Re: [chairs] changes in operation of TCs

["Karl F. Best" <karl.best@oasis-open.org>]

Harm:

OASIS has always tried to keep things simple, and while our process is 
still quite simple and streamlined compared to other organizations, as 
we grow in numbers of members and TCs we find more things that need to 
be clarified or defined better. So over time our rules get to be a bit 
more complex. I hope that we never get to the point where our rules are 
as complicated as e.g. ISO or some governments.

As I said earlier, the intent behind this particular change in the 
Process was so that the TC can decide early whether quorum is achieved 
-- and also so that the chair has a firm definition of meeting 
attendance. It wasn't our intent to make it more difficult for people to 
maintain their membership, but I suppose that the side effect of 
requiring people to arrive on time could be seen as a good thing.

-Karl


Burg, HJM van (DgB/INNOVATI) wrote:
> Karl,
> 
> As relatively new chair I am hesitating to join this type of discussions.
> Looking as this new rules I see that some organisations can have more rules
> than government where I work for.
> I can imagine that these kind of rules work for some committees but not for
> mine. We have some very busy government and industry officials in our TC and
> I certainly do not want to push them out with rules like the one about
> coming to late or leaving to early. I am glad with the participation since
> especially government bodies have also other organisations in which they
> could discuss. In my case OECD!.  Working within the OASIS community I
> consider important.
> It could be helpful to use this rules when some members dysfunction.
> I'm am most certainly not applying this rules strict. I hope to keep it as
> long as we can with common courtesy not to come to late and so on.
> Up till now I fill in the attendance list after the meeting. If it appears
> that we did not reach the quorum: to bad. By the way up till now we always
> got the quorum! Perhaps because our TC is small but also because we respect
> that we contribute to our possibilities.
> 
> 
> Harm Jan van Burg
> Netherlands Tax and Customs administration
> Chair Tax-xml TC
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: Karl F. Best [mailto:karl.best@oasis-open.org] 
> Verzonden: dinsdag 2 september 2003 19:42
> Aan: 'chairs@lists.oasis-open.org'; 'James Bryce Clark'
> Onderwerp: [chairs] changes in operation of TCs
> 
> 
> Chairs:
> 
> I have just announced to the OASIS membership the revision of the TC 
> Process. While most of the changes have to do with how new TCs are 
> formed I want to remind you of the changes that will effect the 
> operation of existing TCs.
> 
> Please start by reading the the new TC Process doc and summary of 
> changes at http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process.php
> 
> * When a person joins the TC, the Primary Representative of the person's 
> employer company must be notified. (We'll be adding this as an automated 
> Kavi functionality soon. As you don't have access to the email addresses 
> of the Primary Reps so won't be able to do this manually, we'll hold off 
> enforcing this item until the Kavi functionality is in place.)
> 
> * During probation the prospective member must maintain the same 2/3 
> attendance as a member.
> 
> * Observers may post messages to the mail list. (If you've been setting 
> people in the roster to Member without voting rights in order to 
> circumvent the previous setting, please change these people to Observer.)
> 
> * Maintaining membership is based on attendance at TC meetings, which is 
> now defined as being present during roll call at the beginning of the 
> meeting. For TCs without meetings, membership is based on returning 2/3 
> ballots.
> 
> * Leave of absence is allowed once per twelve month period rather than 
> once per calendar year. The TC chair must notify the TC via the TC mail 
> list when a person goes on leave.
> 
> * A TC must have a chair, and in the absence of a chair cannot conduct 
> any business other than electing a new chair. Co-chairs are allowed; no 
> more than two people may share the responsibilities of chair and may be 
> replaced jointly or individually.
> 
> * The TC's public comment list is replaced with a "means to collect 
> public comments", which will be a web form. (This is to prevent the 
> comment list from being used as a discussion list.) Comments collected 
> by the web form will go to the chairs. I'm having the web forms built 
> now and will announce to the comment lists when this change will take place.
> 
