OASIS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE PROCESS
Approved by the OASIS Board of Directors, 23 March 2005; Effective date: 15 April 2005
|
OASIS OPEN TECHNICAL COMMITTEE PROCESS
Revision approved by the OASIS Open Board of Directors, 27 August 2003; further revised 18 September 2003
|
Section 1. Definitions
|
Section 1. Definitions
|
1(a). "Charter" is the organizational document for a TC comprised of the items included in the proposal to form that TC, as defined in Section 2.2, and may be modified as described in Section 2.11.
|
"Technical Committee Charter" (or "Charter") is the items included in the proposal to form a TC, as defined in the section "TC Formation" and may be modified as described in the section "TC Charter Clarification".
|
1(b). "Committee Draft" is an interim document approved by a Technical Committee as specified in Section 3.
|
|
1(c). "Committee Specification" is a Public Review Draft that has completed public review and achieved final approval by a Technical Committee as specified in Section 3.
|
"Committee Draft" is a technical work approved by a Technical Committee as specified in Section 2 of this Process.
|
1(d). "Convener" is an Eligible Person who serves in the role of organizing the first meeting of the TC, as defined in Section 2.3.
|
"TC Convener"is an Eligible Person who serves in the role of organizing the first meeting of the TC, as defined in the section "First Meeting of a TC".
|
1(e). "Eligible Person" means one of a class of individuals that includes persons holding Individual memberships in OASIS, employees or designees of organizational members of OASIS, and such other persons as may be designated by the OASIS Board of Directors.
|
"Eligible Person" means one of a class of individuals that includes persons holding individual memberships in the corporation, employees or designees of organizational members of the corporation, and such other persons as may be designated by the OASIS Board of Directors
|
1(f). "Full Majority Vote" is a TC vote in which more than 50% (more than half) of the Voting Members vote "yes", regardless of the number of Voting Members present in the meeting. Abstentions are not counted. For example, in a TC in which there are 20 Voting Members, at least 11 Voting Members must vote "yes" for a motion to pass.
|
|
1(g). "Joint Committee" (or "JC") means a committee formed by joint proposal of a group of cooperating TCs for the purpose of coordinating the technical work of those TCs.
|
"Joint Committee" ("JC") means a committee formed by joint proposal of a group of cooperating TCs, for the purpose of coordinating the technical work of those TCs.
|
1(h). "Leave of Absence" shall have the meaning defined in Section 2.6.
|
|
1(j). "Member" is an Eligible Person who is allowed to subscribe to the TC email list, participate in list discussions, attend and participate in TC meetings, and make Contributions to the TC. The process for becoming a Member of a TC is defined in Section 2.4.
|
"Technical Committee Member" (or "Member") is an Eligible Person who has completed the requirements to join a TC as defined in the section "TC Membership" and who maintains his membership as described in the section "Termination of TC Membership".
|
1(k). "Minimum Membership" means five Voting Members of a TC representing at least two member organizations.
|
|
1(L). "OASIS Standard" is a Committee Specification that has been submitted by a Technical Committee and reviewed and approved by OASIS membership as specified in Section 3.
|
"OASIS Standard" is a Committee Draft that has been submitted by a Technical Committee and reviewed and approved by OASIS membership as specified in Section 3 of this Process.
|
1(m). "OASIS TC Administrator" means the person or persons representing OASIS in administrative matters relating to TCs.
|
"OASIS TC Administration" means the persons appointed by the OASIS Board of Directors to represent OASIS in administrative matters relating to TCs.
|
1(n). "Observer" is an Eligible Person who is subscribed to the TC email list, and may attend TC meetings, but is not allowed to participate in TC email list discussions, participate or speak in TC meetings, or make Contributions to the TC. The process for becoming an Observer is defined in Section 2.4.
|
"Technical Committee Observer" (or "Observer") is an Eligible Person who has requested to subscribe to the TC email list and/or to participate in TC discussions as defined in the section "TC Participation".
|
1(o). "Public" and "publicly" mean all people, whether OASIS members or not.
|
"Public"" and "publicly" mean all people, whether OASIS members or not.
|
1(p). "Public Review Draft" is a Committee Draft that has been approved by the TC to go to public review as specified in Section 3 of this Process.
|
|
1(q). "Quorum" is the number of Voting Members of a TC that must be present in a meeting so that Resolutions and decisions may be made. The Quorum for OASIS TC meetings is a simple majority (more than half) of Voting Members
|
|
1(r). "Quorate Meeting" is a TC meeting at which a Quorum is present.
|
|
1(s). "Resolution" means a decision reached by a TC, SC or JC by vote. Resolutions require a Simple Majority Vote to pass, unless a Full Majority Vote or Special Majority Vote is required under this Process.
|
|
1(t). "Simple Majority Vote" is a vote in which the number of "yes" votes cast is greater than the number of "no" votes cast. Abstentions are not counted. For example, in a quorate meeting in which 20 Voting Members are present, if 7 vote "yes" and 4 vote "no", the motion passes.
|
|
1(u). "Specification Ballot" is any ballot on the approval of the technical content of a document work within the TC, such as the approval of a Committee Draft, start of Public Review, approval of Committee Specification, or submission of a Committee Specification to OASIS for approval as an OASIS Standard.
|
|
1(v). "Subcommittee" (or "SC") is a group of Members of a TC producing recommendations for consideration by the parent TC.
|
|
1(w). "Special Majority Vote" is a TC vote in which at least 2/3 (two thirds) of the Voting Members vote "yes" and no more than 1/4 (one fourth) of the Voting Members vote "no". These numbers are based on the total number of Voting Members, regardless of the number of Voting Members present in the meeting. Abstentions are not counted. For example, in a TC in which there are 30 Voting Members, at least 20 Voting Members must vote "yes" for a motion to pass; but if 8 or more vote "no" then the motion fails. All Special Majority Votes must be conducted by the OASIS TC Administrator.
|
|
1(x). "Substantive Change" is a change to a specification that would require a compliant application or implementation to be modified or rewritten in order to remain compliant.
|
|
1(y). "Technical Committee" (or "TC") means a group comprised of at least the Minimum Membership formed and conducted according to the provisions of this OASIS TC Process.
|
"Technical Committee" ("TC") means a group of Eligible Persons formed and conducted according to the provisions of this TC Process.
|
1(z). "Voting Member" is a Member of a TC who has voting rights in the TC. The process for gaining voting rights is defined in Section 2.4.
|
|
1(aa). "Working Draft" is any version of a specification or other document produced by the TC which has not yet received any level of approval from the TC.
|
|
Section 2. Technical Committees
2.1. TC Discussion Lists
Any group of at least three Eligible Persons may begin a publicly subscribable discussion list for the purpose of forming a TC by submitting to the OASIS TC Administrator the following items:
|
Section 2. Technical Committees
2(a). TC Discussion Lists
Any group of at least three Eligible Persons shall be authorized to begin a publicly subscribable discussion list for the purpose of forming a TC by submitting to OASIS TC Administration the following items:
|
a. The name of the discussion list, which shall not be the same as the name of the list in which the TC itself shall operate if formed.
b. A preliminary statement of scope for the TC whose formation the list is intended to discuss.
c. The names, electronic mail addresses, and membership affiliations of the three or more Eligible Persons proposing to create the discussion list.
d. The name of the discussion list leader.
|
* The name of the discussion list, which shall not be the same as the name of the list in which the TC itself will operate once formed;
* A preliminary statement of scope for the TC that the list is intended to form;
* The names, electronic mail addresses, and membership affiliations of the Eligible Persons proposing to create the discussion list; and
* The name of the discussion list leader.
|
No later than 15 days following the submission, the OASIS TC Administrator shall provide these materials to the membership with a Call For Participation in a discussion list whose purpose is to propose the TC described in the application.
