User:SMasters/Sandbox/Coordinators

GOCE's project coordinators are the designated points of contact for issues concerning the project, and are responsible for maintaining our internal structure and processes. They do not, however, have any authority over article content or editor conduct, or any other special powers.


 * Lead coordinator : One lead coordinator is elected for a period of 12 months.


 * Coordinators : In addition to the lead coordinator, three other coordinators are elected, and serve for a period of 12 months.

The coordinators' main role is performing the maintenance and housekeeping tasks required to keep the project and its internal processes running smoothly. This includes keeping the announcement and open task lists updated, managing the Request page, membership, home page maintenance, and so forth. There is little that couldn't theoretically be done by any other editor, of course—the coordinators have explicit roles in only a few processes—but, since experience suggests that people tend to assume that someone else is doing whatever needs to be done, the most efficient route has proven to be to delegate formal responsibility for this administrative work to a specified group.

The coordinators also have several other roles. They serve as the project's designated points of contact, and are explicitly listed as people to whom questions can be directed in a variety of places around the project. In addition, they have highly informal roles in leading the drafting of project guidelines, overseeing the implementation of project decisions on issues like category schemes and template use, and helping to informally resolve disputes and keep discussions from becoming heated and unproductive. The coordinators are not, however, a body for formal dispute resolution; serious disputes should be addressed through the normal dispute resolution process.

Coordinators are elected by a simple approval vote of the membership, normally held every 12 months. Any project member in good standing may nominate himself or herself, who may serve as many times as they wish. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes becomes the lead coordinator, and bears overall responsibility for coordinating the project; the other coordinators advise and assist the lead coordinator, and focus on any specific areas that require special attention.

If, between elections, the project has more work than the current coordinators can handle, and no election is imminent, the coordinators may co-opt additional coordinators, to serve until the next election.

Occasionally, a motion to appoint a former lead coordinator as a coordinator emeritus is made for endorsement during an election. The objective is that the project may continue to benefit from their help and experience. The position has no special responsibilities and is held for as long as any coordinator emeritus wishes.

In October 2010, S Masters proposed the idea of having coordinators for the GOCE to Diannaa, who liked the idea. It was proposed that elections be held at the end of 2010, for coordinators to serve in 2011. It was agreed that we would organize the coordinators based on the excellent system running at WikiProject Military history, and many elements for the setup was borrowed from there. The Utahraptor who was a co-coordinator of the November Backlog Elimination Drive, was also invited to participate in the initial discussions, before the launch of the GOCE coordinator program.