Re: Question for candidates: transparency and accountability

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Mon, 2015-05-25 at 12:39 +0200, Fabiana Simões wrote:
> Hi everyone, 
>
> I'd like to hear your thoughts on implementing transparency and
> accountability on the Board. 
>
> How transparent the work of the Board should be to Foundation members?
> What should be communicated and when? Do you think we have been
> transparent enough in the last term? If not, how can we improve things
> and how high in your priorities would be to do so?
>
> In terms of accountability, it's been unclear to me since joining the
> Foundation how much different Board members contribute to the Board's
> goals and tasks. Do you think the meeting notes provide enough
> visibility and context to the work being done? By the end of a term,
> how can the Foundation have a fair understanding of one's
> contributions to the Board? 

Having served on the board, I do think the board is transparent about
its activities. The meeting minutes that get published have everything
that the board is able to disclose. Sometimes there are things that
can't be disclosed.

As for accountability, I know in the past some people have asked for a
list of who voted how on issues. But the board generally works toward
consensus whenever possible, so dissenting votes aren't common. When a
board member wishes to have his or her objection noted for the public,
that shows up in the minutes.

Now, I do think we could do a better job of making this information more
digestible. Keeping up with meeting minutes isn't fun. Minutes are full
of mundane activities, and it's hard to get the story in your head if
you don't read them all and pay close attention.

A long time ago, we used to publish reports. We had an annual report and
quarterly reports. The reports had synopses from various teams in GNOME,
as well as from the board. They were a lot more fun to read than minutes
and made it easier to see what's happening at a glance. Getting back to
doing reports would be nice, but they are a lot of work.

--
Shaun