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Task Forces get work done.  Self-organized groups can develop code, make ontology improvements, organize events, write documentation.

Task Force Framework

A Task Force is the main working vehicle within the VIVO Community. Anyone may create a task force for any purpose.  Task Forces are created to undertake work in a defined area and timescale, thereby allowing collaborative work in a structured environment.

Rationale

The drivers behind adopting this model for executing work in the VIVO community is that as an open source community grows, the diversity of the participants' interests and expertise increases and concomitantly, the ability to manage the work done within the community becomes more complex.  It becomes difficult to track the work everyone is doing in the community to help avoid that people unknowingly are working on the same issue or at cross-purposes. There's also the desire to increase the visibility of projects being undertaken by community members and to encourage greater community engagement.  

Benefits

The lightweight structure is designed to increase the overall productivity of the VIVO project through systematic prioritization and management of work being done throughout our widely-distributed community. The model is meant to assert the least possible structure and is derived primarily from the experiences and guidelines of related organizations, including the W3C, the Research Data Alliance, and the Apache Software Foundation. The framework has been modified to align with existing VIVO governance structures.

At any time, task forces will be considered for creation, be forming based on the interests of volunteers, by active as organized by facilitators, while others are wrapping up their work.  The Task Force Framework supports all phases of the work:

• prioritize the work of the community so that it aligns with the VIVO Strategy and Value Propositionincrease the productivity of the community
  
  • (No task force should be doing work if the work cannot be directly tied back to the VIVO Strategy and High Priority Goals and Value Proposition)
    
• provide direction to groups that call for guidance
• increase the number of and visibility of community contributions to the VIVO community
• increase community engagement (and hopefully grow the community)
• ensure that work is getting done
• easily document the key processes for getting work done, including: 
  • preparation of a brief proposal (charter) describing the work to be done
  • ensure the members from the community are solicited  to engage with the work 
  • identify objectives and deliverables 

See How to Form a Task Force for details outlining how to form a task force, along with templates for one-page charter preparation, meeting agendas and notes.

For questions about the task force process, charter development, or how to determine if the project you want to propose fits within the strategic goals and value proposition of VIVO, please contact Mike Conlon