Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
146 lines (84 loc) · 16.9 KB

governance.md

File metadata and controls

146 lines (84 loc) · 16.9 KB

Digital Public Goods Standard Governance

This governance model aims to provide a comprehensive framework for developing and maintaining the Digital Public Goods (DPG) Standard in alignment with the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA)'s mission and values. The DPGA envisions engaging with a growing community of contributors and stakeholders to ensure a balance between responsiveness to feedback, stability, and predictability for the DPG Standard, so it can be a framework that people can build for and to.

The DPG Standard leverages frameworks, standards, and definitions from specific organisations that have broad international consensus and are facilitating the discovery, development, use of, and investment in digital public goods. Specific organisations the DPG Standard aligns with include: Open Source Initiative (OSI), Creative Commons, and Open Data Commons (Open Knowledge Foundation).

1. Principles

The DPGA community adheres to the OpenStand Principles when developing the DPG standard.

Additionally, the DPGA Standard governance process through its Expert groups and community engagements also follows the following principles:

  • Inclusivity: Ensuring participation and representation from a diverse range of contributors and stakeholders across geography and gender.
  • Transparency: Conducting processes openly and sharing relevant information with the community on GitHub.
  • Accountability: Assigning clear roles and responsibilities to individuals within the governance structure which will be delineated in the Terms of References for any organised community engagements like standard Expert Groups.
  • Collaboration: Promoting active collaboration among contributors through constructive discussions on a regular basis on platforms such as GitHub.
  • Responsiveness: Adapting to community feedback and stakeholder interaction, and evolving needs while maintaining stability.

2. Code of Conduct

We have adopted the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct, and expect all members of the community to embrace it. The following is an excerpt on our pledge:

We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, colour, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.

3. Revisions

The following section showcases the processes for:

  • Input mechanisms through public processes and expert inputs
  • The change proposal process including classifications of modifications and community comments

The latest version of the Digital Public Goods Standard is found in the root folder of this repository. The DPG Standard is operationalized through a questionary. This set of questions is used to screen projects or products and validate whether they conform to the DPG Standard, and can thus be classified as digital public goods.

3A. Input mechanisms

Participation mechanisms ensure that individuals, organisations, and stakeholders have opportunities to contribute to the development of the DPG Standard. This includes engaging in discussions, proposing changes, and providing feedback.

There are two mechanisms for the DPGA to gather input on the DPG Standard.

3a(i). Public Proposal Process - GitHub

Anyone can propose changes to the standard using GitHub by:

  • Creating an issue: You can create an issue to suggest changes, share thoughts and invite other community members to weigh in with their thoughts OR
  • Creating a Pull Request: You can edit the text of the Standard directly and make a pull request to propose your specific wording changes.

Before starting we recommend following these steps:

  1. To avoid duplication, review the existing issues and pull requests to see if your proposed change has already been proposed or not. If it has already been proposed, you are encouraged to add your perspective to the existing conversation and argue for or against it with constructive and compelling arguments.
  2. If none of the open pull requests/issues address the issue you are proposing, start a new issue or edit the standard and open a new pull request with your edits, guided by the "one issue, one pull request" guideline. When opening a new pull request, be very explicit about the changes that you are proposing when making the case for your suggested changes. If your contribution is commentary or a general opinion, we will still review it, but we will deem it non-actionable and close it.
  3. Once your pull request has been submitted, follow the discussion that ensues.

3b(ii). Expert Input - Standard Expert Groups

Expert groups serve as forums for discussions and initiating amendments in areas where the Secretariat (via the Standards Council) identifies the need for greater discussion and guidance from the community on a topic. Expert groups are responsible for creating annexures of best practices for applicant compliance, researching, proposing modifications, and reviewing changes. They propose recommendations based on their discussions and deliberations. These proposals are submitted to the DPG Standard Council for review and consideration. Each proposal outlines specific changes, enhancements, or additions to the DPG Standard. Expert groups are comprised of external subject matter experts who participate in their personal capacity to ensure neutrality in standard development. To read more about the expert groups go here.

3B. The Change Proposal Process

Once changes have been proposed, the Change Proposal Process is a crucial mechanism within the governance framework of the Digital Public Goods Standard to ensure that proposed changes to the standard undergo thorough review, consideration, and community engagement before being finalised and implemented.

3b(i) Proposing changes

Proposed changes to the DPG Standard made in the form of issues and/or pull requests through GitHub, which will then be taken up for discussion by the Standard Council. If the suggested changes are approved, these proposed changes will be published on GitHub for public comments for timeframes based on the type of change made (see below). This allows for transparency and accessibility, allowing stakeholders to review and provide feedback on proposed changes.

3b(ii) Classifications of Modifications

All incoming issues will be classified as follows:

  • - These are mostly stylistic edits that include, but are not limited to: correcting typographical errors, making grammatical edits, adding or removing clarifying statements with the aim of improving readability, or facilitating understanding of the DPG Standard to the reader. These proposed changes do not alter the intended meaning of the existing indicators, nor introduce or remove key concepts.

  • - These are modifications that alter the existing indicators in significant ways that have broader implications, but they do not challenge the purpose or scope of the DPG Standard. These may also include reorganisation of the various sections of the DPG Standard, removing existing sections entirely, or adding new indicators to the DPG Standard.

  • - These involve fundamental or philosophical changes that challenge or affect the purpose, scope, or very existence of the DPG Standard.

