Ignition Oil and Gas Collective Charter
Purpose
The purpose of the Ignition Oil and Gas Collective (IOGC) is to provide an outlet for the Ignition Oil and Gas end user community to meet and discuss various aspects of the Ignition software and its functionality as it relates to Oil and Gas. The IOGC is also a good place to question and discuss bugs, development, and features with Inductive Automation that are important to the industry. Sharing, learning, and exploring together can accelerate discovery of new exciting possibilities, benefiting all members of the IOGC.
Membership
The following section outlines the membership rules and restrictions for the collective as a whole. The rules are set forth for the following areas of the collective: Companies, System Integrators / Vendors, Inductive Automation, and the Committee.
Companies
Membership to the collective will generally be restricted to companies and individuals that are associated with the oil and gas industry that are currently using Ignition software or plan to do so in the future.
There are currently no restrictions in terms of people or company size.
Membership will be based upon the rules set forth in the charter, which can and will be updated over time.
In the event of membership disputes, all membership related decisions will be mediated by the committee.
System Integrators / Vendors
Participation in the collective by system integrators will generally be restricted to system integrators that are currently working with an existing oil and gas company member, or have done so in the past. Generally, integrators participation with the collective will be handled on a sponsorship type basis, with an oil and gas company vouching for said integrator.
Vendor participation will be handled much the same way as system integrators — it will require an oil and gas company sponsorship to apply.
Participation for vendors and integrators does not constitute a sales or solicitation opportunity.
Spam emails from integrators or vendors, or other unwanted repeated communications to community members, will not be tolerated.
Participation in the collective by vendors and integrators should be viewed as an opportunity to share interesting and exciting technology. It is also a chance to learn more about the pain points and direction of oil and gas companies using Ignition.
As the collective continues to grow, space and time constraints will become more of an issue, and not all vendors and integrators will be extended an invitation to attend every in person or teleconference meeting.
Inductive Automation
We fully expect that one or more individuals from Inductive Automation will take part in the collective and thus have membership as well.
Inductive Automation’s participation in the collective is key, however we do not expect nor desire them to take control or guide the collective as a whole.
Committee
The committee exists as a governing and guidance body for the collective, and is composed of the following positions:
- Chairman
- Vice Chairman
- Secretary
- Communication Chair
- Vendor / Integrator Representative
- IA Representative
The initial round of committee members were selected via volunteers and collective consensus.
Future position appointments will be made by collective consensus via voting or other appropriate mediums.
Committee members term period will last for no longer than two years. Term periods and appointments for the various committee members does not need to be coincident with one another.
It is acceptable, and in some cases preferred, for different committee positions to be appointed at different times throughout the term cycles. Varying term periods can help reduce the chance of the entire committee turning over all at once, leaving a potential knowledge gap.
Committee Member Roles and Responsibilities
Chairman
- Gathers content, orchestrates meetings
Vice Chairman
- Fills in when Chairman is absent
- Helps with content and organization
- Other duties as assigned by Chairman
Secretary
- Takes meeting notes
- Maintains contact lists
- Maintains any other collective documents
Communication Chair
- Maintains social sites, websites, slack group, or other mediums of communication appropriate to the collective to be decided
Vendor / Integrator Representative
- Presents vendor perspective and possible opportunities
- Keeps vendors and integrators in line
IA Representative
- Acts as liaison between the collective and Inductive Automation
Meetings
One of the most beneficial activities of the IOGC are the quarterly onsite meetings were members get together and exchange ideas and information. Members will be notified of upcoming meetings via email if subscribed to updates, they may then visit the IOGC website and reserve a spot.
Quarterly Onsite Meetings
Quarterly day-long onsite meetings are hosted by volunteering oil and gas companies.
