Node.js Working Groups are autonomous projects created by the Technical Steering Committee (TSC).
Top-Level Working Groups can be formed at any time but must be ratified by the TSC. Once formed the work defined in the Working Group charter is the responsibility of the WG rather than the TSC.
It is important that Working Groups are not formed pre-maturely. Working Groups are not formed to begin a set of tasks but instead are formed once that work is already underway and the contributors think it would benefit from being done as an autonomous project.
If the work defined in a Working Group charter is completed, the Working Group should be dissolved and the responsibility for governance absorbed back into the TSC. A Working Group can be dissolved either through consensus of the Working Group membership or normal TSC motion and vote.
NOTE: Technical Working Groups exist in the nodejs/ctc repository.
Note: The efforts and mission of the Inclusivity Working Group have been assumed by the Node.js Foundation's Community Committee.
The Inclusivity Working Group seeks to increase inclusivity and diversity for the Node.js project:
- Increasing inclusivity means making the Node.js project a safe and friendly place for people from diverse backgrounds.
- Increasing diversity means actively onboarding people from diverse backgrounds to the Node.js project and maintaining their participation.
Responsibilities include:
- Fostering a welcoming environment that ensures participants are valued and can feel confident contributing or joining discussions, regardless of any aspect of their identity.
- Proactively seeking and proposing concrete steps the project can take to increase inclusivity.
- Serving as a resource for the development and enforcement of workflows that protect community members and projects from harassment and abuse.
- Acknowledging and celebrating existing diversity accomplishments within the project while seeking to build upon them.
- Identifying ways to measure diversity and inclusivity within the project and report them at regular intervals.
A Working Group is established by first defining a charter that can be ratified by the TC. A charter is a statement of purpose, a list of responsibilities and a list of initial membership.
A working group needs 3 initial members. These should be individuals already undertaking the work described in the charter.
The list of responsibilities should be specific. Once established, these responsibilities are no longer governed by the TC and therefore should not be broad or subjective. The only recourse the TC has over the working group is to revoke the entire charter and take on the work previously done by the working group themselves.
If the responsibilities described in the charter are currently undertaken by another WG then the charter will additionally have to be ratified by that WG.
You can submit the WG charter for ratification by sending a Pull Request to this document, which adds it to the list of current Working Groups. Once ratified the list of members should be maintained in the Working Group's README.
Once the TC ratifies a charter the WG inherits the following documentation for governance, contribution, conduct and an MIT LICENSE. The WG is free to change these documents through their own governance process, hence the term "bootstrap."
### *[insert WG name]* Working Group
The Node.js *[insert WG name]* is jointly governed by a Working Group (WG)
that is responsible for high-level guidance of the project.
The WG has final authority over this project including:
* Technical direction
* Project governance and process (including this policy)
* Contribution policy
* GitHub repository hosting
* Conduct guidelines
* Maintaining the list of additional Collaborators
For the current list of WG members, see the project
[README.md](./README.md#current-project-team-members).
### Collaborators
The *[insert WG name]* GitHub repository is
maintained by the WG and additional Collaborators who are added by the
WG on an ongoing basis.
Individuals making significant and valuable contributions are made
Collaborators and given commit-access to the project. These
individuals are identified by the WG and their addition as
Collaborators is discussed during the weekly WG meeting.
_Note:_ If you make a significant contribution and are not considered
for commit-access log an issue or contact a WG member directly and it
will be brought up in the next WG meeting.
Modifications of the contents of the *[insert WG repo]* repository are made on
a collaborative basis. Anybody with a GitHub account may propose a
modification via pull request and it will be considered by the project
Collaborators. All pull requests must be reviewed and accepted by a
Collaborator with sufficient expertise who is able to take full
responsibility for the change. In the case of pull requests proposed
by an existing Collaborator, an additional Collaborator is required
for sign-off. Consensus should be sought if additional Collaborators
participate and there is disagreement around a particular
modification. See _Consensus Seeking Process_ below for further detail
on the consensus model used for governance.
