Collaborative decision making

Work in progress!

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The status of a given term must be made through reasonable discussion, sometimes even friendly debate. But typically it's majority vote that wins out. Thus, the more collaborators taking interest in term issues having the needs discussion label, the better.

• Using issues to make collaborative decisions
  • Majority vote process
  • 3-person motion process
  • Editor decisions

Using issues to make collaborative decisions

Issues are central to our collaboration process because we use them to make decisions about glossary changes.

No single collaborator can make a decision alone to add, remove, or change any term or definition in the glossary. Such changes must be made collaboratively. That's how this glossary functions. That's easier said than done, however, so we have a hierarchy for decision making in relation to how many people are paying attention to the glossary at any given time. The order of preference is:

1. Majority vote process
2. 3-person motion process
3. Editors over mayhem
4. Editor-in-chief over everything

Standard operating procedure for changes begins with someone making a proposal for said change. This is done using issues. If the change is in relation to a new term, you start a new issue for the term following convention for new issues. If the change is to an existing term or definition, use the existing term issue for communicating the proposal or challenge.

Majority vote process

Majority vote is how we primarily make decisions and move forward. When there are a lot of collaborators paying attention to issue discussions, this works well enough. Arguments are presented and people tend to choose one way or the other, or may propose yet a better idea, etc.

But there will be dry spells where few collaborators are following along. A majority vote won't mean anything if there are only a handful of like-minded people paying attention.

3-person motion process

We can switch to this when there are few collaborators at hand, and managers may help communicate this when proposals are made. This process helps avoid bias while still moving decisions forward. In this process, two more people need to favor the proposal in order for any action to be taken on it. Otherwise no change is made.

Of course there could be a lot of opposition to the proposal, in which case we're back to a majority rule situation.

Editor decisions

For the most part, editors are collaborators too as far as glossary growth decisions go. They must make proposals like anyone else and wait for collaborative response one way or the other. But editors working together as a "team" have more decision-making power than a general mix of collaborators.

Finally, the editor-in-chief can step in, if absolutely necessary, to make an executive call and move the project forward.

term proposed label

The term proposed label indicates that someone has proposed a new action on a given term; either adding or dropping a term, or changing the label of an existing one.

Before action can be taken on the proposed motion, it must get a 'second' and 'third' favorable argument from two additional collaborators, both of whom should add their comments on the issue and update the issue status and labels when they do, accordingly.

In all cases, the label would initially be combined with the discussion needed label, but then it would vary depending on motion and stage.

• Motion to add or drop a primary or synonymous term: Include the term pending label.
• Motion to change a term name: This situation is probably rare. In this case, only use the discussion needed label (do not add the term pending label). It would also get the seconded label if/when a collaborator seconded the motion.

In both situations, the issue gets the seconded label if/when a collaborator seconded the proposal.

There is no 'thirded' label needed in the motioning process because the third on the proposal would be the deciding action itself, and the collaborator making the third must take action respective to the following 4 situations.

Proposal to add new primary term approved

When a proposal to add a new primary term is thirded, the term achieves a resting status of being a primary term. The person who serves as the third must:

1. Make a comment in the issue in support of the term and in relation to arguments already given, adding any additional arguments they have to support their third motion.
2. Replace existing labels with the term added and term primary labels.
3. Add the term to the glossary index with an appropriate link.

This person does not have to start the new definition, and the link to the file can be added on the index term even if the file doesn't exist. The link will simply be: [term name](term-name.md).

Proposal to add new synonymous term approved

If the term was a synonymous term, the term synonymous label would be added as well. The person changing the labels should also update the glossary index with the new term. The first time a collaborator starts copy for the term

When a proposal to add a new synonymous term is thirded, the term achieves a resting status of being a synonymous term. The person who serves as the third must:

1. Make a comment in the issue in support of the term and in relation to arguments already given, adding any additional arguments they have to support their third motion.
2. Replace existing labels with the term added and term synonymous labels.
3. Add the synonymous term to the glossary index with the appropriate redirect link to the primary term's definition file.
4. Add the definition needs finished label on the associated primary term issue, plus a comment explaining the addition of the new synonymous term.

Proposal to drop term approved

When a proposal to drop a primary or synonymous term is thirded, the term achieves a resting status of being dropped. The person who serves as the third must:

1. Make the necessary comment in the issue in favor of dropping the term.
2. Replace existing labels with the term dropped label.
3. Remove the term from the glossary index.
4. If the term is a primary term and has a definition page, do not delete the file, rather edit the top matter item, published: true to published: false. This takes it out of production without losing the work.

Proposal to change term name approved