--- title: "MONAI - HAI Working Group: How We Work" description: "Practical operations guide for the MONAI Human-AI Interaction Working Group - principles, processes, and collaboration guidelines." canonical: https://project-monai.github.io/wg_hai_how_we_work.html audience: [engineer] last_updated: 2026-06-11 source: wg_hai_how_we_work.html --- [← Back to HAI Working Group](wg_human_ai_interaction.html) # How We Work This document describes the practical operation of the MONAI Human-AI Interaction Working Group (WG). Foundation ## Guiding Principles ### Issue-driven GitHub issues are our system of record ### Async-first Work happens primarily between meetings ### Low barrier Early and imperfect ideas are welcome ### Transparent Priorities, discussions, and agendas are public ### Community-led Anyone can contribute or claim work Culture ## The HAI Way Principles for productive collaboration, inspired by those who came before us: - • **Joining a ticket is better than starting a new one.** - • **Starting a new one is better than staying silent.** _(When in doubt, create it.)_ - • **Decisions live in issues, not in meetings.** - • **Meeting notes capture "what happened," issues capture "what we decided."** - • **Progress happens asynchronously; meetings exist to unblock.** - • **Imperfect contributions beat perfect silence.** - • **If it's important enough to discuss, it's important enough to document.** - • **Transparent is better than efficient.** _(When forced to choose.)_ - • **Anyone can contribute. Everyone can claim work.** - • **Subscribe before you criticize** - context helps. - • **If something blocks you, speak up.** We're here to unblock each other. - • **Before it's lost in Slack/Mailinglist, capture it in GitHub.** These aren't rules - they're agreements on how we work best together. Tools ## Our Coordination Hub All technical discussions, proposals, and decisions are documented in **GitHub issues**. ### WG Project Board Central coordination space for all WG activities [View Project Board](https://github.com/orgs/Project-MONAI/projects/28) ### MONAI Label Milestones Focus areas and medium-term direction (not strict deadlines) [View Milestones](https://github.com/Project-MONAI/MONAILabel/milestones) Issues ## What Belongs in an Issue? ### Issues can represent: - • Feature ideas or enhancement proposals - • Bugs or technical problems - • Discussion topics or open questions - • Workflow improvements - • Research or UX questions - • Presentation proposals for WG meetings - • Anything else relevant to human-AI interaction in medical imaging ### Important Notes **Issues don't need to be perfect.** A short description is enough to start the conversation. **Before creating a new issue:** Check if a similar one already exists. If you're unsure, create it anyway - we'd rather have duplicates than miss your input. Process ## How Work Gets Done 1 ### Claim an Issue Assign yourself and indicate you'll work on it 2 ### Work Async Progress through comments, commits, and collaboration 3 ### Others Join By subscribing, commenting, or co-developing 4 ### Share Updates Directly in the issue thread **The WG meeting is not where implementation happens.** It's where we unblock, align, and connect. Escalation ## When to Request WG Discussion If you're working on an issue and need broader input: 1. 1 Move it to or label it **"Needs Discussion"** 2. 2 A coordinator will schedule it for the next WG meeting 3. 3 It appears in the **"Next WG Meeting"** column Meetings ## WG Meeting Structure Meetings serve four purposes: ### Community touchpoint Staying connected as a group ### Unblocking discussions Addressing issues that need WG-level input ### Issue grooming Reviewing new issues, identifying duplicates, assigning milestones ### Knowledge sharing Short presentations on relevant topics (when proposed) **The "Next WG Meeting" column is the agenda.** It's frozen ~1 week before each meeting so you can decide if attendance is valuable for you. Documentation ## Meeting Documentation ### Meeting notes capture: **Organizational information only** - • Scheduling updates - • Process changes - • Announcements ### Why this approach? **All technical discussions and decisions are documented in the issues themselves**, not in meeting minutes. This ensures: - • Contributors who can't attend aren't disadvantaged - • Discussions remain searchable and accessible - • Participation works across time zones - • Context is preserved where it belongs Maintenance ## Issue Grooming Process At each meeting, we review: - • New issues created since the last meeting - • Issues without milestone assignments - • Potential duplicates - • Unclear problem statements The goal is to keep the backlog organized and actionable. Leadership ## Who Coordinates the WG? The WG is led by coordinators listed on the [WG homepage](wg_human_ai_interaction.html). ### Coordinators are responsible for: - • Scheduling and facilitating WG meetings - • Managing the "Next WG Meeting" agenda - • Issue grooming and milestone assignment - • Ensuring the process remains accessible and transparent Reach out to current coordinators if you'd like to help. Connect ## Communication Channels ### Issue-specific discussions Use the GitHub issue itself (preferred) ### Quick questions & chat - • **Mailing list:** [monai-wg-hai Google Group](https://groups.google.com/g/monai-wg-hai) - • **Slack:** [#human-ai-interaction](https://projectmonai.slack.com/archives/C0A9334ETNK) ### Join the WG [Fill out the participation form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsgt8arOOle203KJyPvkjr3VQTyvrzzazrJumgQgdZ7voH8Q/viewform) **GitHub is the source of truth for decisions.** Discussions on Slack or the mailing list should be summarized back into relevant issues. Resolution ## Conflict Resolution When contributors disagree on an approach or decision: 1. 1 **Start with discussion** in the issue - most conflicts resolve through clarification 2. 2 **Request coordinator input** if the discussion stalls 3. 3 **Bring to WG meeting** by moving to "Needs Discussion" if broader input would help 4. 4 **Community vote** as a last resort (voting mechanism: TBD based on need) The goal is **consensus where possible, clarity always**. We value diverse perspectives and aim for solutions that serve the broadest community needs. Rationale ## Why This Approach? This structure ensures: ### Async participation works You don't need to attend meetings to contribute ### Decisions are documented Everything is searchable and traceable ### Global inclusion Contributors from all time zones can participate fully ### Scalability The WG can grow without bottlenecking on synchronous meetings Get Involved ## Getting Started 1. 1 Browse the [WG Project Board](https://github.com/orgs/Project-MONAI/projects/28) 2. 2 Look for issues that interest you 3. 3 Comment, subscribe, or claim issues you want to work on 4. 4 Create new issues for ideas not yet captured 5. 5 Join WG meetings when topics relevant to you are scheduled **Questions?** Open an issue on the project board or reach out to the [WG coordinators](wg_human_ai_interaction.html).