CROCO Development Committee

Structure and Operation of a CROCO Development Committee (CODEV): Role, Structure, and Procedures

1. Role of the CODEV and Its Relationship with the COPIL

The Development Committee (CODEV) is the operational body responsible for the technical steering and software quality of the CROCO model and its associated tools.

Its overall objective is to ensure the implementation of the development roadmap, in coordination with the Steering Committee (COPIL), as well as the distribution of the code to users.

• The CODEV identifies needs, proposes priorities, and translates the scientific strategy into an operational development plan.
• The COPIL ensures institutional coherence, validates the roadmap, and guarantees alignment with the overall strategy.

Thus, the COPIL defines the strategic framework, and the CODEV designs and executes the corresponding technical program.

Interactions between the Steering Committee (COPIL) and the Development Committee (CODEV) take place through:

• The systematic invitation of a member of the CODEV Bureau to COPIL meetings when they are not already members. Upon request, the COPIL provides a formalized exchange time to clarify any strategic uncertainty impacting technical decisions.
• The possibility of activating a COPIL validation mechanism when a technical decision to be taken has a strong strategic impact on the roadmap, prior to its implementation.

2. Missions of the CODEV

The missions of the CODEV cover the following areas:

• Development roadmap design and implementation:
  • Proposal and prioritization of developments, including the management of external contributions (review, decision on effective integration),
  • Proposals regarding detailed technical choices (architecture, I/O, performance, etc.),
  • Validation and adjustment in consultation with the COPIL, followed by dissemination of the development plan,
  • Annual planning and monitoring of progress.

• Operational steering:
  • Integration of contributions,
  • Code review and repository management (quality control, testing, continuous integration),
  • Organization and production of releases.

• Animation of the developer community:
  • Coordination of thematic groups,
  • Organization of meetings and annual sessions dedicated to development,
  • Awareness-raising on development tools and methods,
  • Technology watch.

• Administrative tasks:
  • Preparation of the annual operating budget and presentation to the COPIL,
  • Identification of human resource needs (staff and skills) for development and presentation to the COPIL.

3. Composition of the CODEV and Terms of Office

The CODEV is composed of two bodies:

• Bureau (CODEV-KERDEV, 2-year term renewable once consecutively):
    Composed of two to five people actively involved in day-to-day development and release coordination. It ensures daily management, coordination, facilitation, and the formal link with the COPIL. This group is highly solicited and should be renewed regularly (preferably partially).
• Thematic Referents (CODEV-REF, 2-year term renewable without limit):
    Responsible for specific domains (HPC, I/O, physical dynamics, tools, etc.). The identified themes may evolve over time according to the needs of the development roadmap. The referents act as a link between their thematic group and the Bureau and participate in building the roadmap. This group also includes core codebase experts. The group of thematic referents is responsible for drafting the annual work program and its yearly revision.

These short terms allow for regular rotation while ensuring continuity and dynamism in CODEV management and avoiding burnout effects.

The composition of the CODEV is proposed to the COPIL.

4. Operating Procedures (Meetings, Communication)

The CODEV meets during:

• Annual developers’ meeting (CODEV + Developers): One week in person, dedicated to exchanges and presentations of ongoing new developments.
• Coordination meetings (CODEV): Held quarterly to bi-annually, aimed at monitoring and updating the development roadmap.
• Development sessions (CODEV Bureau + selected thematic groups): One to two times per year, consisting of a one-week development session. These sessions allow for intensive technical exchanges, integration of major developments into the main branch, and preparation of major releases.
• Specialized meetings (CODEV Bureau + concerned thematic group): Organized on an ad hoc basis to address specific technical or thematic issues.
• Operational meetings (CODEV Bureau): Ad hoc, frequent, sometimes impromptu, lasting from one to a few hours at most. They are convened as needed based on specific technical requirements or urgent technical issues. They require high responsiveness and significant availability.

The development roadmap is disseminated on the public website. Meeting minutes are posted on the gitlab repository. They improve visibility and transparency of development activities and facilitate community involvement.

The CODEV Bureau also participates in a monthly technical meeting that brings together a small, flexible group of developers to discuss issues encountered in daily development, user feedback, etc. This activity ensures active communication with user-developers and serves as a mechanism for centralizing technical requests and feedback from the community, complementary to the user forum.

5. Conclusion

This CROCO Development Committee (CODEV) organization explicitly defines the prerogatives and responsibilities that enable efficient operational functioning while maintaining overall strategic coherence led by the Steering Committee (COPIL). It ensures transparency toward the community.