Discussion on the list is restricted to evaluating the interest in proposing a new OASIS TC, and defining the proposal for one or more new OASIS TCs. The list of subscribers to the discussion list shall be available to all subscribers. The discussion list shall automatically close 90 days after the Call For Participation is issued.
|
No later than 15 days following the submission, OASIS TC Administration shall provide these materials to the membership with a Call For Participation in a discussion list whose purpose is to form the TC described in the application. Discussion of TC formation shall begin on the list no sooner than seven days after the announcement. More than one TC can be formed from a discussion list. A list established to discuss the formation of a TC under provisions of this section shall automatically go out of existence 90 days after the call for participation, together with its archive.
|
2.2. TC Formation
Any group of at least Minimum Membership shall be authorized to begin a TC by submitting to the OASIS TC Administrator the following items, written in English and provided in electronic form as plain text. No information other than these items may be included in the proposal. |
2(b). TC Formation
Any group of at least three Eligible Persons shall be authorized to begin a TC by submitting to OASIS TC Administration the following items, written in English and provided in electronic form as plain text. No information other than these items may be included in the proposal.
|
1. The Charter of the TC, which includes only the following items
|
The charter of the TC, which includes only the following items
|
a. The name of the TC, such name not to have been previously used for an OASIS TC and not to include any trademarks or service marks not owned by OASIS. The proposed TC name is subject to TC Administrator approval and may not include any misleading or inappropriate names. The proposed name must specify any acronyms or abbreviations of the name that shall be used to refer to the TC.
|
* The name of the TC, such name not to have been previously used for an OASIS TC and not to include any trademarks or service marks not owned by OASIS;
|
b. A statement of purpose, including a definition of the problem to be solved.
|
* A statement of purpose, including a definition of the problem to be solved;
|
c. The scope of the work of the TC, which must be germane to the mission of OASIS, and which includes a definition of what is and what is not the work of the TC, and how it can be determined when the work of the TC has been completed. The scope may reference a specific contribution of existing work as a starting point, but other contributions may be made by Members on or after the first meeting of the TC. Such other contributions shall be considered by the members of the TC on an equal basis to improve the original starting point contribution.
|
* The scope of the work of the TC, which must be germane to the mission of OASIS, and which includes a definition of what is and what is not the work of the TC, and how it can be determined when the work of the TC has been completed. The scope may reference a specific contribution of existing work as a starting point, but other contributions may be made by TC members on or after the first meeting of the TC. Such other contributions will be considered by the voting members of the TC on an equal basis to improve the original starting point contribution.
|
d. A list of deliverables, with projected completion dates.
|
* A list of deliverables, with completion dates;
|
e. Specification of the IPR Mode under which the TC will operate.
|
|
f. The anticipated audience or users of the work.
|
* The anticipated audience or users of the work; and
|
g. The language in which the TC shall conduct business.
|
* The language in which the TC will conduct business;
|
2. Non-normative information regarding the startup of the TC, which includes
|
Non-normative information regarding the startup of the TC, which includes
|
a. Identification of similar or applicable work that is being done in other OASIS TCs or by other organizations, why there is a need for another effort in this area and how this proposed TC will be different, and what level of liaison will be pursued with these other organizations.
|
* Identification of similar or applicable work that is being done in other OASIS TCs or by other organizations, why there is a need for another effort in this area and how this proposed TC will be different, and what level of liaison will be pursued with these other organizations;
|
b. Optionally, a list of contributions of existing technical work that the proposers anticipate will be made to this TC.
|
* Optionally, a list of contributions of existing technical work that the proposers anticipate will be made to this TC;
|
c. Optionally, a proposed working title and acronym for the specification(s) to be developed by the TC.
|
|
d. The date, time, and location of the first meeting, whether it will be held in person or by phone, and who will sponsor this first meeting. The first meeting of a TC shall occur no less than 30 days after the announcement of its formation in the case of a telephone or other electronic meeting, and no less than 45 days after the announcement of its formation in the case of a face-to-face meeting.
|
* The date and time of the first meeting, whether it will be held in person or by phone, and who will sponsor this first meeting;
|
e. The projected on-going meeting schedule for the year following the formation of the TC, or until the projected date of the final deliverable, whichever comes first, and who will be expected to sponsor these meetings.
|
* The projected on-going meeting schedule for the year following the formation of the TC, or until the projected date of the final deliverable, whichever comes first, and who will be expected to sponsor these meetings;
|
f. The names, electronic mail addresses, and membership affiliations of at least Minimum Membership who support this proposal and are committed to the Charter and projected meeting schedule.
|
* The names, electronic mail addresses, and membership affiliations of at least three Eligible Persons who support this proposal and are committed to the charter and projected meeting schedule; and
|
g. The name of the Convener, and the name of the proposed Chair(s), who must be Eligible Persons.
|
* The name of the TC convener, and the name of the proposed chair.
|
No later than 15 days following the submission, the OASIS TC Administrator shall either provide these materials to the membership with a Call For Participation and an announcement of a first meeting, or return the submission to its originators with an explanation of its failure to meet the requirements set forth in this section.
|
No later than 15 days following the submission, OASIS TC Administration shall either provide these materials to the membership with a Call For Participation and an announcement of a first meeting, or return the submission to its originators with an explanation of its failure to meet the requirements set forth in this section.
|
2.3. First Meeting of a TC
No later than 15 days prior to the event, Eligible Persons intending to participate in the first meeting must use the OASIS collaborative tools to register as a Member, and to specify whether they intend to gain voting rights.
If the Eligible Person is an employee or designee of an OASIS member organization, the Primary Representative of that organization must confirm to the Convener and to the TC Administrator that the person may become a Member of the TC.
Every Eligible Person who has so registered and been confirmed shall be a Member of the TC beginning with the first meeting. Every Eligible Person who has so registered, requested voting rights, been confirmed, and is present at the first meeting of a TC shall be a Voting Member of the TC beginning with the first meeting. Persons who register to attend the first meeting but do not attend must notify the TC Chair after the first meeting to become a Member of the TC, as described in Section 2.4.
|
2(c). First Meeting of a TC
The first meeting of a TC shall occur no less than 30 days after the announcement of its formation in the case of a telephone meeting and no less than 45 days after the announcement of its formation in the case of a face-to-face meeting.
Persons intending to participate in the first meeting must register to attend no later than 15 days prior to the event by notifying the person named as convener of the new TC of their intention to attend the meeting, and must be eligible for TC participation at the time they register.
Every Eligible Person who has so registered and is present at the first meeting of a TC shall be a voting member of the TC beginning with the first meeting. Persons who register to attend the first meeting but do not attend must notify the TC chair after the first meeting to start their probationary period to become a member of the TC, as described in the section "TC Membership".
If the Eligible Person is an employee of an OASIS member organization, the Primary Representative of that organization will be notified by the convener before the first meeting about the person's registration for the TC.
|
The first meeting of a TC must occur at the place and time and in the manner described in the announcement. Any initial meeting whose time or location is changed and any initial telephone or other electronic meeting that fails to grant access to every Eligible Person previously registering to attend shall be subject to appeal as provided in Section 4.2.
|
The first meeting of a TC must occur at the place and time and in the manner described in the announcement. Any initial meeting whose time or location is changed and any initial phone meeting that fails to grant access to every Eligible Person previously registering a desire to participate shall be subject to appeal as provided in the section "Appeals."
|
At least Minimum Membership must become Voting Members at the first TC meeting or the TC shall be considered not to have been successfully started and shall be closed.
|
|
At the first meeting the TC must elect a Chair as the first order of business, from among nominations made by Voting Members at that meeting. Once the Chair is elected the role of Convener ends.
|
At the first meeting the TC must elect a chair as the first order of business. Once the chair is elected the role of convener ends.
|
2.4. TC Membership and Participation
TC membership is per person, not per organization, and is not transferable from person to person.
|
2(d). TC Membership
* * * [see below]
|
Observer: An Eligible Person may become an Observer of the TC by registering as an Observer using the electronic collaboration tools provided by OASIS. If the Eligible Person is an employee or designee of an OASIS member organization, the Primary Representative of that organization must be notified that the person has requested to become an Observer. The Observer is not a member of the TC so has no attendance or participation requirements to maintain this status, other than to remain an Eligible Person.
|
2(e). TC Participation
An Eligible Person shall become a Observer of an existing TC by sending to the chair of the TC (or the convener, if before the first meeting), via the electronic notification facility provided by OASIS, notice of his or her intention to become an Observer in the TC. An Observer may participate in TC discussions and post email messages to the TC list, but may not vote and does not need to maintain attendance. The Observer is not "on track" to become a TC Member; to become a Member the person must comply with the requirements as defined in the section "TC Membership".
|
Member: Any time after the first meeting, an Eligible Person shall become a Member of an existing TC by registering as a Member using the electronic collaboration tools provided by OASIS. If the Eligible Person is an employee or designee of an OASIS member organization, the Primary Representative of that organization must confirm to the Chair and to the TC Administrator that the person may become a Member of the TC. Upon receipt by the Chair of confirmation by the Primary Representative the Member may begin participating, but shall not have voting status. A Member shall become eligible to vote in the TC when the requirements below are met.
|
[Sec. 2(d). (part):] An Eligible Person shall become a Prospective Member of an existing TC by sending to the chair of the TC via the electronic notification facility provided by OASIS notice of his intention to become a Member of the TC; the chair shall notify the TC of this request via the TC's email list. If the Eligible Person is an employee of an OASIS member organization, the Primary Representative of that organization will also be notified by the chair about the person's registration for the TC.
|
Voting Member: A Member shall gain voting rights immediately after a probationary period, which starts when the Member requests voting rights via the electronic collaborative tools, and lasts until the close of the third meeting or 60 days following the request, whichever comes first.
