Torre Wenaus, 20 March 2002

The following proposal for engaging the experiment architects  in the execution of the applications area has been endorsed by the experiment computing coordinators and architects and by the PEB. It's being forwarded to the SC2 for approval.

Once per month, the open weekly Applications meeting is expanded to include accumulated issues that should be discussed with the experiment architects. The architects are in attendance and the software coordinators are invited. Information on the issues has gone out beforehand so the architects are 'primed' and perhaps already through some iterations of thought and discussion. The meeting is both informational, and decision-making -- for the easier decisions. An issue is either resolved (the easy ones) for flagged for addressing in the 'Architects Committee'.

The committee is the experiment architects and the applications project manager (APM). The computing coordinators, the LCG project manager and the PEB CTO are invited. The APM chairs the committee. Others (eg. project leader of a project at issue) may attend at the discretion of the committee. The committee meets shortly after the open meeting (and possibly again during the month on a bi-weekly schedule; whatever seems appropriate after some experience). The committee decides the more difficult issues. 100% minus epsilon of the time (estimate your own epsilon) the committee converges on a decision (may of course take longer than one meeting session). When it doesn't, we try harder. When even that doesn't work, the APM makes a decision. Such a decision can either be accepted by the experiments or challenged. If challenged it goes up to the full PEB. The PEB either resolves it or -- in its role of raising issues to be taken up by SC2 -- passes the issue to the SC2. We all happily abide by an SC2 decision.

Committee meetings are regular, whether issues to be resolved are on the table or not. The meetings also cover general current issues and exchange of views. Where committee meetings lead to decisions or actions, public minutes documenting them are published.