TSC CTO Chair PM Roles

TSC Comparison of Responsibilities between CTO, TSC Chair, and TSC Project Manager

Comparison Table of CTO, TSC Chair, and TSC PM

Category	CTO	TSC Chair	TSC PM
Summary	The HL7 CTO is a full-time, non-volunteer executive leadership position in HL7 with direct responsibility for assessing the technologies used in HL7’s products. Since the products of HL7 are highly dependent on prevalent information technologies, the HL7 CTO contributes to the foundations and processes that make up and deliver HL7’s products. The HL7 CTO is both responsible for and dependent on his/her abilities to cooperatively work with the volunteers that make up the HL7 Working Group and together design, build, ballot, review, publish and maintain HL7’s products.	The HL7 TSC Chair is a part-time, volunteer position elected by the TSC Voting Members in HL7. The Chair has responsibility for guidance and stewardship of the TSC, with the TSC having oversight for the technical affairs of HL7. The TSC Chair is both responsible for and dependent on his/her abilities to cooperatively work with the volunteers that make up the HL7 TSC to work in partnership with the volunteer team and staff to develop goals, measurable objectives, and action plans related to the TSC Mission.	Assist HL7’s Technical Steering Committee (TSC) manage a project database, organize information from various sources on the current activities in each Work Group, review and create monthly summary reports on all active projects.
Reporting and Leadership Responsibilities	The HL7 CTO reports to the HL7 Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CTO is a participant of the HL7 Executive Committee and a member of the HL7 Technical Steering Committee (TSC). The CTO serves as vice chair of the TSC and Architecture Board (ArB).	The TSC Chair is a member of the TSC (having been elected from the TSC Voting Members), whose vote shall be reserved in the event of a tie. The Chair is also an ex officio voting member of the HL7 Board of Directors to facilitate communication to and from the Board. In this capacity, he/she is responsible that strategic technical recommendations are properly represented and understood at the Board, and that the impacts of board proposals on the Working Group are taken into account. The TSC Chair is also tasked with keeping the Board of Directors advised of TSC activities and progress, along with the CTO, who serves as vice-chair of the TSC.	To assist the TSC and specifically the TSC Chair, CTO and Associate Executive Director in the following:
Responsibilities	Work directly with and advise the HL7 CEO, Board of Directors (Board), and Industry Advisory Board to set, document and communicate HL7’s vision and current strategic goals. Be a liaison of the HL7 vision and current strategy with the TSC and the wider Working Group. This responsibility may require overseeing the execution of standards development within HL7 and helping to guide efforts of the Working Group (WG) to be in line with the products and services strategy set forth by the Board. Act as a conduit of information from the TSC to the HL7 Executive Leadership and Board about concerns and business opportunities that may warrant additions or changes to HL7’s current strategic goals. Advise the ArB as it defines and documents HL7’s reference architecture for individual products and as it supports the foundation of HL7 products. Establish and maintain a process to continuously manage and measure HL7’s products to its reference architecture, periodically update the reference architecture, and report on how HL7’s products are supported by or diverge from this architecture. Act as the primary liaison between the TSC and the HL7 Program Management Office (PMO), work with other members of the TSC to help align priorities among HL7’s committee level projects with the PMO. The CTO will also report back to the TSC when necessary resources are not sufficient, priorities need to be realigned and when timeline expectations need to be reset. Work with the TSC and its Projects Services Committee to define, document and work to continuously improve the work process of the HL7 Working Group. Help manage and coordinate HL7’s internal (to HL7) and external (to its customers) tooling products. HL7 uses software tools to manage many of its processes, and develop and publish most of its products. Be a primary liaison for technology and product obligations of HL7 between itself and other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) as defined by HL7’s CEO and Board. HL7 maintains formal relationship agreements between itself and many other SDOS. The CTO is not, in general, responsible for the business relationships with other SDOs but rather must be consulted, made aware, and be a point of support for obligations HL7 accepts that involve the make-up of its products (e.g., Standards or Implementation Guides) as well as its delivery schedules, architecture and tooling.	