During the probationary period the Member must attend two of every three TC meetings but cannot cast ballots; if attendance requirements are not met, the Member shall not gain voting rights.
A Voting Member must be active in a TC to maintain voting rights. In TCs that hold meetings, the Voting Member must attend two of every three Meetings, with attendance recorded in the minutes. If a TC has adopted a standing rule to conduct business only by electronic ballot, without Meetings, then a Voting Member must participate in two of every three Specification Ballots with participation established when a vote is recorded.
Voting Members who do not participate in two of every three Meetings (or Specification Ballots as described above) shall lose their voting rights but remain as Members of the TC. A warning may be sent to the Member by the Chair, but the loss of voting rights is not dependent on the warning. A Member may relinquish his voting rights by sending a statement to that effect to the TC general email list.
|
[Sec. 2(d). (part):]
The Prospective Member will become a TC Member with voting rights immediately
after a probationary period, which starts when the Eligible Person notifies
the chair of his intent to join the TC, and lasts until the close of the
third TC meeting held during the period of prospective membership or until
60 days have elapsed following formal application to join the TC, whichever
comes first.
During the probationary period the Prospective Member must follow the same attendance rules as a TC Member, as defined in the section "Termination of TC Membership"; if attendance requirements are not met the Prospective Member will not become a Member at the end of the probationary period and must re-apply for membership. The Prospective Member may participate in TC discussions and post email messages to the TC list but may not vote.
TC membership is per person, not per organization.
The transference of an Associate OASIS membership shall not automatically confer TC membership upon the transferee.
|
2.5. Termination of TC Membership
Except as provided in section 2.6, membership in an OASIS TC shall be terminated under the following conditions:
1. A Member shall be considered to have resigned from a TC upon his sending notification of resignation to the TC general email list.
2. Persons who lose Eligible Person status for reasons including, but not limited to, change of employment shall have up to 15 calendar days of TC membership as an Individual Member in which to request a Leave of Absence or re-establish eligibility. A Member shall lose TC membership on the 16th day after losing Eligible Person status or at the end of a Leave of Absence requested as specified in Section 2.6 if Eligible Person status has not been re-established.
|
2(f). Termination of TC Membership
Except as provided in the section of this article titled "Leaves of Absence," membership in an OASIS TC shall be terminated under the following conditions:
* A member shall be warned by mail from the chair of the TC upon his first failure to be present during the roll call at the beginning of the meeting of two out of every three successive meetings of the TC. Membership shall be terminated if the member fails to be present during the roll call of the next meeting following transmittal of the warning or if the member consistently fails to be present during the roll call of two of every three meetings thereafter.
* A member shall be warned by mail from the chair of the TC upon failure to return two out of three most recent successive mail ballots. Membership shall be terminated if the member fails to return the next mail ballot following transmittal of the warning.
* A member shall be considered to have resigned from a TC upon receipt of notification of resignation by mail from the member by the chair of the TC. The chair shall forward this notice to the TC mail list.
* Persons who lose Eligible Person status for reasons including, but not limited to, change of employment, shall have a further 15 days of TC membership in which to request a leave of absence or re-establish eligibility. A member shall lose TC membership on the 16th day after losing Eligible Person status or at the end of a leave of absence requested as specified in the section titled "Leaves of Absence" if Eligible Person status has not been re-established.
|
Termination of membership in an OASIS TC shall automatically end voting rights in the TC as well as membership in any subcommittee of that TC, and eligibility to represent that TC in a JC.
|
Termination of membership in an OASIS TC shall automatically end voting membership in any subcommittee directly or indirectly created by that TC.
|
2.6. Leaves of Absence
Every Voting Member of an OASIS TC shall be entitled to at least one Leave of Absence during
any one twelve month period. During a Leave of Absence, a Voting Member shall be exempt from the participation criteria specified in Section 2.4. A first Leave of Absence during any one twelve month period shall be obtained automatically upon application to the Chair of the TC. The Chair must
notify the TC of all Leaves of Absence by reporting them in the minutes of the TC's next meeting.
A Voting Member who has already been granted a Leave of Absence during any twelve month period may apply for a maximum of one additional Leave of Absence during the same twelve month period, but a second Leave of Absence during any twelve month period shall be granted only upon formal Resolution of the TC.
|
2(g). Leaves of Absence
Every member of an OASIS TC shall be entitled to at least one leave of absence during any one
twelve month period. During a leave of absence, a member shall be exempt from the participation criteria specified in the section of this TC Process titled "Termination of TC Membership." A first leave of absence during any one twelve month period shall be obtained automatically upon application to the chair of the TC.
The chair must notify the TC of all Leaves of Absence via the TC's email list.
A TC member who has already been granted a leave of absence during any twelve month period may apply for a maximum of one additional leave of absence during the same twelve month period, but a second leave of absence during any twelve month period shall be granted only upon formal resolution of the TC.
|
A Voting Member of a TC who has been granted a Leave of Absence shall not have voting rights in the TC and all of its subcommittees for the duration of the Leave; voting rights shall resume immediately upon the person returning from Leave.
|
A member of a TC who has been granted a leave of absence shall cease to be a member of the TC and all of its subcommittees for the duration of the leave. However, membership in the TC and membership in any still-existing subcommittee of the TC of which the same person was a member at the beginning of the leave shall resume when the leave ends.
|
The length of a Leave of Absence shall be specified in advance by the Voting Member requesting it and shall not exceed 45 days. A Leave of Absence shall begin no earlier than seven days after the date upon which the request was submitted to the Chair of the TC and shall end on the date specified, or at the beginning of the first TC meeting or subcommittee meeting attended after the Leave begins, or upon transmittal of the first mail ballot returned after the Leave begins, whichever comes first. Time allocated for a Leave of Absence but not used due to early resumption of participation cannot be carried over into another Leave.
|
The length of a leave of absence shall be specified in advance by the member requesting it and shall not exceed 45 days. A leave of absence shall begin no earlier than seven days after the date upon which the request was submitted to the chair of the TC and shall end on the date specified, or at the beginning of the first TC meeting or subcommittee meeting attended after the leave begins, or upon transmittal of the first mail ballot returned after the leave begins, whichever comes first. Time allocated for a leave of absence but not used due to early resumption of membership cannot be carried over into another leave.
|
2.7. TC Chairs
Each TC must have a Chair. Only Members and Voting Members of the TC are eligible to be Chair or co-Chair. The TC Chair is initially elected at the first meeting. The Chair is elected by Full Majority Vote of the TC. If the TC does not have a Chair then all TC activities, with the exception of the selection of a new Chair, are suspended.
|
2(h). TC Chairs
Each TC must have a chair.
The TC chair is initially elected at the first meeting. The chair is elected
by majority vote of the TC membership. In the absence of a chair all TC
activities, with the exception of the selection of a new chair, are suspended.
|
The responsibilities of
Chair of a TC may be discharged by no more than two co-Chairs. In the
event that the Chair position is so shared each co-Chair is equally responsible
for the Chair duties and responsibilities. Throughout this TC Process,
whenever a notification to the TC Chair is required this must be made to
both co-Chairs.
|
The position of chair
of a TC may be shared by no more than two co-chairs. In the event that
the chair position is so shared each co-chair is equally responsible
for the chair duties and responsibilities. Throughout this TC Process,
whenever a notification to the TC chair is required this must be made to
both co-chairs.
|
A TC Chair may be removed
by action of the Board of Directors or by a Special Majority Vote of the
TC. In the event that a TC has co-Chairs each may be removed individually
or both may be removed by a single action.
