Guidance for Elected Officers The Elected Officers of a Forum/Work Group consist of the Chair, and/or Co-Chairs, and Vice-Chair(s). Role of the Chair A Chair is elected by the members of the Forum/Work Group and is accountable to the membership of that body and to The Open Group Governing Board for operation and achievements of the Forum/Work Group. A Chair is supported by a designated staff member of The Open Group (a Forum Director or other Staff Liaison). A Chair heads the Leadership Team for a Forum/Work Group, which consists of the Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs, and the Forum Director/The Open Group Staff Liaison. The term of office is defined in the Forum/Work Group Operating Charter, and typically is one to two years. There may be in some instances one or more Co-Chairs that share the role, in which case the Operating Charter will document the details of the role-sharing. Specific responsibilities of the Chair include: Convening meetings and agreeing the objectives and agenda for each meeting with the rest of the Leadership Team for the Forum/Work Group Chairing meetings of the Forum/Work Group and the Leadership Team; managing the Forum/Work Group meetings to achieve their objectives within the published agenda Convening meetings of the Leadership Team Reporting to The Open Group Governing Board when requested (and any ad hoc groups established by The Open Group Governing Board) on the activities of the Forum/Work Group Reporting any direction given by The Open Group Governing Board to the members of the Forum/Work Group Monitoring the activities of the Forum/Work Group and bringing to the attention of the Leadership Team any matter where there does not appear to be sufficient consensus to meet the formal governance requirements of The Open Group Liaison with the Chairs of other Forums or Work Groups to remain aware of other activities in order to avoid duplication of effort and encourage adoption of appropriate deliverables from other groups Ensuring that the consensus process is adhered to for all decisions of the Forum/Work Group Ensuring that all sub-committees and projects within the Forum/Work Group are documented in the annual plan and roadmap of deliverables Ensuring that all projects within the Forum/Work Group have open accessibility in participation to all Forum/Work Group members and that all deliverables are regularly accessible Role of the Vice-Chair Where a Forum/Work Group has a Vice-Chair, the role is elected by the members of the Forum/Work Group. The Vice-Chair is responsible for supporting the activities of the Chair as needed, including active participation as defined in Responsibilities of the Elected Officers. In the event that the Chair is unable to attend a meeting, the Vice-Chair shall assume the role of Chair. There may be in some instances one or more Co-Vice-Chairs that share the role, in which case the Forum/Work Group will document the details of the role-sharing in the Operating Charter. Responsibilities of the Elected Officers The Elected Officers are responsible for coordinating the activities of the Forum/Work Group on behalf of the membership of the body. Their primary role is to enhance the effectiveness of the Forum/Work Group by formulating recommendations for approval by the members of the body. However, the Elected Officers are authorized to take decisions on behalf of the Forum/Work Group, where warranted, subject to subsequent ratification by the body. The Elected Officers do not have any executive authority to make commitments on behalf of The Open Group nor to direct its staff. Specific responsibilities of the Elected Officers include: Agreeing the schedule of meetings and teleconferences to progress the work of the Forum/Work Group Soliciting input from Forum/Work Group members with respect to the content of all meetings of the Forum/Work Group Agreeing the objectives and agenda for each meeting Ensuring that an Acting Chair is identified and briefed on the objectives and agenda for meetings which both the elected Chair and Vice-Chair(s) are unable to attend Formulation of proposals for: Changes to the structure of the Forum/Work Group and its operating procedures as documented in the Operating Charter Establishment of new projects; changes in scope of projects; termination of projects New subcommittees; changes in scope of subcommittees; closure of subcommittees Resolution of issues Note that this does not preclude any other members of the Forum/Work Group from making such proposals. Acting as an escalation vehicle to handle any issues arising from the Forum/Work Group membership Working with the Forum Director or The Open Group Staff Liaison to develop and maintain the Forum/Work Group annual plan and roadmap of deliverables Ensuring that new work items follow the established governance guidelines for starting new work items within The Open Group Representing The Open Group at External Events An Elected Officer may represent The Open Group at external events for the purpose of presenting and discussing the Forum/Work Group and its activities and goals, provided approval has been obtained in advance from The Open Group Staff Liaison. Such individuals may represent themselves as speaking for The Open Group Forum/Work Group. When an Elected Officer represents the Forum/Work Group at an external event, he or she may not in any way imply or suggest approval or endorsement of any products, goods, services, or specifications of any member or non-member organization. This does not apply to discussing specifications, standards, and activities in standards-setting organizations such as the ISO/IEC JTC 1 in which The Open Group is actively involved in pursuit of its purpose and goals. When an Elected Officer represents the Forum/Work Group at an external event, he or she will respect the confidential nature of information within the Forum/Work Group and not disclose information that has not been cleared for public release. If the representation includes presentation material, then prior approval of the material should be sought from The Open Group Staff Liaison. Introduction Guidance on Decision-Making