ISSUE-83: Explicitly allow WGs to customize process steps in their charters

mchampion

Explicitly allow WGs to customize process steps in their charters

State:

CLOSED

Product:

Document life cycle (pre 2014 chapter 7, now chapter 6)

Raised by:

Michael Champion

Opened on:

2014-01-13

Description:

Chairs of some of the current "supergroups" have raised -- formally and in the Shenzhen sessions -- concerns that the new process takes away some of their options for driving large, complex specs to a broad consensus. The focus of the Chapter 7 revision has been to facilitate rapid development of modular specs by a community of technical experts. Minimizing the number of process steps and making the process simpler by default should help meet that goal. Nevertheless, the new process also needs to be usable by large WGs working on complex specs with a broad, intermittently engaged target audience.

To accommodate both sets of needs, I propose that the new process document should explicitly allow WG charters to specify additional process steps that refine but do not conflict with the new process or the patent policy. These steps would be tailored to the needs of a specific working group, and would not require cross-W3C consensus to implement.

For example, the charter of a "supergroup" could include a something like a "Final Call for Wide Review" that is similar to LC in the current process but would NOT have the patent policy implication that goes with "Old LC" and "New CR". This would serve as a clear signal to stakeholders outside the working group that they have a limited window of opportunity to propose substantial changes. Likewise it could allow WGs to issue multiple "final calls" without having to move "backward" in the official process. This could help meet the "wide review" requirement to enter CR in a way that has been shown to work for complex specs with diverse stakeholders without inflicting that process overhead on small, agile WGs. It should also encourage experimentation by working groups to identify best practices that could be incorporated into the next revision of the official process if they prove useful.

Related Actions Items:

No related actions

Related emails:

1. Minutes and summary of 3 February 2014 Chapter 7 Revision Task Force teleconference (from coralie@w3.org on 2014-02-04)
2. Re: Agenda for Chapter 7 Task Force Telcon, 8AM Pacific, 11AM Eastern, 3 February (from chaals@yandex-team.ru on 2014-02-03)
3. Re: Agenda for Chapter 7 Task Force Telcon, 8AM Pacific, 11AM Eastern, 3 February (from chaals@yandex-team.ru on 2014-02-03)
4. Agenda for Chapter 7 Task Force Telcon, 8AM Pacific, 11AM Eastern, 3 February (from szilles@adobe.com on 2014-02-02)
5. [minutes] and summary of 27 January 2014 Revising W3C Process Community Group Teleconference (from coralie@w3.org on 2014-01-27)
6. w3process-ISSUE-83 (mchampion): Explicitly allow WGs to customize process steps in their charters [Document life cycle (ch 7)] (from sysbot+tracker@w3.org on 2014-01-13)

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