MHonArc v2.5.0b2 -->
ubl message
[Date Prev]
| [Thread Prev]
| [Thread Next]
| [Date Next]
--
[Date Index]
| [Thread Index]
| [List Home]
Subject: Possible subcommittee reorganization
Hello UBL TC,
In Tuesday morning's TC plenary in Santa Clara, we discussed our
experience so far with the suspension of most of our UBL
subcommittees following the May 2004 meeting in Hong Kong. I
think it's fair to say that most of us feel that folding the SC
work back into the TC for the last 6 months has proven a net
benefit, but not without its downside. Those present in the
Tuesday discussion came to the conclusion that we might be able to
secure the benefits of SCs while ameliorating their major
disadvantages if we structured their relationship with the TC in
light of lessons learned over the last three years. I've
scheduled a further discussion of this for our Thursday afternoon
plenary call (Friday morning in Asia); please review the
outcomes of our Tuesday meeting below and be ready to contribute
comments by mail or join us for the discussion on Thursday.
Jon
==================================================================
Advantages of standing SCs
Persistent mail archive and document archive
Web page provides one-stop access to the work of the SC
Tribal group dynamic leads to more investment in work,
increasing focus and participation
Possibly better fit with current OASIS direction with regard to
form of organization
Attractive working environment for people interested in a
particular technical aspect but unwilling to participate in the
policy and coordination work of the TC or unavailable for TC
meetings (and the proposed revision to the OASIS TC process
finally gives us officially recognized membership categories
that allow us to have voting members of SCs who are not voting
members of the TC)
More direct and visible responsibility for the maintenance of
works in progress
Formal role for co-chairs, making consistent co-chair
participation and travel easier to justify to member management
Less dependence on TC for direct management of work teams
Disadvantages of standing SCs
Much more overhead (though it's an open question how much of
this would be required no matter how the group was structured
if it were to be managed properly)
Tribal group dynamic leads to territoriality and lack of
communication with other SCs
Possible failure of the TC to take responsibility for important
recommendations of SCs, allowing decisions of the SCs to stand
without sufficient review or buy-in by the larger group
Key question: Is it possible to structure the TC and its
subcommittees in a way that achieves the advantages of standing
SCs while overcoming the disadvantages?
==================================================================
Possible way to overcome SC disadvantages
- The TC takes more responsibility for SC functioning, defining
work lists and schedules for the SCs
- The TC may form ad hoc work teams whose management is assigned
to given SCs
- SC schedules feature frequent milestones (monthly under the
plan being considered)
- SCs mail one-paragraph summaries to the TC each week, and the
TC agenda features a standing slot for optional commentary upon
or discussion of that week's SC work
- Deliverables of SCs are recommendations to the TC, not
decisions made independently of the TC
- The ideal model is one in which each SC brings a question to
the TC every month along with enough information and documented
positions to enable the TC to make a decision
==================================================================
Possible SCs; note that these are intended to reflect the physical
division of participants in f2f meetings:
DSC (Deployment SC)
Scope: Education, documentation, interoperability, human
interface (including input and output mappings)
Document responsibility (continuing development, 1.0 issues
list, 1.0 errata list, white papers, 1.1 issues list):
Interface specs, FAQ, educational materials, implementation
guides, programming aids
BSC (Business SC)
Scope: Data models and spreadsheets
Document responsibility (continuing development, 1.0 issues
list, 1.0 errata list, white papers, 1.1 issues list):
Spreadsheets, EDIFIX data model
XSC (XML SC)
Scope: Schemas, code lists, extension methodology
Document responsibility (continuing development, 1.0 issues
list, 1.0 errata list, white papers, 1.1 issues list): NDR,
Code List spec, Customization Guidelines
LSCs
Scope: Translation, regional deployment, regional
requirements
Document responsibility (continuing development, issues
lists, errata): Translated documentation and data dictionary
==================================================================
Weekly TC meeting schedule under this plan
Atlantic TC calls take place in the usual slot, shifted one
hour to 16h00-18h00 UTC/GMT for the winter in order to maintain
08h00-10h00 in San Francisco and 16h00-18h00 in London.
Pacific TC calls take place in the usual slot, 00h30-02h30
UTC/GMT, which in the winter will be 16h30-18h30 in San
Francisco while staying at 08h30-10h30 in Singapore, Hong Kong,
Perth, and Beijing and 09h30-11h30 in Tokyo and Seoul.
Calls are structured as follows:
First 0.5-1.0 hour: Standing TC items: Calendar, liaison
reports, scheduling, status reports of teams managed
directly by the TC (if any)
Remainder of meeting: Devoted to that month's
recommendations from the "subcommittee of the week" (one of
DSC, BSC, XSC, or LSCs), conveyed by at least one co-chair
of the subject SC(s) accompanied by other interested members
of the subject SC(s) in that time slot
Note that it will be necessary under this scheme for each SC to
have an Atlantic co-chair and a Pacific co-chair, or better yet
one chair (probably based on the U.S. west coast) who can
participate in both time slots.
The SCs would meet on their own different schedules once a week
in the usual case, or split into Atlantic and Pacific calls if
their members so desired. SC timelines would be specified when
possible in terms of monthly milestones representing decision
points for the TC that align with the monthly cycle of formal
SC reports.
==================================================================
Disposition of existing ad hoc teams
Under the proposal floated above, we would make HISC a team
under DSC and assign management of the Code List team to the
XSC and management of the Tax XML and TBG17 teams to the BSC.
==================================================================
Gating items and risk factors
Gating item: people willing to co-chair each of DSC, BSC, and
XSC in such a way that each SC has at least one co-chair
available to cover the monthly Atlantic call and at least one
co-chair available to cover the monthly Pacific call.
Risk factors: failure of the TC to prepare for a decision on
the SC recommendation to be considered each week.
==================================================================
Here is what our meeting schedule for the next few weeks might
look like if this plan is adopted:
2004.11.10/11
No meetings this week; JB to formalize SC plan with straw
charters and worklists and submit it to the TC for discussion
by mail
2004.11.17/18
Mavis chairs Atlantic, Tim chairs Pacific; agenda: standing
items; refine charters and worklists for new SCs
2004.11.24/25
Mavis chairs Atlantic, Tim chairs Pacific; agenda: standing
items; TC triage of proposed 1.1 items from worklist
2004.12.1/2
Return to usual meeting management; agenda: standing items;
finalization of detailed SC plan (including co-chair
assignments, team leads, etc.); further discussion of proposed
1.1 items from worklist; afterward, submission of SC plan for
final TC approval by mail
2004.12.8/9
Agenda: standing items; SC scheduling; further discussion of
proposed 1.1 items from worklist; afterward, request for
formation of new SCs to OASIS
2004.12.15/16
Agenda: standing items; final discussion of proposed 1.1 items
from worklist; final work schedule for 2005
2004.12.22/23
No meeting
2004.12.29/30
No meeting
2005.01.5/6
First TC meetings under new structure
==================================================================
[Date Prev]
| [Thread Prev]
| [Thread Next]
| [Date Next]
--
[Date Index]
| [Thread Index]
| [List Home]