Section 9 ‐ Offboarding & Departure from Project - ApertureViewer/Aperture-Opertations-Manual GitHub Wiki

This section outlines the procedures for when a team member voluntarily departs from the Aperture Viewer project or when, in rare circumstances, a team member's involvement is terminated. The aim is to handle all departures with professionalism, respect, and a focus on the continued stability of the project.

9.1 Voluntary Departure from the Team

Aperture Viewer is a volunteer-driven project, and we understand that team members' circumstances and availability can change.

  • Notification: A team member wishing to voluntarily step down from their role or depart from the team should, as a courtesy, provide reasonable notice to their direct lead (if applicable) and/or the Project Lead (William Weaver).
    • Recommended Notice: While not strictly enforceable for volunteers, providing at least two weeks' notice is appreciated, especially for roles with ongoing responsibilities, to allow for knowledge transfer and transition planning.
    • Method: Notification should ideally be made via a direct message on Discord or email to the Project Lead.
  • Handover of Responsibilities & Project Assets:
    • The departing team member is expected to make a good-faith effort to complete any critical outstanding tasks or to provide a thorough handover of their current responsibilities, project-related files, access credentials (where applicable and managed by them), and any relevant knowledge to their lead or a designated successor.
    • All project-specific assets, documents, or materials created for or belonging to Aperture Viewer should be returned or made accessible to the Project Lead.
  • Revocation of Access: Upon departure, the Project Lead or designated administrators will revoke the departing member's access to:
    • Private internal team channels on Discord (roles will be adjusted).
    • Any specific permissions on the ApertureViewer GitHub organization.
    • Any other project-specific tools or platforms where they had privileged access.
  • Acknowledgment of Contributions: The Aperture Viewer project values the contributions of all its team members. Upon amicable departure, the project will endeavor to appropriately acknowledge the departing member's contributions (e.g., in project credits, with their consent).
  • Continued Community Membership: Unless the departure is under negative circumstances related to Code of Conduct violations, departing team members are generally welcome to remain members of the public Aperture Viewer community (e.g., on public Discord channels, as users of the viewer).
  • Confidentiality Obligations: Departing team members remain bound by the terms of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) (Appendix [F]) they signed, particularly concerning any Confidential Information they had access to during their tenure.

9.2 Termination of Team Membership by Project Leadership

While it is hoped this will be an exceedingly rare occurrence, the Project Lead, in consultation with the Core Leadership Team, reserves the right to terminate an individual's formal team membership if their conduct or actions are found to be in significant or repeated violation of the Aperture Viewer Code of Conduct (Appendix [E]), detrimental to the project's mission, values, or reputation, or if they consistently fail to meet the agreed-upon responsibilities of their role without reasonable cause or communication.

  • Grounds for Termination: May include, but are not limited to:
    • Serious or repeated violations of the Code of Conduct (e.g., harassment, discrimination, spreading harmful misinformation, severe breaches of confidentiality).
    • Actions that intentionally harm the project, its members, or its community.
    • Gross negligence or willful misconduct in their project role that negatively impacts the project.
    • Prolonged, unexplained absence or consistent failure to fulfill agreed-upon core responsibilities that critically hampers project progress (after attempts at communication and resolution).
  • Process for Termination:
    • Investigation: Allegations or observations of conduct potentially leading to termination will be investigated by the Project Lead and Core Leadership Team. The individual concerned may be given an opportunity to respond to the concerns, depending on the severity and nature of the issue.
    • Review and Decision: The Project Lead, after consultation with the Core Leadership Team, will make a final decision regarding termination.
    • Notification: The individual will be formally notified of the decision and the reasons for it by the Project Lead, typically via a private, direct communication.
    • Immediate Effect: Termination of team membership is effective immediately upon notification, unless otherwise specified.
  • Consequences of Termination:
    • Immediate revocation of all access to internal team channels, GitHub permissions, and other project-specific resources.
    • The individual may also be banned from official Aperture Viewer community spaces (e.g., Discord server) if the grounds for termination also constitute a severe violation of community standards.
    • Obligations under any signed NDA remain in effect.
    • Any project assets in their possession must be returned.
  • Record Keeping: A record of the termination and its basis will be kept confidentially by the Project Lead.

The process for termination is undertaken with great seriousness and is intended as a measure of last resort to protect the integrity, safety, and positive environment of the Aperture Viewer project and its community.