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How the PFWG processes comments
The Protocols and Formats Working Group follows W3C Process to address public comments formally. When publishing public drafts of specifications, there is a defined period during which members of the public are invited to send feedback. On documents that are in Last Call stage and later (see How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process), the Working Group MUST respond to all comments received during the comment period. It is also important to get feedback from the commenter about whether the response is acceptable. Unresolved objections are considered by management when assessing whether it is appropriate to transition the document to a higher stage in the process, or to require that the group work further on the document.
In order to meet these requirements, the Working Group must be able to define what constitutes a public comment in the formal sense. Public comments are defined as those sent to the email address public-pfwg-comments@w3.org during the review period indicated by the document to which the comment applies. Comments received in this manner are relevant to the current work.
Comments from several commenters may impact a single section of a document, so it is important to be able to consider comments in context of each other. This is the reason for the restriction to a formal comment period. The Working Group may accept comments outside of the formal review period, especially with prior arrangement, but does not necessarily accept an obligation to treat them formally.
Feedback comes to the PFWG from a variety of other channels, including mailing lists, personal communications, weblogs, etc. While such feedback is useful, it does not constitute a comment in the formal sense, and is not treated in a formal manner. As much as feasible such feedback is considered in the Working Group's deliberations.
For formal comments, the Working Group deliberates on the appropriate action. A number of issues impact these deliberations, including similar or opposing comments received from other commenters and issues already being tracked by the Working Group. Again following W3C Process, the Working Group seeks to achieve consensus on the action and response to a given comment.
Until the Working Group has achieved consensus, its deliberations are not public. In order to manage the discussion, it initially takes place within the small group of people in the PFWG. As needed, the discussion is expanded to include the commenter for clarification or expansion. Once the PFWG has consensus and the formal response is sent to the commenter, it is possible to include the general public in the discussion. This may lead to the PFWG forming a new consensus. But public discussions that are not yet backed by Working Group consensus make it much more difficult to achieve a resolution to the comment.
The Working Group will attempt to respond to comments in a timely manner. Some comments cannot be responded to until related comments have been addressed and responses prepared. This is because the resolution to one comment may impact the resolution of another, and sending a premature response could necessitate a subsequent retraction. When a set of comments is ready for response, the Working Group will send those, while it continues to process other comments. Some comments are processed earlier than others, and it may take time for the Working Group to address a given comment.
The Frequently Asked Questions addresses specific concerns that have been raised about this process.