Technical Evaluation Process Sub Group

Owned by Chulin Meng
Last updated: Apr 06, 2022
3 min read

Agenda and Minutes

2022-2-22:

Review:

Define:

  • Scope
  • Audience
  • Goals
  • Approach


2022-03-01

Feedback on RFC process:

Action Item: To recommend that TC should implement RFC process to improve consistency and standardization of decision making. TC should promote the process to stakeholders in the FOLIO community, provide some clarification on when the process is required, solicit feedback, and make adjustment to the process in the next months before WOLFcon.


Discussion: How to design and implement the decision-making process so we can encourage participation and ensure consistency/standardization?

                   This subgroup will lead the effort in soliciting feedback, improving the RFC process, and recommending additional venues for encouraging participation during the RFC piloting.


2022-03-08

Recommendation to TC on piloting RFC process:

  • The subgroup agreed that the RFC process (https://github.com/folio-org/rfcs) is well written and TC could use it as the council's formal decision making process to improve consistency and standardization, as well as ensure consensus.
  • We acknowledge the definition of "substantial changes" will and should be evolving as the FOLIO community grows. The categories outlined currently are good enough to start with:
      • Any changes to the Folio infrastructure including Okapi and Stripes
      • The addition or removal of conventions, patterns and protocols that are key to the interoperability of Folio components.
      • The removal of features that already part of a Folio release.
      • Any change required for integration with systems external to Folio
      • Changes that require the coordination between multiple Folio components or services.
      • A new feature which might be considered redundant to existing features.
  • We recommend TC to pilot the RFC process.
      • Select a request that is already submitted for TC review
      • Work with one dev team on a change that's in planning process
      • Go through the RFC life cycle for those two change requests
      • Revise the process and recommend additional tools

Discussion:

  • Approaches: pilot RFC process within TC, invite dev team to participate, clarify decision categories that are required to go through RFC process, and explore additional tools.
  • Need TC instruction so the subgroup can focus on one or two concrete things:
    • Piloting RFC process
    • Define "substantial change" categories
    • Tools for providing feedback before formal RFC process

2022/03/15

To do list:

  • TC-internal: collect current/incoming changes that need TC decision for piloting RFC process
    • Authentication Token Architecture
      • This has been proposed by Steve Ellis on Nov 10, 2021 (see 2021-11-10 Meeting notes), seems there were no actions performed by TC since that time
    • Cross-application Data Sync proposal
    • Decision on Kafka as a formally approved tool on FOLIO
      • Although Kafka has been used for some time in some modules of the platform, the TC has not formally made a decision on this tool
      • Need a driver for this process - anyone from the TC?
    • Decision on the possibility of combining business logic and work with storage in one module
      • Potentially not a very big impact
    • Build backend modules using nodejs
      • Why is this a candidate ?
        • "The addition or removal of conventions, patterns and protocols that are key to the interoperability of Folio components"
        • Gives us a chance to expand community by embracing a wider tech stack
        • No impact to anything that is existing
      • What do we need to do ?
        • Build a simple module similar to the test modules built using Java
        • Run the nodejs test module along side all other modules in a FOLIO cluster
        • Submit the proposal to TC with sufficient document for review
  • TC-internal: collect suggestions on tools/process for TC to provide feedback before a formal RFC process


2022/03/29, 2022/04/05

Working on creating the RFC document for Localizing API (Backend) Messages