Technical decision making

The Technical Forum serves as a body to connect teams and groups making technical decisions.

What the forum does

 * Empower teams to make decisions that are informed by experts from around the organization.
 * Provides a framework and process to help teams clarify stakeholders, write problem statements
 * Creates s touch point for stakeholders

What the forum doesn't do

 * A decision making body (these are team leads, and managers)
 * A blocking body (we don't want these)
 * Another discussion venue for technical solutions
 * A place to do the actual stakeholder consultations on the specifics of a decision

Forum Chairs
The forum has two co-chairs which lead, facilitate and administer the Forum. One representing the Technology Department and the other representing the Product Department.

Forum Members
The Technical Forum is composed of representatives from different Wikimedia Teams, Affiliates, and Volunteer groups.

different teams from the Wikimedia Foundation, WMDE (with room to add additional affiliates) and other groups and networks from the volunteer community.

(Areas for representation TBD)

Chair responsibilities
TBD

Member responsibilities
TBD

Chairs
Chairs are appointed by the Wikimedia Foundation CTO and CPO respectively and rotated on a quarterly basis.

Wikimedia Foundation Teams

 * Each team appoints a representative in the Technical Forum and teams can change their representative at any time.
 * Teams do not need to have a representative, but instead can share representatives. For example SRE may decide to have less people represent their teams than all of the individual teams. As teams change or as we grow, updates will be made accordingly.
 * Teams are expected to plan for coverage during vacations and other types of leave in the forum.

Affiliates

 * Each affiliate a representative in the Technical Forum and teams can change their representative at any time.
 * Teams do not need to have a representative, but instead can share representatives. For example SRE may decide to have less people represent their teams than all of the individual teams. As teams change or as we grow, updates will be made accordingly.
 * Teams are expected to plan for coverage during vacations and other types of leave in the forum.

appoints a representative in the Technical Forum and teams can change their representative at any time. Affiliates are expected to plan for coverage during vacations and other types of leave in the forum.

Administration of the Forum
Project Management will be provided from the Technology Department for administration of the forum. This role ensures that the decisions in process move along, response times are met, teams are represented and this role is responsible for running retrospective processes.