A vacancy in chairing
a TC shall be deemed to exist when (i) the Chair or one or both co-Chairs
has been removed, (ii) the Chair or one or both co-Chairs has resigned the
position, or (iii) the Chair or one or both co-Chairs ceases to be a member
of the TC. Vacancies in chairing a TC shall be filled by election from
the membership of the TC; the TC may elect at any time by vote to elect
a co-Chair, if only one Chair is seated, or to leave a second seat vacant.
|
A TC chair may be removed
by action of the Board of Directors following an appeal as specified in
the section of this TC Process titled "Appeals" or by a vote of 2/3 of all
the members of the TC. In the event that a TC has co-chairs each may be removed
individually or both may be removed by a single action.
A vacancy in chairing
a TC shall be deemed to exist when (i) the chair or one or both co-chairs
has been removed, (ii) the chair or one or both co-chairs has resigned the
position, or (iii) the chair or one or both co-chairs ceases to be a member
of the TC. Vacancies in chairing a TC shall be filled by election from
the membership of the TC.
|
The same provisions regarding
Leaves of Absence shall apply to the Chair or co-Chair of a TC as to
the other members of a TC, except the Chair must notify both the OASIS
TC Administrator and the TC at least 30 days prior to any non-emergency
leave of absence.
|
The same provisions regarding
leaves of absence shall apply to the chair or co-chair of a TC as to
the other members of a TC, except the chair must notify both OASIS TC
Administration and the TC at least 30 days prior to any non-emergency
leave of absence.
|
2.8. TC Visibility
The official copies of
all resources of the TC and its associated subcommittees, including web
pages, documents, email lists and any other records of discussions, must
be located only on facilities designated by OASIS. TCs and SCs may not
conduct official business or technical discussions, store documents, or
host web pages on servers or systems not designated by OASIS. All web pages,
documents, ballot results and email archives of all TCs and SCs shall be
publicly visible.
|
2(i). TC Visibility
* * * [see below]
|
Mail Lists: Each
TC shall be provided upon formation with a general discussion email list
and a means to collect public comments. Subscription to the general email
list shall be required for Members, Voting Members, and Observers of the
TC.
The minutes of each TC
meeting and a record of all decisions shall be published to that TC's
general email list. All official communications and discussions of the
TC must take place on the email list. All TC email lists shall be archived
for the duration of the corporation, and all TC email archives shall be
publicly visible.
|
Mail List: Each
TC shall be provided upon formation with a general discussion email list
and a means to collect public comments. Subscription to the general email
list shall be required for Members and Observers of the TC.
The minutes of each TC
meeting and a record of all decisions shall be published to that TC's
email list. All communications and discussions of the TC must take place
on the email list.
All TC email lists shall
be archived for the duration of the corporation, and all TC email archives
shall be publicly visible.
|
The purpose of the TC's
public comment facility is to receive comments from the public and is
not for public discussion. Comments shall be publicly archived, and
shall be forwarded to one or more Members of the TC including the TC Chair.
TCs shall not be required to respond to comments. Comments to the TC made
by Members of the TC must be submitted via the TC general email list, and
comments made by non-TC members, including from the public, must be made
via the TC's comment facility. Comments shall not be accepted via any other
means.
|
The purpose of the TC's
public comment facility is to receive comments from the public and is
not for public discussion. Comments will be publicly archived, and will
be forwarded to one or more TC members including the TC chair. TCs shall
not be required to respond to comments.
|
Web Pages: The
OASIS TC Administrator shall provide the TC with a publicly accessible
web page. The TC must keep the following information current on the TC
web page: the TC name and Charter; standing rules and other adopted procedures;
meeting schedule; anticipated deliverables and delivery dates; list of
Members; the name and email address of the TC Chair or co-Chairs as well
as other positions such as secretary, editor, etc. that may exist; list
of subcommittees, their deliverables, and members; links to a repository
of the draft and completed TC documents with identification of the latest
versions of the TC's specifications; and a link to the IPR declarations
for that TC.
|
Web Pages: OASIS
TC Administration shall provide the TC with a publicly accessible web page.
The TC must keep the following information current on the TC web page: the
TC name and charter; standing rules and other adopted procedures; meeting
schedule; list of TC members; the name and email address of the TC chair
as well as other positions such as vice chair, secretary, editor, etc.
that may exist; list of subcommittees and their deliverables and members;
draft and completed TC documents; and contributors' IP statements.
|
Announcements: The
OASIS TC Administrator shall create a publicly archived list for announcements
from the OASIS TC Administrator regarding TCs. Any Eligible Person shall
be able to subscribe to this list. Every important change in TC status
shall be posted to the announcement list; such changes shall include
but not be limited to the following: TC formation; TC Charter revision;
start of Public Review; approval of Committee Specifications; submission
of a Committee Specification as a proposed OASIS Standard; approval or
rejection of a proposed OASIS Standard; start or end of participation in
a joint committee; and closure of a TC.
|
Announcements:
OASIS TC Administration shall create a publicly archived list for announcements
from OASIS TC Administration regarding TCs. Any Eligible Person shall
be able to subscribe to this list. Every important change in TC status
shall be posted to the announcement list, such changes to include but not
be limited to the following: TC formation; TC charter revision; publication
of working drafts; publication of Committee Drafts; calls for implementation;
public review of Committee Drafts, submission of a Committee Draft as
a proposed OASIS Standard; approval or rejection of a proposed standard;
start or end of participation in a joint committee; and closure of a TC.
|
2.9. TC Procedure
The operation of TCs shall
be governed by Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, insofar as such
rules are not inconsistent with or in conflict with this TC Process, the
OASIS IPR Policy, the OASIS Bylaws, other Board-approved policies, or
with provisions of law. The duration of a TC shall be considered a single
session. Formal actions of TCs shall be governed by the same rules regardless
of the language in which the work is taking place.
Standing rules may be
adopted by Full Majority Vote of the TC. The TC may not adopt standing
rules or other Resolutions related to IPR, quorum requirements, membership,
voting, participation, or that otherwise conflict with or supersede any
OASIS Board-approved policy. Standing rules must be communicated to the
TC Administrator, who may override them if they are in conflict with
OASIS policy, and must be published on the TC's web page.
|
2(j). TC Procedure
The operation of TCs shall
be governed by Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, insofar as such
rules are not inconsistent with or in conflict with this TC Process, with
the OASIS Bylaws, or with provisions of law. The duration of a TC shall
be considered a single session. Formal actions of TCs shall be governed
by the same rules regardless of the language in which the work is taking
place.
Standing rules may be
adopted by the TC by majority vote. Standing rules must be communicated
to the TC Administrator who may override them if they are conflict with
OASIS policy, and must be published on the TC's web page. The TC may not
adopt any standing rule in relation to intellectual property rights.
Contributions to the TC,
and work created by the TC, must comply with the OASIS IPR Policy.
|
2.10. TC Meetings
TC meetings must be properly
called and scheduled in advance using the OASIS electronic collaborative
tools. Meetings scheduled or conducted in such a manner as to exclude the
participation of any Member is subject to appeal. Meetings may be conducted
face-to-face or via telephone conference or other electronic media that
allow participation of all Members of the TC. Meeting minutes must be
recorded and published to the TC's general email list and referenced on
the TC web page.
Without a quorum present
discussions may take place but no business may be conducted; those present
may act as a "Committee of the Whole" as defined in Robert's Rules of
Order Newly Revised, and make a report to the entire TC. Attendance must
be recorded in the meeting minutes. Meetings without quorum shall still
count towards attendance for purposes of Members gaining, maintaining,
or losing voting rights.
|
2(k). TC Meetings
"TC meeting" shall be
construed to include telephone conferences and video conferences as well
as face-to-face meetings.
|
2.11. TC Charter Clarification
A TC may clarify its Charter
only for the purpose of removing ambiguity or for narrowing the scope
of the topic defined by the Charter. The TC may not broaden or otherwise
change its scope of the topic of work. The list of deliverables may be
expanded only if the new deliverables are within the scope of the topic.
Approval for clarification
shall require a Special Majority Vote of the TC. The clarification of
the Charter may occur no earlier than the first meeting of the TC. The
TC Chair shall notify the TC Administrator that a motion has been made
to clarify the Charter, and the TC Administrator shall set up and conduct
the ballot.
