum |
| ------ |
| |
| Quorum for TSC meetings shall require 60% of the voting representatives... (ref |
| 8b of the Charter) |
| |
| Decisions |
| --------- |
| |
| Decisions by vote shall be based on a majority vote, provided that at least |
| sixty percent (60%) of the **TSC** representatives must be either |
| present or participating electronically or by written action in order to |
| conduct a valid vote. (ref 8c of the Charter) |
| |
| Example A: |
| |
| 40 eligible TSC voters. 3 abstain from a vote on a motion. 12 vote Yes. 11 vote |
| No. |
| |
| Quorum reached: 26 votes cast (quorum = 60% of 40 = 24) |
| Majority vote: 12 Yes vs. 11 No. Yes wins. |
| Motion adopted. |
| |
| Example B: |
| |
| 40 eligible TSC voters. 5 abstain from a vote on a motion. 12 vote Yes. 6 |
| vote No. Quorum reached? 23 votes cast (quorum = 60% of 40 = 24) |
| |
| Vote is not valid. Quorum not reached. |
| |
| Example C: |
| |
| 40 eligible TSC voters. 21 abstain from a vote on a motion. 2 vote Yes. 1 votes |
| No. Quorum reached? 24 votes cast (quorum = 60% of 40 = 24) |
| |
| Majority vote: 2 Yes vs. 1 No. Yes wins. |
| |
| Immutable Votes |
| +++++++++++++++ |
| |
| Votes are considered immutable once cast. A voter may not change their vote, |
| once cast, between the time a Motion is brought forth and the time at which |
| results are announced. |
| |
| .. _Zephyr project charter: |
| https://www.zephyrproject.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2023/08/LF-Zephyr-Charter-2023.08.21.pdf |