# Governance

This document outlines the governance model for the Slicer project, including how decisions are made and who is responsible for maintaining the health of the project.

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## Decision-making process

1. Given the topic of interest, initiate discussion on the [Slicer forum][slicer-forum].

2. Identify a small circle of community members that are interested to study the
   topic in more depth.

3. Take the discussion off the general list, work on the analysis of options and
   alternatives, summarize findings on the wiki or similar. [Labs](https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/Labs)
   page are usually a good ground for such summary.

4. Announce on the [Slicer forum][slicer-forum] the in-depth discussion of the topic for the
   [Slicer Community hangout](https://discourse.slicer.org/c/community/hangout),
   encourage anyone that is interested in weighing in on the topic to join the
   discussion. If there is someone who is interested to participate in the discussion,
   but cannot join the meeting due to conflict, they should notify the leaders of
   the given project and identify the time suitable for everyone.

5. Hopefully, reach consensus at the hangout and proceed with the agreed plan.


*The initial version of these guidelines was established during the [winter
 project week 2017](https://www.na-mic.org/Wiki/index.php/2017_Winter_Project_Week/UpdatingCommunityForums).*

## Benevolent dictators for life

The [benevolent dictators](https://slicer.readthedocs.io/en/latest/user_guide/about.html#benevolent-dictators-for-life) can
integrate changes to keep the platform healthy and help interpret
or address conflict related to the contribution guidelines.


These currently include:

* Jean-Christophe Fillion-Robin
* Andras Lasso
* Steve Pieper

*Alphabetically ordered by last name.*

The Slicer community is inclusive and welcomes anyone to work to become a core
developer and then a BDFL. This happens with hard work and approval of the existing
BDFL.

[slicer-forum]: https://discourse.slicer.org

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## Code of Conduct

Participation in the Slicer community is governed by the principles outlined in our
[Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). All community members, contributors, and leaders are expected
to uphold these standards to foster a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment.
