The openSUSE Project moved forward with a proposed governance structure following a virtual meeting yesterday that drew community members together for a discussion on advancing a leadership framework.

The session was productive with participants reviewing a draft proposal for governing bodies for the project; a Technical Steering Committee, a Community and Marketing Committee, representation of an Infrastructure Team and a Board.

The proposal is hosted on GitLab. It is designed as a living document that welcomes revision through community input.

The discussions during the meeting proposed that the Technical Steering Committee should begin with five members with a chair elected by the committee. The group would establish clear processes for reviewing and approving technical changes, drawing inspiration from Fedora’s FESCo model. Decisions for the TSC would use a voting system of +1 to approve, 0 for neutral, or -1 to block. A proposal passes without objection. A -1 vote would require a dedicated meeting, where a majority of attendees would decide the outcome. Objections must include a clear, documented rationale.

Discussions related to the Community and Marketing Committee would focus on outreach, advocacy, and community growth. It could also serve as an initial escalation point for disputes. If consensus cannot be reached at that level, matters would advance to the Board.

The Board’s role would center on representation, including coordination with SUSE, governance oversight, conflict mediation, and strategic guidance. Over time, its operational duties may narrow to function like a supervisory body, handling trademarks, budget approval, and final appeals when necessary.

Participants emphasized that cultivating a strong culture of maintainer responsibility remains essential and could be one of the more challenging aspects of bootstrapping a new structure.

Community members are encouraged to submit pull requests to refine the governance draft.

The document is available here. Organizers note that discussions should occur through proposed changes to the text.

No timeline for final adoption was announced. Project contributors will continue discussions through the GitLab repository and future community meetings.

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