RE: [DISCUSS] SUSTAINABILITY: The AOO PMC

["Dennis E. Hamilton" <or...@apache.org>]

[BCC to PMC]

When I offered myself as a candidate for Chair of the Apache OpenOffice Project Management Committee (PMC), I emphasized that a key objective was to obtain clarity on the status of the project and its moving parts.  

From my personal perspective, that has been accomplished.

What has not been fully accomplished is what I proposed, below, for strengthening the governance of the project in terms of the breadth and depth of the PMC.  

More details of the mixed results are in-line.

 - Dennis

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dennis E. Hamilton [mailto:orcmid@apache.org]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2015 17:59
> To: dev@openoffice.apache.org
> Subject: [DISCUSS] SUSTAINABILITY: The AOO PMC
> 
> From the Chair,
> 
> As part of responsibility to understand and account for the operational
> capacity and sustainability of the project, I have initial observations
> concerning the sustainability of the AOO Project Management Committee
> itself.
> 
> I am proposing an action plan for which I will be accountable.
> 
> Questions? Suggestions? Particulars, ideas about strengthening the PMC
> in both breadth and depth, etc.
> 
>  - Dennis
> 
> PMC STATUS (as of August 31, 2015)
> ----------------------------------
> 
> SUSTAINABILITY DANGER SIGNS
> 
> The AOO Project Management Committee was unable or unwilling to find a
> replacement in its own ranks for retiring Chair, Andrea Pescetti.  The
> election of a new Chair was held between two non-PMC nominees after
> there was no consensus on the only PMC member who stood as a nominee.
> 
> On the subsequent retirement of that new Chair, the only nominee to step
> forward had been on the PMC six months and had no PMC involvement since
> graduation of the AOO podling in October, 2012.
> 
> That Chair-elect will retire in September, 2016.
> 
[orcmid] 

My resignation as the current chair will be effective on Wednesday, 2016-10-19, at which time a new Chair will be ratified by the Apache Board. 

> 
> ACTION PLAN
> 
> Collect and maintain materials on everything that involves a Chair so
> that transition to a new Chair can happen smoothly at any time.
[orcmid] 

I have been doing that and there is now considerable information.  There are still some gaps.  I do need to curate some of the material I have collected that is not yet in a PMC-visible location.

> 
> With the PMC, work to expand diversity with respect to the many
> components of the Apache OpenOffice Project so the reach of the project
> is understood by the collective PMC membership.
[orcmid] 

Some of this has been done.  In particular, there have been a few additions to the PMC that reflect greater diversity of interests and focus.

The complete history of PMC membership can be found at <Complete PMC membership history is available in PDF at
<http://s.apache.org/vji>.


> 
> With the PMC, expand depth of the bench with respect to experience and
> availability of participants prepared to step into the Chair position.
> Involve PMC members in Chair procedures as much as possible.
[orcmid] 

I don't feel that this has been achieved.  Although I do as much work as possible to provide examples, this may have lessened proactivity on the part of other PMC members.  I don't know whether the PMC had always made a habit of expecting the Chair and a small number of others to manage quite so much. 

> 
> FOLLOW-UP
> 
> January 2016 on materials for review and understanding of the PMC and
> for hand-off to an incoming Chair.
[orcmid] 

Although materials are on the PMC list and in locations of the Apache Subversion repository that are either public or private to the PMC, no specific review was held.
> 
> April 2016 and quarterly thereafter assess PMC readiness to oversee the
> breadth of Project operations and provide a Chair from within its own
> body.
> 
[orcmid] 

Although quarterly reports reflected the status, no explicit assessment had been made on this aspect.  I must address this in the special interim report that will be made to the September Board meeting.

Because of questions about difficulties with the project and how they are being addressed, the Apache OpenOffice project has been requested to report monthly instead of quarterly.  There was an interim report for August and there will be another for September, with a regular full quarterly report in October.

The complete history of Apache OpenOffice coverage in approved Board minutes is captured at 
<https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/openoffice/pmc/BoardReportsArchive>.


> September 2016 PMC have at least three able and available candidates for
> recommendation as new Chair, with effortless transition of a recommended
> successor on ratification by the Board.
[orcmid] 

The call for nominations was made to the dev@ oo.a.o list on Monday, 2016-08-30.  

How that goes will be reported as part of the interim September report.  

I am not confident that there are as many as three able and available candidates.

> 
>  ----------------------------------------
> 
> 
> 
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