__**[[chaoss:metrics|<< Back to CHAOSS Metrics Committee]]**__

====== Meeting Minutes 2017-08-01 ======

===== Governance Update =====

  * Governance document mostly done
  * Mozilla and Eclipse plan on joining CHAOSS
  * We are still trying to connect with Wikimedia
  * We are also talking to industry members
  * What is the process for declaring a metric official?
    * What process do we want to get input?
  * Currently, the four metrics are the ones we have heard the most
    * We do not have a formal process at this point
  * Do we want to have versioning?
    * No versioning would signal that metrics are constantly changing and differently understood in different contexts
      * Metrics are not software - does versioning make sense?
    * If there is a proposal to add a metric group, then we might have a discussion or process to add it
    * For reference implementations, they need to be able to work from a stable metrics version
    * We could establish a stable version for implementers and continue working on the metrics. Similar to stable and developer branches
    * The stable version that gets implemented will lead to feedback that informs the future development
    * It would be good to have a stable version of the metrics specification for implementation
  * How do we get consensus for establishing a stable metrics version?
    * That needs to be decided
    * Discussion will continue on the mailing list

===== Open Source Summit NA Update on BoF session and additional break-out session =====

  * We have a BoF at the Open Source Summit North America
    * Monday, September 11 • 5:40pm - 6:20pm - http://sched.co/BCsP
  * Have another room for 2 hours the next day
    * Tuesday, September 12 • 2pm - 4pm
    * We will likely continue the conversation from the BoF
  * Open Source Summit Europe in Prague: We have a room for 4 hours
    * Tuesday, October 24 • 9am - 1pm
    * Possibly start with overview of CHAOSS and then break-out session?
    * Topics to be decided.
  * See Ray's email: https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/oss-health-metrics/2017-August/000063.html

===== Other?? =====

  * How did the current four metrics come to be?
    * **Project Diversity and Inclusion** is a metric that many people expressed an interest in. For example, if three large corporate members drop out of the community within one week, that is a strong signal. Mozilla expressed interest in lining this metric up with their Internet Health report (https://internethealthreport.org/).
    * **Project Growth - Maturity - Decline** answers whether our community or project growing. This question is asked by board members and many people. However, it is a loaded question because the context determines how metrics are understood and what metrics are used.
    * **Project Risk** is useful for mergers and acquisitions between projects and for companies. To what extent does a project have good hygiene? This question is important to the Core Infrastructure Initiative. How safe is a project to use or are there hidden risks? With regards to licensing, this metric aligns with the work of the SPDX group.
    * **Project Position with OSS Ecosystem** is important because projects may be used by many projects downstream. The libraries.io project can show where a project sits within the ecosystem. How is a project used and what does it use?
    * Each of these metrics is a composite of smaller activity metrics
    * The choice of current metrics are opportunistic and when other metrics are suggested, we can discuss and add them
    * Important: the metrics have to derive value or they will not be used
      * Value is in the eye of the user: the context matters
      * The ecosystem has different actors: developers may have different choices what looks as a better developer environment; a user of the ecosystem may be more interested in the popularity and that it is actively maintained. What is indicative of health is a factor of purpose and use scenario
      * We have to talk to different stakeholders, like the Symphony Foundation, to establish ground truth
        * https://metrics.symphony.foundation - Bitergia dashboard for Symphony Foundation
        * Many good production metrics
        * No consumption metrics - difficult to obtain - Philosophy: growth starts with consumption
  * How is the current list of activity metrics build?
    * Several strategies informed the list:
      * Research and conversations with practitioners
      * The list is incomplete and suggestions are welcome
    * A missing metric is: Effect of gender diversity: effect of seniority on teams
    * The activity metrics can be a long list of metrics 'for metrics sake'
      * Not all metrics have to be used in value-oriented metrics
      * We may list all possible metrics and keep track of why it is not used or how it could be misused

===== Attenance =====

  * Christian Cmehil-Warn
  * Derek Howard
  * Georg Link
  * Josianne Marsan
  * Kate Stewart
  * Matt Germonprez
  * Peter Monks
  * Ray Paik
  * Sean Goggins
  * Tom Mens