Onsite meeting characteristics:
- 30-45 minute presentation blocks consisting of technical presentation from members and invited vendors, integrators, and guests
- Frequent breaks for networking and personal discussions
- Lunch is usually provided by the hosting O&G company
- Sales pitches are discouraged and kept to a minimum (unless requested)
- Two or more presentations per meeting should be from O&G companies showcasing their Ignition development
- Generally, teleconferencing will be available for members that cannot attend in person
- Presentations should be in person and not in teleconference to make the most of everyone’s time
- Each O&G company is generally limited to up to three attendees except for the company hosting the event
- If the number of seats for the meeting are limited, priority is given to O&G members over vendors and integrator
General onsite meeting agenda
- Introductions
- Presentations
- Breaks
- Lunch
- Presentations
- Breaks
- Requests for topics for the next meeting and discussion
- Request for host for the next onsite meeting, discussion about location and venue
Online Meetings
Online meetings may occur in the months between onsite meetings however they are not required. Common meeting topics are discussing timely Ignition development and issues, along with IOGC business.
Meeting Guidelines
The following rules and guidelines apply to all meetings with respect to both the collective and the committee.
General Conduct of Meetings
- Meetings will be facilitated and orchestrated with an established agenda communicated ahead of time, when at all possible.
- Common courtesy behavior is expected with respect to cell phones and other electronic devices
- After all meeting agenda items have been addressed, time will be provided for non-members in attendance to voice their opinions.
- Meetings will end with a clear understanding of expectations and assignments for next steps.
- The committee secretary will keep meeting minutes notes, which is a record of meeting attendees, key issues raised, and actions required. Comments from individual members will generally not be attributed and a verbatim record of the meeting will not be prepared.
- The meeting minutes record will be posted to the project website, available to all appropriate collective and/or committee members, and may also be forwarded via email to members upon request.
General Meeting Ground Rules
- Speak one at a time — refrain from interrupting others.
- Share the oxygen — ensure that all members who wish to have an opportunity to speak are afforded a chance to do so.
- Maintain a respectful stance toward towards all participants.
- Listen to other points of view and try to understand other interests.
- Share information openly, promptly, and respectfully.
- If requested to do so, hold questions to the end of each presentation.
- Make sure notes taken on newsprint are accurate.
- Remain flexible and open-minded, and actively participate in meetings.
Collective Meetings
- In person meetings for the entire collective will be normally held on a quarterly basis.
- Collective meetings are normally expected to be between 2 and 8 hours in duration.
- The quarterly meetings will normally be hosted at an existing oil and gas company member’s office location. The meeting schedule is flexible and subject to change as needed.
- Collective members will be informed of meetings through email and/or project website as appropriate, as far in advance of the meeting as possible.
Committee Meetings
- Meetings will be held at the time and place chosen by the committee in the course of their meetings.
- Committee meetings are normally expected to be between 30 minutes and 2 hours in duration.
- Routine committee meetings will generally be held on a monthly basis, typically by teleconference. The meeting schedule is flexible and subject to change as needed.
- Robert’s Rules or Order will generally be followed for conduct of the meeting and voting purposes.
- Committee members will be informed of meetings through email and/or project website as appropriate, as far in advance of the meeting as possible.
Disclaimers and Disclosures
This section reviews the various legal disclaimers and disclosures that affect the collective and meetings. The following reminders will need to be recognized and acknowledged by community members in general, as well as meeting attendees when appropriate.
Antitrust reminder
You are reminded that during, before and after the meetings, there should be no discussion of competitively sensitive information that has not been publicly disclosed by your company, including, but not limited to, prices, costs, customers, output or production, commercial plans, commodity price forecasts, allocation of territories or customers, or any other discussion that could be viewed as restraining competition between the participants’ employers or limiting any person or company from free access to any market, customer or vendor. Should any discussions related to these topics begin, CEASE the discussion IMMEDIATELY. If a participant continues to attempt to discuss the improper topic, the meeting must be adjourned immediately and you should each contact the internal legal counsel for your company. Your participation in this meeting is your acknowledgment of your agreement to the above.
Additional Notes:
- These reminders should be read at the start of each meeting
- There should be a written agenda for each meeting
- Each participant should inform their companies internal legal counsel of the existence of the meetings.