The TC Administrator may
prevent the proposed clarification from coming to vote if it is not in
conformance with OASIS policies. The TC Administrator must within 15
days either open the ballot or reply to the TC with the reason why the
change cannot be voted upon. The clarified Charter shall not take effect
until approved and announced by the TC Administrator. The TC Administrator
shall publicize approved changes as specified in Section 2.8 and any revisable
publicly visible description (e.g., web page) promulgated by the TC shall
be updated to reflect such changes.
|
2(l). TC Charter Clarification
The TC may clarify its
charter only for the purpose of removing ambiguity or for narrowing the scope
of the topic defined by the charter. The TC may not broaden or otherwise
change its scope of the topic of work. The list of deliverables may be
expanded if the new deliverables are within the scope of the topic; work
on a further version of a specification after completion of the original
deliverable requires a clarification of the charter.
Approval for clarification
shall require at least 2/3 of the total membership of a TC voting to approve
and no more than 1/4 voting to disapprove. The clarification of the charter
may occur no earlier than the first meeting of the TC.
The clarification must
be reported to the OASIS TC Administration who has the authority to overturn
these changes if they are not in conformance with OASIS policies. The
TC Administrator must within 15 days either make the approval and announcement
to members or reply to the TC with the reason why the change cannot be
approved. The changed charter will not take effect until approved and announced
by the TC Administrator. OASIS TC Administration will publicize approved
changes as specified in the section "TC Visibility" and any revisable publicly
visible description (e.g., web page) promulgated by the TC shall be updated
to reflect such changes.
|
2.12. TC Rechartering
A TC may be rechartered
for purposes of expanding the scope of the TC. The TC shall retain the
name of the predecessor, and all email lists and archives, web pages,
etc. shall move from the predecessor TC to the rechartered TC. However,
any Contributions made to the previous TC must be recontributed.
The rechartering may not
change the IPR Mode of the TC; if a different IPR Mode is required then
a new TC (with a unique name) must be formed.
A proposal to recharter
the TC must be submitted to the TC Administrator, which proposal shall be
in all respects the same as a proposal to form a new TC with the exception
that the TC name and IPR Mode shall be the same as the predecessor TC.
The TC Administrator shall reply to the proposers within 15 days, and
if the proposal is complete shall schedule a ballot. Approval for rechartering
shall require a Special Majority Vote of the TC being rechartered.
Upon approval of the ballot,
the TC Administrator shall announce the newly rechartered TC in the same
manner as a new TC. Membership in the rechartered TC shall be determined
in the same manner as for a new TC. The predecessor TC shall be closed
at the end of the day prior to the date of the first meeting of the rechartered
TC. The time period for determining Members' Participation Obligation shall
restart at the first meeting of the new TC.
|
|
2.13. TC Voting
TC votes require a Simple
Majority Vote to pass, except as noted elsewhere in this Process. All
TC ballots requiring a Special Majority Vote for approval must be conducted
by the TC Administrator; the TC Chair shall notify the TC Administrator
that a motion has been made which requires a Special Majority Vote, and
the TC Administrator shall set up and conduct the ballot.
|
2(m). TC Voting
* * * [see below]
|
Eligibility: A
Member of a TC must have voting rights to make or second a motion, and must
have voting rights at the time a ballot is opened in order to vote on that
ballot. Every Voting Member of a TC has a single vote. Organizations
do not vote in TCs. Proxies shall not be allowed in TC voting.
|
Eligibility.
Every Member of a TC has a single vote. Organizations do not vote in TCs.
Proxies shall not be allowed in TC voting.
TC votes require a simple
majority of quorum to pass, except as noted elsewhere in this document.
|
Electronic Voting:
TCs may conduct electronic ballots, either by using the TC's general mail
list or the publicly archived electronic voting functionality provided by
OASIS. The minimum period allowed for electronic voting shall be seven
calendar days; the TC may specify a longer voting period for a particular
electronic ballot. Any Specification Ballot conducted as an electronic
ballot must permit each voter to choose "yes", "no" or "abstain."
A motion to open an electronic
ballot must be made in a TC meeting unless the TC has adopted a standing
rule to allow this motion to be made on the TC's general email list.
When such a rule has been adopted, motions made on the mail list must
also be seconded and discussed on that list.
|
Electronic Voting.
TCs may conduct electronic ballots via the TC's general mail list or the
publicly archived electronic voting functionality provided by OASIS. The
minimum period allowed for electronic voting shall be seven calendar days,
unless the TC specifies a longer voting period for a particular ballot.
For the purposes of electronic voting, a vote is valid only when a majority
of TC members who are eligible at the beginning of the vote have cast ballots,
and a majority (or super majority, when required) of the ballots cast will
decide the issue.
A TC may adopt a standing
rule allowing for members to make motions via the TC's general mail list;
seconding of the motion and discussion would also take place via the mail
list, with voting via the mail list or the publicly archived electronic
voting functionality provided by OASIS. In the absence of such a standing
rule motions may only be made in a TC meeting.
|
2.14. TC Subcommittees
The TC may by Resolution
create a subcommittee (SC). The Resolution must be minuted, and must
include the name, statement of purpose, list of deliverables, and name
of the Chair of the SC. All of these items must fall within the Charter
of the TC and conform to OASIS policy.
The deliverables of the
SC are made only to the TC. Members of the SC must first be Members of the
TC. Observers of a TC may be Observers of a SC, but may not become SC members
without first becoming a Member of the TC. An SC member may resign from
the SC and remain a Member of the TC.
|
2(n). TC Subcommittees
The TC may by resolution
create a subcommittee (SC). The resolution must be minuted, and must
include the name, statement of purpose, list of deliverables, and name
of the chair of the SC. All of these items must fall within the charter
of the TC and conform to OASIS policy. The deliverables of the SC are
made only to the TC. Members of the SC must first be members of the TC.
An SC member may resign from the SC and remain a member of the TC.
|
2.15. Closing a TC
A TC may be closed by
Full Majority Vote of the TC, by Resolution of the OASIS Board of Directors,
or by the OASIS TC Administrator.
The TC Administrator must
close a TC that has completed the deliverables listed in its Charter
if the TC does not add new deliverables.
The TC Administrator may
close a TC that fails to conduct at least one Quorate Meeting or conduct
any Specification Ballots during any six month period; whose membership
falls below the Minimum Membership; which has not completed its deliverables
within the schedule listed in its Charter; or which has failed to show
progress towards achieving its purpose as defined by its Charter.
|
2(o). Closing a TC
TC Administration may
close any TC that fails to conduct at least one quorate meeting or conduct
any electronic ballots during any six month period; whose voting membership
falls below three members; has reached its completion date; or has failed
to show progress towards achieving its purpose as defined by its charter.
TC Administration must close a TC that has completed its deliverables. A
TC can be closed by resolution of its members or by resolution of the Board.
|
2.16. TC Coordination
Coordination among TCs
shall take place through the action of voluntary Joint Committees (JCs).
The purpose of a JC is
only to coordinate the technical activities of multiple TCs, is advisory
only to those TCs, and has no deliverables. A TC shall have no obligation
to abide by any decision arrived at in a JC to which it contributes membership.
A JC is formed upon the
proposal from the Chairs of at least two OASIS TCs who wish to form the
JC. The Chairs of all TCs named in the proposal should be co-proposers.
The proposal must be submitted to the OASIS TC Administrator, and shall
be written in English, provided in electronic form as plain text, and
include the following information:
|
2(p). TC Coordination
Coordination among TCs
shall take place through the action of voluntary Joint Committees (JCs).
The purpose of a JC is
to coordinate the technical activities of multiple TCs, is advisory only
to those TCs, and has no deliverables. A TC shall have no obligation to
abide by any decision arrived at in a JC to which it contributes membership.
A JC is formed upon the
proposal from the chairs of at least two OASIS TCs who wish to form the
JC. The chairs of all TCs named in the proposal should be co-proposers.
The proposal must be submitted to the OASIS TC Administrator, and shall
be written in English, provided in electronic form as plain text, and
include the following information:
|
1. The name of the JC,
such name not to have been previously used for an OASIS JC or TC.
2. A statement of purpose,
which must be germane to the mission of OASIS and to the member TCs.
3. The language in which
the JC shall conduct business.
4. The date and time
of the first JC meeting, and whether it will be held in person or by
telephone or other electronic means. The first JC meeting may be held
no less than 30 days after the announcement of its formation in the case
of a telephone or electronic meeting, and no less than 45 days after the
announcement of its formation in the case of a face-to-face meeting.
5. The proposed on-going
meeting schedule for the JC.
6. A list of all the
TCs that will cooperate in the work of the JC.
