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Governance Model

The governance model for plumb is designed to ensure that the project remains sustainable and that the contributors are rewarded for their efforts. The governance model is based on the principles of direct democracy and shared ownership.

This model is somewhat similar to a cooperative, where the active contributors are the owners of the project.

Definitions

  • Active Contributor: An individual person with a non-void scope of contribution and active status. For example, under the current definition: someone who has contributed code to the project in the past 6 months and who has participated in discussions, reviewed PRs, submitted PRs, published issues, etc., over the last 6 months.

  • Scope of Contribution: Can apply to a contributor; this definition can be modified by the licensors as needed. It is currently defined as the number of lines of code contributed to the project in the last 6 months, that have not been rejected or reverted.

    • Void Scope of Contribution: The scope of contribution of an active contributor is void if they do not qualify to have a scope of contribution as defined above.

  • Activation Status: Can apply to a contributor; this definition can be modified by the licensors as needed. It is currently defined as any contributor with a non-void scope of contribution, as defined above, has not explicitly waived their active contributor status, and has participated in the project over the last 6 months by contributing code, participating in discussions, reviewing PRs, submitting PRs, publishing issues, etc.

    • Active Status: The activation status of an active contributor is active if they qualify to the activation status as defined above.

    • Inactive Status: The activation status of an active contributor is inactive if they do not qualify to the activation status as defined above.

    • Waiving Active Contributor Status: An active contributor can choose to waive their active contributor status at any time, for any reason, by explicitly stating their desire to do so. This will not affect their rights to use the software, but it will affect their rights and responsibilities in the governance of the project.

  • Contributor: An individual that has contributed code to the project. This includes active contributors, but also includes:

    • Individuals that have contributed code to the project in the past, but have not participated in the project over the last 6 months.

    • Bots and automated systems that have contributed code to the project.

    • Individuals that have contributed code to the project in the last 6 months, but have chosen to waive their active contributor status.

    • Individuals that have contributed code to the project in the last 6 months, but whose contributions have been rejected or reverted.

  • Licensor: The active contributors to the project, weighed by the scope of their contribution.

Decision Making

Decisions are driven democratically, under a direct democracy model. The decision-making process is as follows:

  • Vote Weight: The vote weight of a contributor is proportional to their scope of contribution.

  • Majority Vote: Decisions are made by a simple majority vote. If the vote weight of the contributors that vote in favor of a decision is greater than the vote weight of the contributors that vote against a decision, the decision is approved.

  • Quorum: A quorum is the number of active contributors required to participate in a vote for the vote to be valid. The quorum is defined as 50% of the active contributors.

  • Voting Period: The voting period is defined as 7 days. The voting period starts when the vote is proposed, and all supporting information is provided. The voting period ends 7 days after the vote is proposed.

The decision-making process is designed to ensure that decisions are made by those who are actively contributing to the project and that the decisions reflect the will of the active contributors.

Another important aspect of the governance model is the diminishing control of contributors who have contributed large proportions of code to the project in the past, but no longer actively contribute. This is to ensure that the project remains sustainable and that the active contributors are the ones driving the project forward.

Decisions are made openly and transparently, with discussions and debates encouraged to ensure that all viewpoints are considered. The scope of decisions that can be made under this governance model is broad, covering all aspects of the project, from technical decisions to community management, with one key exception: the governance model itself, excluding the definitions that are explicitly stated to be modifiable by the licensors, as well as the examples that derive from these definitions. This is to be applied in the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law: changes to particular wording, phrasing or formatting are allowed, as long as the spirit of the governance model is preserved.