Collaborators may opt to elevate significant or controversial
modifications, or modifications that have not found consensus to the
WG for discussion by assigning the ***WG-agenda*** tag to a pull
request or issue. The WG should serve as the final arbiter where
required.
For the current list of Collaborators, see the project
[README.md](./README.md#current-project-team-members).
### WG Membership
WG seats are not time-limited. There is no fixed size of the WG.
However, the expected target is between 6 and 12, to ensure adequate
coverage of important areas of expertise, balanced with the ability to
make decisions efficiently.
There is no specific set of requirements or qualifications for WG
membership beyond these rules.
The WG may add additional members to the WG by unanimous consensus.
A WG member may be removed from the WG by voluntary resignation, or by
unanimous consensus of all other WG members.
Changes to WG membership should be posted in the agenda, and may be
suggested as any other agenda item (see "WG Meetings" below).
If an addition or removal is proposed during a meeting, and the full
WG is not in attendance to participate, then the addition or removal
is added to the agenda for the subsequent meeting. This is to ensure
that all members are given the opportunity to participate in all
membership decisions. If a WG member is unable to attend a meeting
where a planned membership decision is being made, then their consent
is assumed.
No more than 1/3 of the WG members may be affiliated with the same
employer. If removal or resignation of a WG member, or a change of
employment by a WG member, creates a situation where more than 1/3 of
the WG membership shares an employer, then the situation must be
immediately remedied by the resignation or removal of one or more WG
members affiliated with the over-represented employer(s).
### WG Meetings
The WG meets weekly on a Google Hangout On Air. A designated moderator
approved by the WG runs the meeting. Each meeting should be
published to YouTube.
Items are added to the WG agenda that are considered contentious or
are modifications of governance, contribution policy, WG membership,
or release process.
The intention of the agenda is not to approve or review all patches;
that should happen continuously on GitHub and be handled by the larger
group of Collaborators.
Any community member or contributor can ask that something be added to
the next meeting's agenda by logging a GitHub Issue. Any Collaborator,
WG member or the moderator can add the item to the agenda by adding
the ***WG-agenda*** tag to the issue.
Prior to each WG meeting the moderator will share the Agenda with
members of the WG. WG members can add any items they like to the
agenda at the beginning of each meeting. The moderator and the WG
cannot veto or remove items.
The WG may invite persons or representatives from certain projects to
participate in a non-voting capacity.
The moderator is responsible for summarizing the discussion of each
agenda item and sends it as a pull request after the meeting.
### Consensus Seeking Process
The WG follows a
[Consensus Seeking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus-seeking_decision-making)
decision-making model.
When an agenda item has appeared to reach a consensus the moderator
will ask "Does anyone object?" as a final call for dissent from the
consensus.
If an agenda item cannot reach a consensus a WG member can call for
either a closing vote or a vote to table the issue to the next
meeting. The call for a vote must be seconded by a majority of the WG
or else the discussion will continue. Simple majority wins.
Note that changes to WG membership require unanimous consensus. See
"WG Membership" above.
<a id="developers-certificate-of-origin"></a>
## Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1
By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:
* (a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I
have the right to submit it under the open source license
indicated in the file; or
* (b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best
of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source
license and I have the right under that license to submit that
work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part
by me, under the same open source license (unless I am
permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated
in the file; or
* (c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other
person who certified (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified
it.
* (d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution
are public and that a record of the contribution (including all
personal information I submit with it, including my sign-off) is
maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent with
this project or the open source license(s) involved.
### Moderation Policy
The [Node.js Moderation Policy] applies to this WG.
### Code of Conduct
The [Node.js Code of Conduct][] applies to this WG.
[Node.js Code of Conduct]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
[Node.js Moderation Policy]: https://github.com/nodejs/TSC/blob/master/Moderation-Policy.md