> * All communications and discussions of the TC must take place on the 
> TC's list. (This is to ensure that all TC business is archived on the 
> OASIS servers.)
> 
> * The TC may adopt standing rules, and must communicate those to the TC 
> Admin who may override them. Standing rules may not relate to IPR. (If 
> your TC has adopted any standing rules I would appreciate your 
> communicating these to Jamie and myself.)
> 
> * TC charters may be clarified for the purpose of removing ambiguity and 
> narrowing the scope of work only. New deliverables may be added within 
> the scope of the TC. The clarification is approved by 2/3 vote with no 
> more than 1/4 against. The clarification must be communicated to the TC 
> Admin, who has 15 days to approve and announce the clarification.
> 
> * TCs may conduct electronic ballots, with a minimum of seven days for 
> the ballot period. A majority of the TC must cast votes for the ballot 
> to be valid, and the majority of votes cast determines the result.
> 
> * The TC may adopt a standing rule to allow making of motions 
> electronically.
> 
> * The TC may form a subcommittee, which must have a statement of 
> purpose, deliverables, and chair. SC deliverables are made only to the TC.
> 
> * The TC Admin *may* close a TC that isn't holding meetings or not 
> making progress towards achieving its purpose. The TC Admin *must* close 
> a TC that has completed its deliverables. (Hint: to avoid being closed, 
> a TC should add new deliverables to its charter after it has completed 
> its original list.)
> 
> * The rules for Joint Committees have been rewritten to define that the 
> TCs are members, not the people; how membership is maintained; and to 
> define how TCs can join an existing JC.
> 
> * OASIS members can appeal the actions of the TC Admin to the Board.
> 
> * The "Committee Specification" is renamed to be "Committee Draft". 
> (We'll grandfather the existing approved specs; we'll refer to them 
> generically as Committee Drafts, but won't require you to change any 
> existing documents.)
> 
> * The TC Admin must be notified of any vote, successful or not, to 
> approve a specification as a Committee Draft. (The purpose is so that 
> OASIS staff can work with the TC to begin promotion of the spec. OASIS 
> Staff will schedule a concall with you to discuss how we can start 
> promoting the work and discuss the schedule for advancement to OASIS 
> Standard.)
> 
> * Substantive changes made to the spec after the public review starts 
> will require that another review be conducted.
> 
> * The submission of the Committee Draft for consideration as an OASIS 
> Standard must include a statement regarding how the spec relates to 
> other existing work, an account of the voting for approval at the TC 
> level, and a pointer to any minority reports.
> 
> 
> Also, the revised TC Process says that 20% of membership is required to 
> approve an OASIS Standard, up from 10%, but this is going to be 
> discussed further by the Board.
> 
> While in general you should expect your TC's charter to be grandfathered 
>   (i.e. we won't require you to immediately add the new information now 
> required at the formation of a new TC), Jamie and I will be looking 
> through the existing charters to see if there are any things that 
> conflict with the new TC Process, and will contact you to see about 
> getting these things changed. ***Any future charter revisions should 
> include the addition of the new items required for charters in proposals 
> (including definition of what is in/out of scope, who the audience is, 
> etc.)***
> 
> You should also expect to see some additional changes made to the TC 
> Process in the near future to support a revision of the OASIS IPR Policy 
> which is currently being discussed by the Board. I'll keep you informed 
> as there is anything to report.
> 
> Please contact Jamie or myself if you have questions about these 
> changes. If there is sufficient interest we could set up one or more Q&A 
> concalls. Jamie and I are working on a revision to the TC Guidelines 
> which will reflect the revised TC Process.
> 
> -Karl
> 
> 
> =================================================================
> Karl F. Best
> Vice President, OASIS
> office  +1 978.667.5115 x206     mobile +1 978.761.1648
> karl.best@oasis-open.org      http://www.oasis-open.org
> 
> 
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-- 
=================================================================
Karl F. Best
Vice President, OASIS
office  +1 978.667.5115 x206     mobile +1 978.761.1648
karl.best@oasis-open.org      http://www.oasis-open.org