7. The names, electronic
mail addresses, and membership affiliations of one or two members of
each of the proposing TCs who have been selected to represent the TC;
provided that no individual named in the proposal shall be allowed to
represent more than one TC in meeting this requirement.
8. The name of the JC
convener.
9. The names of meeting
sponsors, if any.
|
* The name of the JC,
such name not to have been previously used for an OASIS JC or TC;
* A statement of purpose,
which must be germane to the mission of OASIS and to the member TCs;
* The language in which
the JC will conduct business;
* The date and time of
the first JC meeting, and whether it will be held in person or by phone.
The first JC meeting may be held no less than 30 days after the announcement
of its formation in the case of a telephone meeting and no less than 45
days after the announcement of its formation in the case of a face-to-face
meeting;
* The proposed on-going
meeting schedule for the JC;
* A list of all the TCs
that will cooperate in the work of the JC;
* The names, electronic
mail addresses, and membership affiliations of one or two members of
each of the proposing TCs who have been selected to represent the TC;
provided that no individual named in the proposal shall be allowed to
represent more than one TC in meeting this requirement.
* The name of the JC convener;
and
* The names of meeting
sponsors, if any.
|
No later than 15 days
following the submission, the TC Administrator shall either announce the
formation of the JC to the members of OASIS, or return the submission to
its originators with an explanation of its failure to meet the requirements
set forth in this section. If the submission is accepted, the TC Administrator
shall form an electronic mail list for the JC.
TCs not named in the proposal
can join the JC at its first meeting by notifying the JC convener 15
days before the JC's first meeting of the TC's intent to send a representative,
and by having one or two representatives at that meeting.
TCs not joining the JC
at the first meeting may join later by sending a notice to the JC Chair
requesting JC membership for the TC. The JC must respond to the TC within
45 days either accepting or rejecting the request for membership. If the
request for membership is accepted the TC must send a representative to
a JC meeting within 45 days after the response, or to the first meeting
following that period if no meeting is held during that period. If the
request for membership is rejected the applicant TC may appeal to the
TC Administrator.
At the first meeting the
JC must elect a Chair. Once the Chair is elected the role of Convener
ends.
|
No later than 15 days
following the submission, OASIS TC administration shall either announce
the formation of the JC to the members of OASIS, or return the submission
to its originators with an explanation of its failure to meet the requirements
set forth in this section. If the submission is accepted, OASIS TC administration
shall form an electronic mail list for the JC.
TCs not named in the proposal
can join the JC at its first meeting by notifying the JC convener 15
days before the JC's first meeting of the TC's intent to send a representative,
and by having a one or two representatives at that meeting.
TCs not joining the JC
at the first meeting may join later by sending a notice to the JC chair
requesting JC membership for the TC. The JC must respond to the TC within
45 days either accepting or rejecting the request for membership. If the
request for membership is accepted the TC must send a representative to
a JC meeting within 45 days after the response, or to the first meeting
following that period if no meeting is held during that period. If the
request for membership is rejected the applicant TC may appeal to the
TC Administrator.
At the first meeting the
JC must elect a chair. Once the chair is elected the role of convener
ends.
|
The members of the JC
are the TCs. Each TC may send one or two representatives to meetings
of the JC, and each TC shall have one vote. A single person may not represent
more than one TC in the JC. The representatives of the member TCs shall
be subscribed to the JC's email list.
To maintain its membership
in the JC a TC must have a representative at two out of three consecutive
JC meetings. If a TC is not represented at two out of three consecutive
meetings the JC Chair shall send a notice to the TC Chair; if a representative
of the TC does not attend the following meeting then the TC shall be dropped
from membership in the JC.
|
The members of the JC
are the TCs. Each TC may send one or two representatives to meetings
of the JC, and each TC will have one vote. Quorum is equal to 50% (rounded
up) of the number of TCs constituting the JC.
A single person may not
represent more than one TC in the JC. The representatives of the member
TCs will be subscribed to the JC's email list.
To maintain its membership
in the JC a TC must have a representative at two out of three consecutive
JC meetings. If a TC is not represented at two out of three consecutive
meetings the JC chair will send a notice to the TC chair; if a representative
of the TC does not attend the following meeting then the TC will be dropped
from membership in the JC.
|
The Chair of the JC must
be one of the representatives of the member TCs. Eligible Persons who
are not representing a member TC may attend meetings as observers.
|
The chair of the JC must
be one of the representatives of the member TCs. Eligible Persons who
are not representing a member TC may attend meetings as observers.
|
The TC Administrator may
close any JC that does not hold a meeting or conduct any electronic discussion
in any six month period, or whose membership is less than two TCs. The
JC can also be closed by Resolution of its members.
|
The TC Administrator may
close any JC that does not hold a meeting or conduct any electronic discussion
in any six month period, or whose membership is less than two TCs. The
JC can also be closed by resolution of its members.
|
2.17. Intellectual
Property Rights Procedures
The TC shall operate in
accordance with the OASIS Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy.
Notices of Disclosed Claims,
as defined in and required by the OASIS IPR Policy, shall be made by
sending an email message to the TC Administrator, who shall post the disclosure
on the TC's web page and notify the TC via the TC general email list.
The TC shall make no formal decision with regard to the applicability or
validity of an IPR disclosure.
Contributions, as defined
in the OASIS IPR Policy, shall be made by sending to the TC's general
email list either the contribution, or a notice that the contribution
has been submitted to the TC's document repository; a URL or other reference
to the document is not sufficient. Written contributions must be converted
to electronic format and submitted to the TC's general email list or document
repository. The TC is not required to acknowledge or use any Contribution.
|
|
2.18. Specification
Quality
All documents and other
files produced by the TC, including specifications at any level of approval,
must use the OASIS file naming scheme, and must include the OASIS copyright
notice. All document files must also use the OASIS document templates.
The name of any specification may not include any trademarks or service
marks not owned by OASIS.
The specification must
include a list of people who participated in the development of the specification.
This list shall be initially compiled by the Chair, and any Member of
the TC may add or remove their names from the list by request.
Editable formats of all
versions of TC documents must be submitted to the TC's document repository.
TC Working Drafts may be in any format (i.e. produced by any application).
All TC-approved versions of documents (i.e. Committee Drafts, Public Review
Drafts, and Committee Specifications) must be submitted to the TC's document
repository in the editable source, HTML, and PDF formats. Any links published
by the TC shall be to the HTML and/or PDF formats stored in the TC's document
repository.
All schema and XML instances,
whether by inclusion or by reference, including fragments of such, must
be well formed. All expressions must be valid. All machine-processable
schemas, XML instances etc. that are part of the specification must be
available separately in their own plain text file with their own file name.
A specification may be
composed of any number of files of different types, though any such multi-part
specification must have a single specification name and version number.
Irrespective of the number and status of the constituent parts, the specification
as a whole must be approved by a single TC ballot. Any change made to a
specification requires a new version or revision number, except for changes
made to the title page and in the running footer noting the approval status
and date, which must be made after the approval of the specification.
|
[Sec. 3(a) (part):]
The name of a Committee Draft may not include any trademarks or
service marks not owned by OASIS. The Committee Draft must use the OASIS-approved
document templates and naming, and must include the OASIS copyright.
|
2.19. Application to
Existing TCs
This TC Process applies
to previously established TCs upon its adoption.
|
2(r). Application to
Existing TCs
This TC Process applies
to previously established TCs upon its adoption.
|
Section 3. Standards
Approval Process
3.1. Approval of a
Committee Draft
The TC may at any stage
during development of a specification approve the specification as a
Committee Draft. The approval of a Committee Draft shall require a Full
Majority Vote of the TC. The TC may approve a specification, revise it,
and re-approve it any number of times as a Committee Draft.
|
Section 3. Standards
Approval Process
* * * [see below]
|
3.2. Public Review
Before the TC can approve
its Committee Draft as a Committee Specification the TC must conduct a
public review of the work. The decision by the TC to submit the specification
for public review requires a Full Majority Vote. The Committee Draft approved
to go to review shall be called a Public Review Draft. The public review
must be announced by the TC Administrator on the OASIS members email list
and optionally on other public mail lists; the TC Administrator shall at
the same time issue a Call For IPR Disclosure.
Comments from non-TC Members
must be collected via the TC's archived public comment facility; comments
submitted through any other means shall not be accepted. The TC must
track the comments received as well as the disposition of each comment.
