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NEP-0002: NOC Governance

This document defines the governance structure of the NOC project, including roles, responsibilities, and the decision-making process.

🎭 Roles

🧠 Leader

The project is currently led by a benevolent dictator for now (BDFN) — Dmitry Volodin.
The Leader holds final authority on proposals and strategic direction. This role may evolve in the future.

🧭 Vice Leader

The Vice Leader is a voting member of the Core Team nominated by the Leader. The Vice Leader acts as a substitute for the Leader during absence and automatically assumes the Leader role if the current Leader permanently leaves the project for any reason.

While performing the duties of the Leader, the Vice Leader is temporarily excluded from participating in Core Team votes.

🔑 Core Team

The Core Team is a group of trusted members with the authority to:

  • Vote on NEPs and NPSs
  • Propose and sponsor new core team candidates
  • Represent the long-term vision and health of the project

Core members may have one of the following statuses:

  • Active — Regularly participating and voting
  • Dormant — No recorded vote in over 12 months
  • Retired — Voluntarily stepped down or removed

Dormant members may rejoin the core team by reapplying and receiving majority support.

🧑‍💻 Developers

Anyone contributing code, collections, or documentation to NOC is considered a developer.

Developers play a key role in:

  • Extending and maintaining the codebase
  • Improving system behavior and reliability
  • Contributing tests, documentation, and tooling
  • Participating in discussions and reviews
  • Sharing knowledge and mentoring others

The project encourages education and knowledge sharing through:

  • Contributor onboarding guides
  • Internal and community-led workshops
  • Documentation improvement sprints
  • Mentorship programs for new contributors
  • Technical talks and developer Q&A sessions

🧑‍🌾 Users

Anyone using NOC in production or evaluation is a user. Users are encouraged to participate in discussions and submit issues or proposals.

⚖️ Decision-Making Process

  1. A proposal enters the voting phase.

  2. All active core team members, excluding the initiator, are urged to vote:

    • ✅ Pro
    • ❌ Contro
    • 🤷 Abstain

  3. A vote is valid if at least half plus one of active core members vote.

    • If no quorum is reached, a new vote may be scheduled.

  4. A proposal is accepted if a majority of votes cast are Pro.

  5. The accepted proposal is then presented to the Leader.

    • The Leader may accept or veto the proposal.

🔑 Core Team Membership

To become a core team member:

  • A candidate must be nominated by at least two active core members.
  • Dormant or retired members may reapply directly.

The Core Team votes on new candidates using the standard process.

🚫 Suspension and Banning

Both individuals (core members and developers) and entities (such as companies, organizations, and funds) may be subject to suspension (temporary) or ban (permanent) based on their behavior or actions.

🔒 Suspension

Suspension is a temporary restriction from participation in governance or contribution. Reasons for suspension include:

  • Violation of the project's Code of Conduct
  • Suspected involvement with unauthorized forks (directly or via intermediaries)
  • License violations
  • Ties or collaboration with banned entities
  • Abuse of the right to call for votes

❌ Ban

A ban is a permanent removal from the community and its processes. Reasons for banning include:

  • Actions that seriously harm the public reputation of NOC or its authorized forks
  • Involvement in illegal activity indirectly affecting NOC
  • License violations
  • Repeated suspensions due to persistent misconduct
  • Hostile or defamatory actions directed at the Leader, the Vice Leader, or core members, especially when related to their role in NOC development.
  • Legal harassment or initiating legal actions against contributors for actions taken in the scope of NOC development.
  • Public calls for sanctions or punitive measures (e.g., legal, financial, reputational) against individuals or organizations for their involvement in NOC.

🗳️ Decision Process

  • Any core member may initiate a vote on suspension or banning.
  • The standard decision-making process is applied: the proposal passes with a simple majority of active votes and a valid quorum.
  • The Leader may suspend or ban unilaterally if deemed necessary.

♻️ Restoration

Suspended individuals may be reinstated once the reasons for suspension have been resolved. Restoration may be initiated by the Leader or a core member and is subject to the same decision-making process.