RE: [tag] Starting an issues list? Questions

["Dennis E. Hamilton" <dennis.hamilton@acm.org>]

Here is my understanding of the questions asked at the start of this thread:

1. Participation of TC Members

TC Members shall *only* submit issues on the main list (and submissions to
JIRA automatically create echoes to the main list).  TC Members may submit
issues at any time.  How Member-submitted issues are taken up, their
disposition determined, and how the disposition is reflected in work
products of the TC is a matter for the TC to handle under its procedures.

It is helpful to have specific committee drafts as targets of issues and
targets for the consequent repairs.  There is nothing to prevent the TC
working on drafts for a future CD while a current CD is undergoing Public
Review.  However, one may not make any substitutions or replacements to the
specific CD artifacts that are under public review.  If there is something
so important that an immediate change is required, the culprit CD must be
withdrawn from public review and the process repeated with a future
newly-numbered CD that is declared acceptable for Public Review.  

Personally, I enjoy the stability of the CD artifacts that the public review
provides.  It makes it much easier to review and create issues for such a
stable target and not have to worry about aligning issues and reviewing
changes against specific organization and text of a more-rapidly churning
draft.  


2. Handling of tag-comment and non-Member Public Review submissions

TC Members shall *not* submit issues via the tag-comment list.  It is also
not a place to discuss issues, although some minimal follow-up or request
for clarification from the TC might be appropriate.

There must be some sort of trail that provides accountability of the receipt
and disposition of public comments received on a document during its Public
Review.  This can be rather loose as long as there is some way to audit for
it in the public record of the TC.

On the follow-up shorter reviews for substantive changes (whatever their
inspiration) made after a Public Review, there are additional requirements
for showing what the changes are and having it be the changes that are under
review.

Of course, public comments can come in at any time, and TC Members can
submit issues at any time.  On the ODF TC we treat all public comments
pretty much the same (although there is more diligence on defect reports
from ISO/IEC JTC1 because we have a special working arrangement about those
as part of a liaison agreement between OASIS and ISO/IEC JTC1).

On the ODF TC office-comment list, we have a monthly FAQ that is now being
posted that explains to users of that list what the list is for, how it is
to be used, and what is done with comments that represent issues versus
other matters.  The FAQ suggests where to find out more about how individual
comments are being dealt with.  You might look at that for some thoughts
about one that could prime the tag-comment list before public review starts.

 - Dennis

PS: There are parts of the ODF TC handling of office-comment and issues that
are too loosey-goosey to my taste.  In particular, I think we make
commenters work to hard to find out what happens with their input.  I'd like
to be more welcoming and encouraging and at least provide a reply to each
public comment that indicates how to find the specific JIRA issue(s) that
are derived from it.  With the lower volume of input that tag-comment is
likely to receive, this should be achievable without much effort.  (On the
ODF TC, we use an automated script to periodically scrape the office-comment
list and create initial JIRA issues.  I doubt that will be necessary for
tag-comment.)

-----Original Message-----
From: stephengreenubl@gmail.com [mailto:stephengreenubl@gmail.com] On Behalf
Of Stephen Green
http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/tag/201002/msg00030.html
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 07:23
To: TAG TC
Subject: [tag] Starting an issues list?

Dear TAG TC,

I guess we will need an issues list. Any progress/thoughts
about having and using a Jira account?

I'm not sure how our TC comments will need to be separated
from external/public comments. I will have a few comments
of my own on how things might be improved after public review.
After this month I may have to submit comments via the
public comments list. Are we supposed to keep TC comments
separate and try to make such comments before the review
rather than during it? 

[ ... ]