Expert Group
The aim of the Expert Groups within the Catena-X Automotive Network e.V. is to develop results together with the members in line with the association's strategic direction. The Expert Groups are initiated and managed by the related Committee. Depending on their scope, Expert Groups do not exist forever. They work on dedicated topics, present the results to the Committee and are then retired. If a follow up is required, a new Expert Group has to be initiated.
Expert Group Life Cycle
The lifecycle of an Expert Group is divided into three phases:
The overview of the existing Expert Groups can be found in the organizational chart on the Catena-X homepage.
The product strategy involves the specific operational activities within a Expert Groups in collaboration with the committee. It deals with the tactical day-to-day tasks and processes that need to be executed to support the business domain strategy.
The focus lies on implementation, realization and the delivery of tangible results.
1. Initiation
- Request Submission: Interested individuals or organizations seeking to form an Expert Group may submit their requests to the Catena-X Association. These requests will be assigned to a committee for consideration. The committee will add the request to its agenda for validation.
- Validation and approval: The committee will conduct an initial validation of the request. If deemed valid, the requester will be required to submit a one-page document outlining the challenge the Expert Group aims to address, the current status, and the objectives the group should achieve. This document ensures a clear understanding of the group's goals and scope.
- Application Phase: The one-page document serves as the foundation for the Application Phase. Employees of association members are invited to apply for a seat in the Expert Group. From the pool applicants, the Core Group members will be selected based on predefined criteria.
- Notification and Kick-Off: All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application (core team, review team, or rejected). Core team members will be invited to a kick-off meeting for the group's inaugural session, typically scheduled two weeks after the conclusion of the application phase.
2. Working Phase
During their working phase, Expert Groups are expected to continuously develop and advance their assigned topics. This involves regular meetings, collaborative research, and consistent communication among members to ensure progress. Additionally, planned work and results should be regularly shared within the association to promote transparency and collective insight. The groups should also provide periodic updates to the committee, highlighting key milestones, challenges encountered, and any adjustments to their objectives. Active engagement and a commitment to innovation and improvement are essential to the success of the Expert Groups in achieving their goals. The committee mentor guides the Expert Group and reports back to the committee on progress. The committee will review the outcomes for strategic fit of Catena-X.
The working phase should be viewed as a cyclical series of regular activities that align with the release cycles and its phases of the association.
The composition of the Expert Groups is not static and is expected to change over their life time. In any case people that want to join an existing Expert Group need to be approved the same way, as applicants for new Expert Groups. If a Expert Group member is stepping down from its position, it cannot be handed over to another employee of the same company.
3. Closing
Once a Expert Group delivered its dedicated topic, a regulated closing takes place. The Committee validates the results of the Expert Group as after the closure of the Expert Group, the responsibility for the topic transitions to the Committee. When the results are validated, the Expert Group is then officially discharged and closed by Committee.
A final documentation of the work results on the digital collaboration platform is mandatory, and every Expert Group member is required to contribute to this. The documentation is to be made accessible to every member in coordination with the office.
Expert Group Responsibilities
Vision and Mission
To ensure a structured and predictable development of their use case, Expert Groups must create and maintain a clear, forward-looking plan with the following timeframes:
- 3 Years: Outline a compelling and ambitious vision for the long-term future of the use case. This vision should inspire and set a clear direction.
- 12 Months: Based on the vision, summarize the key steps planned for the upcoming year. Focus on high-level objectives and what users will gain, ensuring consistent and predictable progress for adopters.
- 3 Months: This plan aligns with the release planning, providing specific details on immediate actions and deliverables.
Release DACI for Expert Groups
| Phase | Process | Expert Group role | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Roadmap Preparation | Driver | Prepare a roadmap for the expert group, including features, newly proposed Catena-X standards or changes to existing standards, and KITs. Communicate and discuss the roadmap with the assigned committee and reviewer group. |
| Release Roadmap Review | Driver | Present the Roadmap items to the broader audience within the association, to inform them and get feedback about the intended work. | |
| Planning | Feature proposal creation | Driver | Break down intended work in Eclipse Tractus-X into features. |
| Feature proposal refinement | Update Git issues for the planned features and Kit changes in sig-release. Prepare open planning during the refinement phase. | ||
| Release planning days | Discuss and present Git issues and standardization requests during Open Planning and lead dependency planning. | ||
| Standard Request Creation | Create standardization or change requests using the Houston tool. | ||
| Development | Development | Track the development of features throughout the Catena-X release. | |
| E2E Test | Oversee the testing and documentation of new features. | ||
| Standard development | Ensure the creation or adaptation of Catena-X standards and address feedback from TC4S or other reviewers. |
Expert Group Roles
Expert Group Leads
The Leads serve as the primary points of contact, ensuring the effective delivery of the product strategy by the Expert Group. The Leads are tasked with (in addition to their role as Core Group member):
- Coordination: The Leads should maintain cohesion and coordination within the Expert Group to align with the Committee's objectives
- Monitoring: Leads should monitor the Core Team member participation in the Expert Group. If they feel that a Core Team member is not performing according to their commitment, they can escalate the topic to the primary contact of thr member company (in alignment with the Committee and Association Office).
- Closing of the Expert Group: Leads can request the closing of the Expert Group once the Group reached their goals.
Core Group Member
An Core Group Group Member plays an active role in shaping decisions, offering input, and collaborating with others to achieve the Expert Group goals. The experts will familiarise themselves with the implementation in Eclipse Tractus-X and the respective standards and KITs. They attend meetings, participate in discussions, and contribute to the planning and execution of tasks. An Core Group Member is responsible for taking hands-on actions by actively contributing to the development of standards, kits, and/or reference implementations.
Responsibilities of the Core Group members include:
- Voting right: Core Group members are allowed to decide on the strategic orientation of the Expert Groups. Votes need to have a simple majority to be accepted.
- Actice participation in the release process: Core members are responsible for:
- Defining work packages during the release planning
- Taking over work packages such as working on KITs and/or Standards,
- Ensuring that tasks are completed on time and to a high standard, and
- Reviewing the overall results of the Expert Group.
- Active contribution: A pro-active contribution to the Expert Group is expected by providing expertise, support, and ongoing participation to help achieve the project's objectives.
- Time commitment: Core Group members must commit at least 20 hours per month to the Expert Group, with additional hours being encouraged. These hours may not be evenly distributed throughout the month, as periods of higher workload should be anticipated and planned for accordingly.
- Stay updated: Core Group members stay actively informed about the progress of the Expert Group by attending meetings (weeklies and workshops) and by reading the documentation (meeting minutes).
Each company can only be represented by one person per Expert Group. The seat in the Expert Group is tied to the individual, not to the company itself. Core Group members are expected to regularly reaffirm their commitment to their responsibilities. If they are unable to do so (e.g., due to internal company projects), they should proactively step down from the Core Group to ensure effective planning and allocation of available resources.
Review Group Member
Review group members are experts in the specific field of the respective group. They serve as sparring partners to the core team, providing critical feedback, guidance, and support. To fulfill this role effectively, they must immerse themselves in the topic and closely monitor the latest progress of the expert group. Additionally, review group members may take over work packages from the core team and participate in workshops, further contributing to the group's efforts and outcomes.