The HL7 TSC Chair will: Work directly with and advise the HL7 CTO, Board of Directors (Board), and Industry Advisory Board to describe and communicate HL7’s activites and progress. In doing so, he/she shall dispense information from the Board of Directors or other Board-appointed committees not having representation in the TSC, to the TSC members without delay. Be a liaison of the HL7 vision and current strategy with the TSC and the wider Working Group. This responsibility to the oversight of the execution of standards development may require focusing effectively the efforts of the Working Group (WG) on accomplishing the products and services strategy set forth by the Board. Guide the TSC to: Review and make recommendations on, the Technical Architecture, the development methodologies, and the work processes to be used by the WG in developing HL7 consensus-based standards specifications. assure that the WG works smoothly together and covers the work scope in a consistent manner. Serves as technical authority of HL7, communicating status and guidelines regarding standards and operations. review and approve the annual and WGM-WGM technology plans, and support the CTO in delivering the technology plan. Act as a conduit of information from the TSC to the Board about concerns and business opportunities that may warrant additions or changes to the TSC’s strategic technical recommendations. Establish and maintain a process to continuously manage and measure HL7’s products, projects, and work groups. Provide for visibility of all potential significant activity; While the Chair is not intended to steward individual projects, the Chair will ensure sufficient projects are in place to allow for the promotion of TSC objectives. Attend weekly meetings / teleconferences of the TSC Committee, and as needed, a planning meeting/teleconference to organize the next meeting’s agenda and objectives. Perform such duties as may be required to ascertain that the TSC is well coordinated with the entire HL7 Working Group. He/She shall perform other duties which from time to time which may be required for the effective functioning of the TSC. Exercise an option to delegate responsibilities to other members of the committee, except for that as chair of the regular meetings of the TSC, which can only be delegated to the CTO.	Manage the HL7 Work Group Project Database: Review and create a summary report on all active projects monthly or as directed. Create periodic reports for the TSC, its Steering Divisions (SDs) and the constituent Work Groups (WGs) on projects, projects statuses. Organize information from various sources on the current activities in each Work Group and report on the alignment of WGs activities to current business and technical plans of the organization. Periodically review each WG’s web site(s), Wiki’s or other documented WG communications mechanism; verify each activities alignment to the current projects list and initiatives being addressed by the TSC. Manage a “gap” report that identifies each active or upcoming initiative on HL7’s plan documents (business & technical plan and/or “road map”) that does not have corresponding and matching project in the TSC Project Database. Other activities as directed by the HL7 Associate Executive Director Early recommendations from Charlie: Ensure that the TSC f2f and telcon meetings run smoothly, and are properly prepared for Track the progress of the TSC against its success criteria Actively manage the TSC issues log and help drive issues to closure Support the improved visibility of status and plans for projects, products and work groups Undertake analysis projects as assigned by the TSC
Additional Information	(from HL7_Technical_Steering_Committee Mission, Responsibilities, Composition and Formation), Decision making and delegated decisions By and large, decisions of the Technical Steering Committee will be made by vote. There are however, tactical decisions, such as approvals for ballot, exceptions to ballot rules, etc. that have, in the past, been assigned to the Technical Chair of HL7 as part of HL7 By-laws or Policies. Such decisions should be assigned to the CTO, using the individual SDs and committees as resources, with the TSC providing a venue for appeal of such decisions. An early recap by Charlie: I would expect that John would have executive responsibility for developing and executing the technology plans, and that Lynn would support him in that, and that the role of the TSC would be to review and approve the annual and WGM-WGM technology plans, and support the CTO in delivering the technology plan.	The Technical Steering Committee and its Chair should delegate responsibilities and operational decision-making (to be defined later) to the "Technical Officer."	(from TSC_ProjectManager_objectives Work Group Health Documents Project Activity Clean up, drive to closure, and maintain TSC issue tracker Review Work Groups’ Three-Year Plans for alignment to the Roadmap objectives and definitions of Project Scope Statements for projected work Work with the PMO to identify and determine status of dormant projects Provide TSC better tracking and visibility of ISO – related projects, adding to Project Insight: RIM, 2.5, Clinical Genomics, ICSR, EHR Func Model. Other duties for related to the SAEAF project and keeping that project moving, communications flowing, etc. Facilitate communications Update, maintain, or assist with communications described in the TSC Communications Plan Provide admin support to the TSC Pursue potential authors to submit articles for a “TSC Newsletter”