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Meetings of FINOS projects

caution

To ensure FINOS meetings are conducted in a manner that is fair and respectful to all participants, FINOS aligns to The Linux Foundation privacy policy that excludes the use of AI chatbots and scribing services participating in any public or private virtual meetings hosted by FINOS.

This document describes requirements and recommendations for holding meetings of FINOS projects, special-interest groups (SIGs), working groups, and other bodies. Note that individual projects may have their own meeting requirements, in which case those should be followed except where they conflict with any FINOS policy.

Schedule the meeting​

  • Hosts should schedule meetings at least 7 days in advance, preferably at a time that works for most participants.
  • Hosts should use Zoom for teleconferences unless all members are able to use another system. The FINOS team can help to schedule recurring calls using the LFX PCC Meeting Management tool. In order for the FINOS team to create the calls please email help@finos.org.

Prepare and circulate an agenda​

  • Before each meeting, hosts must circulate an agenda listing the topics to be discussed and decisions to be made at the meeting, and circulate the agenda via the group's preferred communication channel.
  • See this sample agenda for an example.

Keep minutes​

  • Hosts must keep minutes of meetings, capturing:
    • For each agenda item:
      • A brief summary of the matter discussed (one sentence is often enough).
      • Any significant positions/proposals put forward (one sentence each is often enough).
      • A record of any decisions made or actions taken, including a record of the vote (i.e. votes in favor, votes against, and abstentions).
    • Any action items assigned, including the assignee and the deadline (if any).
  • Minutes must not attribute any statement to an individual or organization without their express prior approval. This is to ensure that people feel free to speak candidly.
  • Minutes should be concise records of the important parts of the meeting. They should not be an exhaustive transcript. (See this example.)
  • Hosts must post a public link to meeting minutes after the meeting.

Run the meeting​

  • Hosts must ensure that the meeting adheres to the LF Antitrust Policy.
  • Hosts must ensure the FINOS Code of Conduct is adhered to at all times and remove anyone from the call that does to adhear to it.
  • Hosts should display the Antitrust Policy summary slide at the beginning of the meeting.
  • Standards project hosts should display the standards project compliance slides at the beginning of the meeting.
  • Hosts should ask new participants to identify themselves with a quick introduction and their affiliations. If an attendee is not able to be identified they should be removed.
  • Hosts should run the meeting according to the following best practices:
    • Ensure a good audio connection. Laptop audio is often worse than a phone call.
    • Minimize background noise. Mute yourself and (if necessary) other participants when you or they are not speaking.
    • Open the conference call 5 minutes before the scheduled start time.
    • Start the meeting 5 minutes after the scheduled start to give people time to join.
    • Keep the meeting to the agenda. Move off-topic discussions to the agenda for the next meeting, or the mailing list.
    • If a discussion becomes unproductive, move on. Ask the participants to send their proposals via issues/pull requests, on the mailing list or as agenda items for future meetings.
    • End the meeting on time, even if you don't get through the agenda, so those with other appointments do not miss important discussions.
  • If a host cannot attend a call and there is no back up host available the call must be cancelled with at least a 24 hour notice and the community notified via its preferred communication channel. For help cancelling calls on the FINOS calendar please email help@finos.org.

Call votes as needed​

Hosts should call a vote on any agenda item requiring one, according to the voting procedures of the group.

Hosting meetings with the LFX PCC Meeting Management tool​

  • Hosts should claim the host role. The host key can be obtained by going to your LFX "My Meetings" Dashboard (Note: You will need to create an Linux Foundation ID, you can do so at https://openprofile.dev/), clicking on the respective meeting, and copying the "Host Key". The host key is available up to 1 hour before the start of the call. Once inside the Zoom room:
    1. Open the "Participants" panel by clicking the "Participants" button in the meeting controls at the bottom of the screen.
    2. At the bottom of the Participants panel, click the "Claim Host" button.
    3. Enter the 6-digit host key you copied in the pop-up window and click "Claim Host".
    4. Once the host key is verified, you will be granted host controls, and your name in the participant list will display "Host".
  • In order to keep meeting secure FINOS highly recommends that after claiming the host role hosts should enable the waiting room feature and disable screen sharing, to do so:
    1. Click on the "Host tools" icon in the middle of the Zoom toolbar, where you can toggle on "Enable Waiting Room".
    2. Click on the "Host tools" icon again and toggle off in the Allow All Participants To section the "Screen Share" option.

About AI chatbots and scribing services​

To ensure FINOS meetings are conducted in a manner that is fair and respectful to all participants, FINOS aligns to The Linux Foundation privacy policy that excludes the use of AI chatbots and scribing services participating in any public or private virtual meetings hosted by The Linux Foundation.