RE: Establishing TCs: Food for Thought

["Laura Walker" <laura.walker@oasis-open.org>]

>    1. How to set up a steering committee depends on whether you
>       want the committee to steer or to coordinate.  Since I can't
>       imagine a situation where a single TC needs a separate
>       steering committee, I'm going to assume that what's being
>       asked is how to set up a steering committee for the case
>       where related work is occurring in two or more TCs and it's
>       desired to coordinate or manage that work.

This is a safe assumption.

>       a. If what's desired is a true steering committee (a
> 	 committee that can impose its will on the TCs being
> 	 coordinated), then our off-the-shelf mechanism is a
> 	 single TC that forms subcommittees and manages the work
> 	 of those subcommittees.  However, such subcommittees have
> 	 to be formally created according to the traditional
> 	 model.  In particular, their members must be appointed by
> 	 the TC that creates them (though their membership is not
> 	 limited to members of the TC).  Within that limitation,
> 	 any TC can recursively create subcommittee structures of
> 	 any desired depth; this feature of the traditional system
> 	 is available now and will continue to be available under
> 	 the augmented system we're designing.

This helps, immensely. Thanks for the clarification.
One further question: would or could the primary TC also be an Advisory
Committee?

>       b. If what's desired is a mechanism by means of which TCs
> 	 that wish to be coordinated can participate in the
> 	 coordination but do not operate under a hard requirement
> 	 to obey the decisions of the coordinating body, then our
> 	 mechanism is the Joint Committee.  It's my job this
> 	 weekend (assigned at our last PAC meeting) to attempt to
> 	 specify Joint Committees.  I should have a first attempt
> 	 out in the next 48 hours; any board members interested in
> 	 this should monitor the workprocess list for details.

This would not typically be the case... at least WRT the discussions I've
had to date.

>    2. How to authorize a TC to hire and manage employees such as a
>       project manager or subject matter expert is, I believe, a
>       completely new question for us, and one that I'm not sure we
>       should be considering.  The bylaws place all business
>       decisions in the hands of the board.  Amending the bylaws to
>       allow autonomous TCs to make decisions that can create legal
>       or financial obligations for OASIS seems to me beyond the
>       present scope of the PAC.

The TC would not be hiring or managing employees. Rather, the TC (or AC)
would recommend to the Board that X number of dollars be solicited from the
appropriate members, and subsequently would advise the Board on the spending
of that funding.

My questions also relates to the formation of Member Sections.  I'm curious
as to whether the PAC has thought about how Member Sections relate to TCs
and and ACs.

Thanks.