Proposal

Increase the visibility of advocates for TM Forum's collaboration activities, incentivize members to take a leadership role, and give more gravitas to the team leader's role in line with other standards and membership organizations. I propose this by changing the team leader role to Chair and co-chair. Hence, members see increased value in leading a collaboration activity and encourage them to promote it as part of their work and in the public domain, such as on linked-in and professional profiles. The proposal does not suggest any changes to the current system or becoming a leader to keep the change admin light. 

WHAT IS A CHAIR OR CO-CHAIR OF A PROJECT?

• A Chair or Co-Chair is an essential member of a collaborative project team. 

• This individual or group of individuals is responsible for planning, executing, and promoting a project's activities. 

• A project may also have several team leaders who lead on particular deliverables. 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CHAIRING/CO-CHAIRING?

As a Chair/Co-Chair, you and your organization will be seen as an industry leader, with the following particular benefits:

• • Individual and company recognition on TM Forum website and in the Community

  • Individual and company recognition in published documents

  • If required, part-take in interviews for both internal TM Forum and industry publications on team deliverables

  • Quotes in press releases

  • Special recognition at Accelerate events

  • Letters of recognition to management

  • Access to Chair/Co-Chair Conference calls

  • Usage of the title externally, such as on linked-in, in presentations, and as part of your CV. 

WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CHAIR/CO-CHAIR?

The Chair/Co-Chair assists in planning, executing, and promoting activities that a project undertakes.  At a high level, the Chair/Co-Chair is responsible for:

• • Ensure the project is developed in line with TM Forum IPR policy

  • Encourage all participants to take an active role in the project

  • Ensure participants have a clear understanding of what they need to complete and when

  • Drive the project team for on-time delivery

  • Lead the design, planning, and execution of validation activities

  • Assist TMF Theme Lead in identifying key companies required for industry adoption

Specifically, some of the activities required are:

• • Organize any necessary meetings to progress teamwork (weekly, daily, or ad-hoc as appropriate)

  • Assist in planning and executing meetings at Accelerate and any other face-to-face meetings as required

  • Work with TM Forum staff to:

  • • Define roles within the team and reach commitment on owning team activities for any given sprint

    • Manage escalation activities and organize discussions to address issues related to program members not fulfilling commitments

  • Assign team responsibilities

  • Manage the delivery of the agreed roadmap items, specifically as applies to the project and are outlined within the charter

WHAT EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE CHAIR/CO-CHAIR POSITION?

• Experience in managing collaborative development projects with fixed deadlines

• Manage team using JIRA and Confluence on weekly calls

• Encourage team members to use the tools provided by TM Forum 

• Track record of presenting to stakeholders, ability to understand their requirements and find pragmatic ways to meet their needs

• Strong communications skills – verbal, written, and presentation

• An ability to work well with people from diverse backgrounds

WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR A CHAIR/CO-CHAIR?

While the amount of actual time will depend on various factors such as experience, this role typically requires approximately 2-5 hours per workweek time committed to the role, namely:

• • Including two full-week dedicated attendance at Accelerates, one in Europe, one in the US

  • Including attendance at monthly Collaboration Chair/Co-Chair coordination one-hour conference call meeting

  • Group meetings as deemed necessary to deliver to project charter commitments

  • Administrative time as necessary to fulfill the responsibilities above

HOW DO I APPLY TO BE A CHAIR/CO-CHAIR?

• Please send an email indicating your interest to [email protected]