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/2023/08/LF-Zephyr-Charter-2023.08.21.pdf