No changes may be made
to the Public Review Draft during a review. If changes are required
the specification must be withdrawn from review then resubmitted.
The TC may conduct any
number of review cycles (i.e. approval to send a Committee Draft to Public
Review, collecting comments, making edits to the specification, etc.).
The first public review of a specification must take place for a minimum
of 60 days, and any subsequent reviews must be held for a minimum of
15 days. Changes made to a specification after a review must be clearly
identified in any subsequent review, and the subsequent review shall be
limited in scope to changes made in the previous review. Before starting
another review cycle the specification must be re-approved as a Committee
Draft and then approved to go to public review by the TC.
If Substantive Changes
are made to the specification after the public review, whether as a result
of public review comments or from Member input, then the TC must conduct
another review cycle. The specification may not be considered for approval
by the TC as a Committee Specification until it has undergone a review
cycle during which it has received no comments that result in Substantive
Changes to the specification.
|
[Sec. 3(b) part:]
Public Review:
Before the TC can submit
its Committee Draft to OASIS membership for review and approval as an
OASIS Standard, the TC must conduct a public review of the work. The
decision by the TC to submit the work for public review requires a majority
vote. The review must be announced by the TC Administrator on the OASIS
members mail list and optionally on other public mail lists. Review must
take place for a minimum of 30 days, during which time no changes may
be made to the document.
Comments must be collected
via the TC's archived public comment facility. The TC must record the comments
received as well as the resolution of those comments.
The TC may conduct any
number of additional review cycles (i.e. collecting comments, making edits
to the specification, sending out a revised version for review again, etc.)
before deciding that the review is complete.
If substantive changes
are made to the specification after the start of the public review then
the TC should conduct another review cycle. After the conclusion of the
review and final changes to the document, the TC must re-approve the work
as a Committee Draft before submitting it to OASIS.
|
3.3. Approval of a
Committee Specification
After the public review
of a Public Review Draft the TC may approve the specification as a Committee
Specification. The approval of a Committee Specification shall require
a Special Majority Vote. The TC Chair shall notify the TC Administrator
that the TC is ready to vote on the approval of the specification, and
provide to the TC Administrator the location of the editable versions
of the specification files. The TC Administrator shall set up and conduct
the ballot to approve the Committee Specification.
|
3(a). Approval of a
Committee Draft
[part:] Upon completion
of a specification the TC may approve the work as a Committee Draft.
The approval of a Committee Draft shall require at least 2/3 of the total
membership of a TC voting to approve and no more than 1/4 voting to disapprove.
OASIS TC Administration
must be notified at the completion of any ballot to approve a Committee
Draft, regardless of the outcome of the ballot.
* * *
|
3.4. Approval of an
OASIS Standard
Simultaneously with the
approval of a Committee Specification or at a later date, a TC may resolve
by Special Majority Vote to submit the Committee Specification to the membership
of OASIS for consideration as an OASIS Standard. Upon resolution of the
TC to submit the specification, its Chair shall submit the following items
to the TC Administrator:
|
3(b). Approval of an
OASIS Standard
[part:] Member Approval:
A TC may recommend that the Committee Draft be made an OASIS Standard.
Upon resolution of the TC to move the specification forward, its chair shall
submit the following items to OASIS TC Administration:
|
|
* A statement from the
chair of the TC certifying that all members of the TC have been provided
with a copy of the OASIS IPR Policy; and
|
1. Links to the approved
Committee Specification in the TC's document repository, and any appropriate
supplemental documentation for the specification, both of which must be
written using the OASIS templates. The specification may not have been
changed between its approval as a Committee Specification and its submission
to OASIS for consideration as an OASIS Standard, except for the changes
on the title page and running footer noting the approval status and date.
|
|
2. The editable version of all files that are part of the Committee Specification;
|
|
3. Certification by the TC that all schema and XML instances included in the specification, whether by inclusion or reference, including fragments of such, are well formed, and that all expressions are valid;
|
* A formal specification that is a valid member of its type, together with appropriate documentation for the specification, both of which must be written using approved OASIS templates;
|
4. A clear English-language summary of the specification;
|
* A clear English-language summary of the specification;
|
5. A statement regarding the relationship of this specification to similar work of other OASIS TCs or other standards developing organizations;
|
* A statement regarding the relationship of this specification to similar work of other OASIS TCs or other standards developing organizations;
|
6. Certification by at least three OASIS member organizations that they are successfully using the specification;
|
* Certification by at least three OASIS member organizations that they are successfully using the specification consistently with the OASIS IPR Policy;
|
7. The beginning and ending dates of the public review(s), a pointer to the announcement of the public review(s), and a pointer to an account of each of the comments/issues raised during the public review period(s), along with its resolution;
|
* An account of each of the comments/issues raised during the public review period, along with its resolution;
|
8. An account of and results of the voting to approve the specification as a Committee Specification, including the date of the ballot and a pointer to the ballot;
|
* An account of and results of the voting to approve the approve the specification as a Committee Draft;
|
9. An account of or pointer to votes and comments received in any earlier attempts to standardize substantially the same specification, together with the originating TC's response to each comment;
|
* An account of or pointer to votes and comments received in any earlier attempts to standardize substantially the same specification, together with the origin
|
10. A pointer to the publicly visible comments archive for the originating TC;
|
* A pointer to the publicly visible comments archive for the originating TC;ating TC's response to each comment;
|
11. A pointer to any minority reports submitted by one or more Members who did not vote in favor of approving the Committee Specification, which report may include statements regarding why the member voted against the specification or that the member believes that Substantive Changes were made which have not gone through public review; or certification by the Chair that no minority reports exist.
|
* Optionally, a pointer to any minority reports submitted by one or more TC members who did not vote in favor of approving the Committee Draft, or certification by the
chair that no minority reports exist.
|
The above submission must be made by the 15th of any month to the TC Administrator, who shall have until the end of the month to complete administrative processing and checking for completeness and correctness of the submission. If the submission is incomplete it shall be rejected but may be resubmitted at a later time.
No part of the submission may be changed after being submitted to the TC Administrator. The TC that originated the specification may resolve by Special Majority Vote to withdraw the proposed specification at any point after it is submitted to the TC Administrator for administrative processing and before the start of the voting period.
|
The above submission must be made by the 15th of any month to OASIS TC Administration, who shall have until the end of the calendar month to complete administrative processing and checking for completeness of the submission. If the submission is incomplete it will be rejected but may be resubmitted later.
* * *
The TC that originated the specification may, by formal resolution, withdraw the proposed specification at any point after it is submitted to OASIS TC Administration for administrative processing and before the end of the voting period.
|
Errata or Corrigenda to a Committee Specification are not permitted after its submission; if changes are required the Committee Specification must be withdrawn by the TC, edited, re-approved as a Committee Specification, then resubmitted.
|
Errata or Corrigenda to a submission are not permitted; if changes are required the Committee Draft must be withdrawn by the TC, edited, re-approved as a Committee Draft, then resubmitted.
|
The TC Administrator shall submit the proposal to the OASIS membership by the first day of the following month. The first 15 days of that month shall be used by the membership to familiarize themselves with the submission. Voting shall start on the 16th of the month. The voting representatives of those organizational members of OASIS who were members at the beginning of the familiarization period are eligible to vote, and must submit their ballots by the end of the month.
|
OASIS TC Administration shall submit the proposal to the OASIS membership by the first day of the following month. The first 15 days of that month will be used by the membership to familiarize themselves with the submission. Voting will take place starting the 16th of the month. Those organizational members of OASIS who were members at the beginning of the familiarization period are eligible to vote, and must submit their ballots by the end of the month.
|
In votes upon proposed OASIS Standards, each OASIS organizational member shall be entitled to cast one vote. Votes shall be cast via the publicly archived electronic voting facility supplied by OASIS. Ballots shall be publicly visible during voting and may be changed up until the end of the voting period. The results of a vote on a proposed standard shall be provided to the membership and to the TC no later than seven days following the close of the voting period.
If at the end of the voting period at least 15 percent of the voting membership has voted to approve the proposed standard, and if no votes have been cast to disapprove the proposed standard, it shall become an OASIS Standard immediately following the end of the voting period. However, if negative votes amounting to less than 15 percent of the voting membership have been cast, the TC shall be notified of the negative votes, after which the TC shall have 30 days to take one of the following actions by Resolution of a Special Majority Vote: (a) request the TC Administrator to approve the specification as submitted despite the negative votes; (b) withdraw the submission entirely; or (c) submit an amended specification, in which case the amended submission shall be considered as if it were a new submission, except that information regarding previous votes and any disposition of comments received in previous votes shall accompany the amended submission.
