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in-toto Steering Committee Responsibilities and Charter

The in-toto Steering Committee (or ITSC) is a group of volunteers that oversee the strategic direction and growth of all projects falling under the in-toto umbrella. It is the only group that presides over the full spectrum of in-toto-related work - a posture necessary for ITSC success. For our purposes, we define any software project residing in the in-toto GitHub organization as falling under the in-toto umbrella.

This document defines the ITSC mission and charter, as well as the responsibilities of members of the ITSC.

Mission

To ensure the long-term success of in-toto by providing leadership, guidance, and communication channels to in-toto project users, maintainers, and contributors.

Charter

  • Actively engage with the in-toto community (users, contributors, and maintainers) to ensure that their needs are being met
  • Curation of the scope and set of subprojects under the in-toto project's umbrella
  • Define, track, and publicize progress against yearly goals for the in-toto project, subprojects and community
  • Define, evolve, and promote the non-technical vision/mission and values of the in-toto project
  • Define and evolve the in-toto project governance, ITSC role and structure, and code of conduct as needed
  • Receive and handle reports about code of conduct violations and maintain confidentiality
  • Act as the final escalation point and decider for any disputes or issues within in-toto project and subprojects

ITSC Member Responsibilities

  • Act as in-toto project ambassadors both within the cloud native community and the industry at large
  • Be generally available for in-toto community members, maintainers, and contributors
  • Attend all ITSC calls and meetings
  • Faithfully uphold the ITSC charter, acting in the best interest of the in-toto project
  • Abide by the in-toto and CNCF Code of Conduct

ITSC Seat Election and Term

The ITSC comprises at least five seats. All seats are equal in their capacity and requirements.

ITSC seats are assigned to individuals and not companies. Incumbents retain their ITSC membership in the event that their affiliation changes. If the affiliation change results in a violation of the corporate diversity policy as defined by the in-toto project governance, then a vacancy shall be forced. All incumbents must disclose their affiliation.

Election and Term Mechanics

Elections may take place in no less than every six months since the previous election. in-toto community members and contributors demonstrating active engagement in the project(s) are invited to both nominate and vote on new ITSC members. For the purpose of ITSC seat nomination and election, active engagement is defined as:

  • Any individual that has opened a GitHub Issue or PR against an in-toto repository the last 12 months
  • Any individual holding an official project seat (e.g. subproject maintainers) at the time of the election
  • Any individual that has attended the majority of calls held for any given subproject in the last 6 months

The definition of active engagement is purposefully a loose one, and it is recognized that the bar may be met without adhering to the spirit of the rule. As such, individuals who meet the requirements in letter but not in spirit may, at the discretion of the ITSC, not be invited to nominate or vote in any given election.

Conversely, it is also recognized that the stated definition is not perfect, and that there may be individuals with contributions to the community and/or projects that do not meet these requirements. The ITSC is happy to consider such cases, and will make exceptions when fit.

Each voting community member may choose up to two nominees per seat, and cast one ranked vote. The process to call for an election and how to carry out an election are to be determined after the ITSC is formed.

Nominee Qualification

ITSC nominees must meet a minimum set of qualifications before they're eligible to appear on the election ballot. Each nominee will be evaluated by the existing ITSC members for eligibility, wherein a nominee must receive support from a majority of the ITSC to be considered eligible. Prior to ballot distribution, nominees will be contacted by an ITSC member (or a representative thereof) to discuss the qualification criteria and ensure that the nominee is willing to serve a full term. The ITSC nominee qualification criteria are as follows:

  • Nominee must commit that they have the available bandwidth to make the time to invest in the ITSC and carry out their duties
  • Nominee must be able to operate neutrally in discussions and put the goals and success of the in-toto projects in balance with the interests of any affiliation they may carry
  • Nominee must thoroughly understand the problem space and the goals of the in-toto project
  • Nominee must demonstrate experience and seniority sufficient to access additional staff or community members to assist in their ITSC preparations

There is no term limit. Existing ITSC members are eligible for nomination and re-election at the end of their term.

ITSC Right to Amend

The election process described in this document is intended to meet the needs of the in-toto project and community in a way that is concise and lightweight. It is not intended to be a legal document in which every eventuality is accounted for - project and community members are expected to act in good faith. As such, the ITSC reserves the right to modify or alter this process, as they see fit and through a majority vote, in response to any perceived abuse.