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Balance formal and informal processes: While there are many formalities the EC might establish via its charter or other means, the OpenCI team recommends keeping processes and policy as lightweight as possible and only establishing formality/policy when necessary. This provides for flexibility and agility in governance and minimizes unnecessary bureaucracy.
Keep it simple: Policies and practices should be as basic and straightforward as possible. Some issues are complex and require commensurate complex policy but minimizing this will allow for easier understanding and more efficient execution. Further, a smaller EC will make discussions and reaching consensus easier.
Work by consensus: To the extent possible the EC will operate by working towards common goals and building consensus. Formal voting is an important tool but should only be used in cases in which it is warranted, e.g., project changes with impact on service stability or usability. This fosters shared understanding of both the issue and the solution, and enhances buy-in of all of the EC members.
Be visibly collaborative: The staff of the Service Track teams will look to their respective PI and co-PIs and follow their lead. By encouraging collaboration, the coordination of services across the Service Tracks will be enhanced.
Base decisions on timely and relevant information: The EC is a decision-making body. Providing the tools and information to support these processes is imperative. OpenCI provides tools and will encourages a data-driven approach to decision making.
Maintain focus on programmatic innovations: The EC frames each of its discussions and decisions in the context of one or more of the five programmatic outcomes defined by NSF (i.e., view CI holistically, improve usability, support translational research, couple discovery and CI innovation, and integrate those innovations through robust and secure means).
EC Charter
The EC operates under a charter approved by the EC. The current charter is available both as a downloadable PDF and on this wiki.
EC Members
Membership of the EC is indicated by the EC charter. Membership consists of the following:
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