If at the end of the voting period less than 15 percent of the voting membership has voted to approve the proposed standard, or if at the end of the voting period 15 percent or more of the voting membership has voted to disapprove the proposed standard, or if the originating TC upon notification of negative votes takes no formal action within the 30 days allocated for consideration of the results, then the specification shall not become an OASIS Standard. This shall not prevent a later version of the same specification from being submitted again as specified in this section.
|
In votes upon proposed OASIS Standards, each OASIS organizational member shall be entitled to cast one vote. Votes shall be cast via the publicly archived electronic voting facility supplied by OASIS. Ballots will be publicly visible during voting and may be changed up until the end of the voting period. The results of a vote on a proposed standard shall be provided to the membership and to the TC no later than seven days following the close of the voting period.
If at the end of the voting period at least 15 percent of the voting membership has voted to approve the proposed standard, then if no votes have been cast to disapprove the proposed standard, it shall become an OASIS Standard immediately following the end of the voting period. However, if negative votes amounting to less than 15 percent of the voting membership have been cast, the TC will be notified of the negative votes, after which the TC shall have 30 days to take one of the following actions by resolution: (a) request OASIS TC Administration to approve the specification as submitted despite the negative votes; (b) withdraw the submission entirely; or (c) submit an amended specification, in which case the amended submission shall be considered as if it were a new submission, except that information regarding previous votes and any disposition of comments received in previous votes shall accompany the amended submission.
If at the end of the voting period less than 15 percent of the voting membership has voted to approve the proposed standard, or if at the end of the voting period 15 percent or more of the voting membership has voted to disapprove the proposed standard, or if the originating TC upon notification of negative votes takes no formal action within the 30 days allocated for consideration of the results, then the specification shall not become an OASIS Standard. This shall not prevent a later version of the same specification from being submitted again as specified in this section
|
No changes may be made to the specification after approval as an OASIS Standard except for the changes on the title page and running footer noting the approval status and date.
|
|
Section 4. Board of Directors Involvement in the Standards Process
4.1. OASIS TC Administrator
The "OASIS TC Administrator," as defined in Section 1 of this TC Process, shall act as the Technical Committee Liaison to the Board for the purpose of keeping the Board apprised of activities related to the TC Process. The specific duties of the TC Liaison shall be specified by the Board in consultation with the TC Administrator but shall, at a minimum, provide for the submission to the Board of a notice when a proposal has been received for the creation of a new TC and when a TC submits a Committee Specification to OASIS for consideration as an OASIS Standard. Such notice shall be submitted via email to the Board immediately upon the receipt of the submission by the TC Administrator. The TC Administrator shall also send a copy of proposals for the creation of new TCs to the Technical Advisory Board (TAB) for their comment.
|
Section 4. Board of Directors Involvement in the Standards Process
The OASIS Board of Directors shall appoint a member of "OASIS TC Administration," as defined in Section 1 of this TC Process, to act as the Technical Committee ("TC") Liaison to the Board for the purpose of keeping the Board apprised of activities related to the TC Process. The specific duties of the TC Liaison shall be specified by the Board in conjunction with OASIS TC Administration but shall, at a minimum, provide for the submission to the Board of a notice when a proposal has been received for the creation of a new TC and when a TC submits a Committee Draft to OASIS for consideration. Such notice shall be submitted via email to the Board immediately upon the receipt of the submission by OASIS TC Administration.
|
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this TC Process, upon majority vote of the members of the Board at a meeting thereof duly called and constituted, the creation of a new TC may be prevented, or a proposed OASIS Standard may be withheld from voting by OASIS membership; the proposal or the submission shall be returned to the proposers or the sponsoring TC for additional consideration, with an explanation of the reasons for such action.
|
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this TC Process, upon majority vote of the members of the Board at a meeting thereof duly called and constituted, the creation of a new TC may be prevented, or a proposed OASIS Standard may be withheld from voting by OASIS membership; the proposal or the submission will be returned to the proposers or the sponsoring TC for additional consideration, with an explanation of the reasons for such action.
|
The Board of Directors may amend this TC Process at any time and from time to time at its sole discretion.
|
The Board of Directors may amend this TC Process at any time and from time to time at its sole discretion.
|
4.2. Appeals
Any group of three or more Eligible Persons who believe that an action taken or not taken by or with respect to TCs, or actions taken or not taken by the TC Administrator, is in violation of the procedures set forth in this TC Process or OASIS policies specified by the OASIS Board of Directors may appeal such action or inaction. Appellants shall file a complaint within 30 days of the action being appealed or at any time with respect to an inaction. The complaint shall state the nature of the objection(s), including any direct and material adverse effects upon the appellants; the section(s) of this TC Process or OASIS policies at issue; the actions or inactions at issue; and the specific remedial action(s) that would satisfy the appellants' concerns. Previous efforts to resolve the objection(s) and the outcome of each shall be noted. Appeals regarding actions of a TC must be made to the TC Administrator. Appeals regarding actions of the TC Administrator must be made to the Chairman of the OASIS Board of Directors.
|
2(q). Appeals
Any group of three or more Eligible Persons who believe that an action taken or not taken by or with respect to TCs, or actions taken or not taken by the TC Administrator, is in violation of the procedures set forth in this TC Process or OASIS policies specified by the OASIS Board of Directors may appeal such action or inaction. Appeals regarding actions of a TC must be made to the TC Administrator, and appeals regarding actions of the TC Administrator must be made to the Chairman of the OASIS Board of Directors. Appellants shall file a complaint within 30 days of the action being appealed or at any time with respect to an inaction. The complaint shall state the nature of the objection(s), including any direct and material adverse effects upon the appellants; the section(s) of this TC Process or OASIS policies at issue; the actions or inactions at issue; and the specific remedial action(s) that would satisfy the appellants' concerns. Previous efforts to resolve the objection(s) and the outcome of each shall be noted.
|
In the case of an appeal to the TC Administrator: within 15 days of receipt of the complaint, the TC Administrator shall provide a copy of the complaint to the TC; and within 30 days of such receipt, shall respond to the appellants, with a copy to the TC, addressing each allegation of fact in the complaint to the extent of the TC Administrator's knowledge. If the appellants and the TC Administrator are unable to resolve the complaint within 15 days following the response, the TC Administrator shall notify the Chairman of the Board of Directors, who shall follow the procedure below.
|
In the case of an appeal to the TC Administrator, within 30 days of receipt of the complaint, the TC Administration shall respond to the appellants, addressing each allegation of fact in the complaint to the extent of the TC Administration's knowledge. If the appellants and the TC administration are unable to resolve the complaint within 15 days following the response, the TC Administration shall schedule a hearing before the OASIS Board of Directors at the next regular Board meeting. In such a hearing, appellants shall have the burden of demonstrating adverse effects, improper action or inaction, and the efficacy of the requested remedial action. The Board shall render its decision within 30 days. The decision of the Board shall be final.
|
In the case of an appeal to the Board, within 15 days of receipt of the complaint, the Chairman of the Board shall provide a copy of the complaint to the TC; and within 30 days of such receipt, shall respond to the appellants, with a copy to the TC, addressing each allegation of fact in the complaint to the extent of the Board's knowledge. If this response is not acceptable to the appellants they may request a hearing before the OASIS Board of Directors at the next regular Board meeting. In such a hearing, appellants shall have the burden of demonstrating adverse effects, improper action or inaction, and the efficacy of the requested remedial action. The Board shall render its decision within 30 days. The decision of the Board shall be final.
|
In the case of an appeal to the Board, within 30 days of receipt of the complaint, the Chairman of the Board will respond to the appellants, addressing each allegation of fact in the complaint to the extent of the Board's knowledge. If this response is not acceptable to the appellants they may request a hearing before the OASIS Board of Directors at the next regular Board meeting. In such a hearing, appellants shall have the burden of demonstrating adverse effects, improper action or inaction, and the efficacy of the requested remedial action. The Board shall render its decision within 30 days. The decision of the Board shall be final.
|
The OASIS Board of Directors has the authority to effect such remedial action as may be necessary to remedy a complaint brought under this TC Process.
|
The OASIS Board of Directors has the authority to effect such remedial action as may be necessary to remedy a complaint brought under this TC Process.
|