3b(iii) Community Comments

Community engagement is a key aspect of the Change Proposal Process. Stakeholders, including individuals, organisations, and interested parties, are invited to review the proposed changes and provide feedback. The duration for community comments varies depending on the significance of the proposed change:

  • - Stakeholders have one week to review and provide feedback on minor fixes, which typically involve small adjustments or corrections to the standard.
  • - For more substantial changes, stakeholders have three weeks to review and provide feedback. Major changes may include but not be limited to revisions to existing indicators of the standard or the introduction of new elements within specific indicators.
  • - For significant revisions that impact the core principles or structure of the DPG Standard, stakeholders have four weeks to review and provide feedback. This allows for in-depth analysis and discussion of the proposed fundamental changes

Not that for decisions regarding fundamental changes in the DPG Standard need to be approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the DPGA, after which they are opened for comments from the Community.

*Relevant topics to the community can be opened for a longer duration for discussion if deemed necessary by the Standard Council.

3b(iv) Amendments Review by Standard Council

Following the community comment period, the proposed amendments, along with the feedback received, are classified and reviewed by the Standard Council. The council evaluates the proposed changes, taking into account technical feasibility, alignment with organisational goals, and feedback from the community and stakeholders.

3b(v) Final Updates Publication and Implementation

After thorough review and consideration, final updates to the DPG Standard are published on GitHub. These updates reflect any revisions or modifications based on community feedback and council review. Once published, the updated standard is implemented, ensuring that stakeholders have access to the latest version of the standard for reference and adoption.

4. Decision Making: Standard Council

The Standard Council serves as the governing body responsible for stewarding and overseeing the development and maintenance of the Digital Public Goods Standard. To uphold the neutrality of the standard, the council comprises Secretariat Staff members. This ensures that decision-making processes remain impartial and aligned with the goals of the Digital Public Goods Alliance.

It's important to note that the Standard Council functions as a facilitator reviewing, organising and consolidating feedback from the community, ensuring that the standard is developed through a well-planned and transparent process. They play a crucial role in facilitating discussions, coordinating efforts, and ensuring that the standard evolves in line with the community's needs and objectives.

The council is composed of Secretariat staff members dedicated to ensuring responsiveness to feedback, stability, and predictability for the DPG Standard. Their responsibilities include facilitating decision-making processes, strategic planning, and ensuring alignment with the goals of the Digital Public Goods Alliance.

Following discussions in the Standard Council, any decisions regarding fundamental changes in the DPG Standard need to be approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the DPGA, after which they are opened for comments from the Community.

4a. The council's composition includes

  • A Core Team consisting of key secretariat staff: Chief Operations Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Standards Lead.
  • Observer members, including the Director of Communications & Programs and Technical Specialist Coordinator contribute insights and perspectives to Standard Council discussions.
  • Contributors invited in an advisory capacity, when required, include specialists from the DPGA Secretariat and DPG Standard Expert group co-convenors.

Any potential changes to the DPG Standard require approval by the Standard Council, ensuring that decisions are made based on sound input, collaboratively and in alignment with organisational objectives.

Decision-making within the Standard Council is consensus-based, with all members contributing to discussions and reaching agreement on topics of importance. Advisory members provide suggestions, while Contributors offer specialised expertise relevant to the discussion at hand.

4b. Impasse resolution

In the event of an impasse, a formal voting mechanism is used, with each member casting a single vote. A supermajority vote is required to break the impasse and determine the outcome. Additionally, the COO considers suggestions provided by advisory members before formalising decisions. Transparency measures are implemented through the publication of relevant Standard Council meeting outcomes on GitHub on a regular basis. These outcomes are open for public comments, fostering transparency and accountability in the standard-setting process.

5. Versioning

All notable changes to this project will be documented in the CHANGELOG and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning using a variation of the MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH format (accounting for the fact that this applies to content, not code):

  • MAJOR version when you make incompatible API changes:
  • MINOR version when you add functionality in a backwards compatible manner:
  • PATCH version when you make backwards compatible bug fixes:

6. Propagating Changes

This repository DPGAlliance/DPG-Standard is the source of truth for any information pertaining to the Digital Public Goods Standard, and any changes to the information contained herein need to be propagated and synced with the following list of resources, where applicable:

  1. The DPGA website contains https://digitalpublicgoods.net/standard/ which needs to be updated manually matching the contents of standard.md.
  2. The DPGA website also contains the submission guide which needs to be updated manually.
  3. The DPG application webapp admin panel which will be updated manually.
  4. The Eligibility Form through the unicef/publicgoods-scripts repository, by editing quizQuestions.js

7. Appeal Mechanism

In order to maintain transparency, fairness, and the principles of neutrality within the governance of the Digital Public Goods Standard, an appeal mechanism is established to address concerns or disputes regarding decisions made by the Standards Council.

If any member of the community wishes to appeal a decision, they may initiate the appeal process by creating a pull request on GitHub. This pull request should be addressed to both the Standards Council and the CEO of DPGA, outlining the reasons for the appeal.

Upon receipt of the appeal, the Standards Council will carefully review the decision and provide a detailed justification for its position. The CEO of DPGA will then consider the appeal, taking into account the justification provided by the Standards Council, as well as any additional information or arguments presented by the appellant.

This comprehensive approach ensures that all voices are heard and considered in the decision-making process. By involving multiple stakeholders and providing an avenue for appeal, the appeal mechanism upholds the integrity of the governance process and fosters trust within the community.