[security-services] proposed "committee last call" process

[Jeff Hodges <jhodges@oblix.com>]

during the focus group concall today, we discussed more fine-grained steps we
need to take along the path to issuing our "committee specification" for
OASIS-wide review.

Some of us on the call felt that what we're striving for here by the end of Dec
is to have a doc set that's ready for what we'd call "working group last call"
in the IETF/W3C context. 

The overall connotation of "last call" is "we're done, let's sit down and
review the docs in detail". 

We nominally came up with the detailed process noted below. I've taken the
liberty of filling-in some of the more detailed blanks. 

Below the process is a nominal proposed schedule we felt we should work
towards, in light of the process. There's a couple of ISSUES called out in the
proposed schedule. 

Please review and comment on all of this. 

thanks,

JeffH & Joe

ps: we've attached references to various process docs at the end of this msg. 


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Proposed "Committee Last Call" process:

0. This is where we are now. At this stage, the doc(s)'s maturity level is
"committee working draft".


1. In order to issue a "committee last call" on a doc or docs, there should be
no open action items or issues associated with the doc(s). 


2. A "committee last call" is issued by the committee co-chairs via an email
message to the security-services list. We will leverage content from IETF and
W3C examples. The "committee last call" message identifies the docs, lays out
the timeframe and vehicles for submitting comments, and provides some context
wrt the last call process. 

At this stage, the maturity level of the doc(s) is "candidate committee
specification".


3. People review the docs and submit comments (via the list -- comments must be
in writing and available for all to see).


4. upon the "last call cutoff date" or shortly thereafter, the chairs and doc
editors summarize the comments received to the committee. If there are issues
with the doc(s) that the committee regards as "showstopper normative technical
issues", then the doc(s) don't pass "committee last call", and the process
iterates back to (1) (since there are again open issues with the docs). Else,
go to (5). 

detailed process for step (4):  

In order to decide whether there are any "showstopper normative technical
issues", the doc editors will summarize to the committee the issues raised
during last call (e.g. via a msg to the list). The co-chairs will facilitate a
walk-through of the issues list for each doc (if any) during a formal committee
meeting. 

If a issue has a champion, and no one challenges the issue, then the doc
doesn't pass committee last call (i.e. goto (1)). 

If an issue has a champion, and the issue is challenged, a formal committee
vote is held. The question being voted on will be constructed so the result of
the vote will be to either "the issue is a showstopper normative techical one:
re-do Committee Last Call", or the issue is closed (e.g. it wasn't felt to be a
normative technical one), or it is deferred (e.g. the issue may be a normative
technical one, but it isn't a showstopper at this point). If the issue is
closed or deffered, it doesn't hinder the doc(s) passing committee last call. 

If an issue no longer has anyone willing to champion it, it is closed or
deferred, and doesn't hinder the doc(s) passing committee last call. 



5. The doc(s) have passed "committee last call" and are subject to
non-normative editing. They remain at this step (5) and at "condidate committee
specification" maturity level until all all non-normative editorial issues are
closed. Once these non-nomative editorial issues are closed, goto (6).


6. The doc(s) are annointed the maturity level of "committee specification" and
are ready for submission to OASIS per OASIS "standards process" (see ref
below).

                 -------------------------------
Proposed schedule:

5-Dec (Wed): Prateek to issue bindings-07

12-Dec (Wed): comments on bindings-07 due.

~17-Dec (Mon): Prateek to issue bindings-08 based upon feedback on -07.


ISSUE: any interim dates similar to above for issuance/iteration on core-2x?


21-Dec: Have SAML doc set ready for Committee Last Call issuance. Doc set is
nominally..

 draft-sstc-core-2x
 draft-sstc-bindings-model-0x

ISSUE: we need to decide whether these docs should be part of the above list..

 draft-sstc-sec-consider-0x
 draft-sstc-conform-spec-0x

..any others?


21-Dec: Issue "Committee Last Call" msg to the list, with "last call cutoff"
date of 15-Jan (Tue). 


15-Jan (Tue): "last call cutoff" date  (gives ~2 weeks from 1-Jan for review of
docs) 


22-Jan (Tue): SSTC/Focus concall: walk-through issues culled from last call and
do any necessary voting. Decide whether docs passed committee last call.


                 -------------------------------

Refs: 

OASIS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE POLICY
Section 2. Standards Process
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process.shtml

IETF Working Group Guidelines and Procedures
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2418.txt

The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2026.txt

W3C Process Document
 5.2 The W3C Recommendation Track
http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process-20010719/tr.html#Recs

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