The HEP Software Foundation Steering Group (SG) is a group of motivated individuals who take responsibility for promoting, guiding and monitoring the HSF’s activities in all areas. They have the role of preserving the HSF’s knowledge and engagement with the community over multiple years and over changes of working group conveners.
The SG takes responsibility for deciding on which working groups and activities that the HSF will engage in, with a view to making the HSF’s activities as beneficial for the HEP community as possible, whilst also respecting and nurturing the HSF’s “bottom-up” philosophy. Input from the Advisory Group is addressed. The SG will meet regularly, once a quarter.
Each member of the SG will take responsibility for following at least one HSF activity, e.g., a particular working group, or a workshop or event organised by the HSF. To coordinate with the working groups and the rest of the HSF, SG members should attend HSF Coordination Group meetings. The SG liaisons will ensure that working groups remain active and cross coordinate with related activities; and that topical activities, such as workshops, should arrive at an agreed conclusion, where the outcome is clear, preserved for the future and that any follow-ups are acted on.
The SG will invite new members from amongst the active HSF members and working group conveners in order to ensure a healthy active SG group. When a SG member becomes inactive (e.g., ceases to meaningfully follow any HSF activities) in the HSF they will leave the SG. Normally HSF SG members should serve for about 5 years before stepping down to allow newer members to take over.
The SG is convened by a chair, who is elected annually by the group (see below). The chair is responsible for organising the regular SG meetings and ensuring that all HSF activities are followed by members of the SG. The SG organises itself by seeking consensus. If the SG cannot agree on a particular issue, input will be solicited from the HSF Advisory Group and, if appropriate, the wider HSF community. In a last instance, the SG may hold a vote on a particular issue. The SG chair is also responsible for ensuring that SG members are actively fulfilling their role by contributing to the work of the SG (temporary breaks from SG activity in circumstances such as parental leave or illness are allowed). SG meeting minutes are made public, except where a confidential matter has been discussed.
Following the concept of a do-ocracy active contributors to the HSF are invited to join. These are the current members of the group:
Torre Wenaus - BNL
Candidates from the SG can be nominated and can self-nominate for the Steering Group Chair position. The SG selects a returning officer who is in charge of running the election. The election shall happen by confidential ballot in the case of multiple candidates, but can be by simple endorsement if there is only one candidate. In the case of a tie between candidates, the top two candidates are retained and a second round is held. If there is still a tie after the second round, the SG chair is decided by lot.