Merge pull request #32 from OpenRailAssociation/tc

Add message of the Technical Committee chairs

2024/0800-message-tc.md

@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
 ## Message of the Chairs of the Technical Committee
 
 *Message from the Technical Committee, highlighting beginning collaboration (example OSRD/NGE).*
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+In 2024, we built the Technical Committee of the OpenRail Association. It represents the projects, provides open-source governance, and serves as the bridge between the projects and the OpenRail Association as an organization. Our initial focus was to bring the first projects and people together and establish an effective working mode. The **Charter of the Technical Committee** has been validated by the board of directors at the inception of the OpenRail Association.
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+We are very happy with what we achieved in our first year. Because we didn't have projects at the beginning yet, the Technical Committee started with three members appointed by the board, **Cornelius Schumacher, Loic Hamelin and Peter Keller**. With accepting the first projects, their representatives joined us and at the end of 2024 we are a healthy team of eight people.
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+At the Technical Committee, we strive to lead by example. We focus on getting things done, and our work is fully **public on GitHub**, staying true to the open-source spirit. To maintain momentum and ensure quick decision-making, we hold **weekly meetings**. All this has proven to be a highly effective way of collaboration.
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+One of our biggest achievements this year was defining and refining the **incubation process**. Using the first incoming projects as practical examples, we solidified the **criteria for incubation stages**, streamlined the **application process**, and established **best practices for onboarding projects**. We are proud of the result: we now have a **clear, structured approach to becoming an OpenRail project**, and our first five projects already represent a diverse set of initiatives that embody this vision. We established a **Code of Conduct** to ensure that all projects within the Technical Committee uphold the values and spirit of the OpenRail Association. Additionally, we provide project candidates with all the necessary documentation templates to help them meet OpenRail’s requirements.
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+We are especially proud to see **collaboration between OpenRail projects** delivering real impact. A great example is **OSRD and Netzgrafik-Editor**, which joined forces to integrate timetable functionality into OSRD. This collaboration **accelerated OSRD’s progress significantly, saving them an estimated two years in time-to-market**. This is exactly the kind of synergy we aim to foster, and we look forward to seeing even more projects benefit from working together in the future.
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+-- Cornelius Schumacher and Loic Hamelin, Chairs of the OpenRail Technical Committeee 2024