Task Force Formation (DRAFT)
Task Forces should be able to form with minimal effort and emerge naturally from discussions and needs within the community. A Task Force should show promise of inter-institutional convergence, joint development, and must encourage participation from community members. Work should document needs and requirements in the form of a brief charter (see charter template here and examples here). Documentation (charter, meeting schedule, agenda and minutes) must be accessible on the VIVO wiki.
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The charter provides the definition of the Task Force and its deliverables. It is not a contract and may be changed with the consensus of the members of the Task Force at any time, however significant changes such as a 6 month or more delay in timeframes, the abandonment of a deliverable, or the change in the overall scope of the work should be announced to the VIVO community via typical communication channels.
Task Force Approval
Once the draft charter is in acceptable form, community members are invited to participate via appropriate mailing lists. The email message includes access to the charter and seeks the engagement of the additional participants. Organizations must respond publicly that they are willing to take part and commit development resources towards the goals of the Task Force. At least three Partners should respond positively, and no more than three Partners may respond negatively, for the working group to be approved. If fewer than three Partners are willing to contribute, then the Task Force is likely too specific and the work should be done outside of the Task Force process. If more than three Partners object to the work being done, then there is a significant issue that should be resolved before committing resources.
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Once the Task Force is approved, a link to the charter will be added to the VIVO Wiki page that lists active Task Forces
Task Force Requirements
A Task Force may self-organize in the most convenient manner to accomplish its tasks, including creation and assignment of additional roles and responsibilities as appropriate. Sub groups may be formed and disbanded at will, consisting only of members of the Task Force and do not need to separately meet the requirements of the Task Force.
All members of a Task Force must be licensed VIVO contributors covered by the appropriate CLAs. This is to ensure that the deliverables of the group are unencumbered by intellectual property restrictions. Participants meeting these requirements may join at any time, without any prior approval process. (omit?)
Meeting Schedules
Meeting times and agendas should be published in advance to encourage participation. Meetings should be added to the VIVO wiki calendar by including vivosurvey@gmail.com in the list of invitees.
Meeting Agendas and Notes
Meeting Agenda and Notes should be published on the VIVO wiki and all discussions within the task force must be transparent.
Timelines and Deliverables
Working groups must strive to meet their timelines and produce the deliverables designated in their charter.
Facilitator
Each Task Force must have at least one participant designated as Facilitator. Facilitators are responsible for promoting continued activity within the group
Task Force Dissolution
A Task Force is dissolved under any of the following circumstances:
• All of the deliverables have been met. Hooray!
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At such a time as a group is dissolved, it is moved from the active list of working groups into a working group archive page with the reason for its dissolution noted.
Communication Channels
Several communication channels are available and can be used as needed:
VIVO mailing lists
VIVOweb.org blog
Twitter @vivocollab
VIVO Facebook page
Linkedin
Communication channels at DuraSpace (contact Carol Minton-Morris at cmmorris@duraspace.org
Dedicated channels may also be created