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649 lines
38 KiB
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
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<title>6 Working Groups, Interest Groups, and Coordination Groups</title>
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<link rel="contents" href="cover.html#toc" />
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<div class="navbar"><map name="navbar-top" title="Navigation Bar" id=
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"navbar-top">
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<p>[<a accesskey="n" rel="Next" href="tr.html">next chapter</a>]
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[<a accesskey="p" rel="Prev" href="activities.html">previous chapter</a>]
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[<a accesskey="c" rel="Contents" href="cover.html#toc">contents</a>]</p>
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<hr /></map></div>
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</div>
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<h1>W3C Process Document</h1>
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<h2>6 <a name="GAGeneral" id="GAGeneral">Working Groups, Interest Groups, and
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Coordination Groups</a></h2>
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<div class="toc">
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<ul class="toc">
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<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ReqsAllGroups" class="tocxref">6.1 Requirements
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for All Working, Interest, and Coordination Groups</a></li>
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<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsWG" class="tocxref">6.2 Working Groups and
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Interest Groups</a>
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<ul class="toc">
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#group-participation" class="tocxref">6.2.1
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Working Group and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharterDevelopment" class="tocxref">6.2.2
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Working Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CharterReview" class="tocxref">6.2.3 Advisory
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Committee Review of a Working Group or Interest Group Charter</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#cfp" class="tocxref">6.2.4 Call for
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Participation in a Working Group or Interest Group</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#charter-extension" class="tocxref">6.2.5 Working
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Group and Interest Group Charter Extension</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharter" class="tocxref">6.2.6 Working Group
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and Interest Group Charters</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#three-month-rule" class="tocxref">6.2.7 Working
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Group "Heartbeat" Requirement</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#GeneralTermination" class="tocxref">6.2.8
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Working Group and Interest Group Closure</a></li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsCG" class="tocxref">6.3 Coordination
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Groups</a>
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<ul class="toc">
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGParticipation" class="tocxref">6.3.1
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Coordination Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGCreation" class="tocxref">6.3.2 Coordination
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Group Creation and Closure</a></li>
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<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGCharter" class="tocxref">6.3.3 Coordination
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Group Charters</a></li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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</ul>
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</div>
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<!--NewPage-->
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<!-- this is for html2ps -->
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<p><a name="GAGroups" id="GAGroups">This document defines three types of
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groups:</a></p>
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<ol>
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<li><a href="#GroupsWG">Working Groups.</a> Working Groups typically produce
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deliverables (e.g., <a href="tr.html#rec-advance">Recommendation Track
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technical reports</a>, software, test suites, and reviews of the deliverables
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of other groups). There are <a href="#good-standing">Good Standing</a>
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requirements for Working Group participation as well as additional
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participation requirements described in the <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
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"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</li>
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<li><a href="#GroupsIG">Interest Groups.</a> The primary goal of an Interest
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Group is to bring together people who wish to evaluate potential Web
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technologies and policies. An Interest Group is a forum for the exchange of
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ideas.</li>
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<li><a href="#GroupsCG">Coordination Groups.</a> A Coordination Group manages
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dependencies and facilitates communication with other groups, within or outside
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of W3C.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>Neither Interest Groups nor Coordination Groups publish <a href=
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"#rec-track-doc">Recommendation Track technical reports</a>; see information
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about <a href="#ig-cg-notes">maturity levels for Interest Groups and
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Coordination Groups</a>.</p>
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<h3>6.1 <a name="ReqsAllGroups" id="ReqsAllGroups">Requirements for All
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Working, Interest, and Coordination Groups</a></h3>
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<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a charter. Requirements
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for the charter depend on the group type. All group charters <span class=
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"rfc2119">MUST</span> be public (even if other proceedings of the group are
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<a href="comm.html#Member-only">Member-only</a>). Existing charters that are
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not yet public <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be made public when next
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revised or extended (with attention to <a href=
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"comm.html#confidentiality-change">changing confidentiality level</a>).</p>
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<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a name="GeneralChairs"
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id="GeneralChairs">Chair</a> (or co-Chairs) to coordinate the group's tasks.
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The Director appoints (and re-appoints) Chairs for all groups. The Chair is a
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<a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member representative</a>, a <a href=
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"organization.html#Team">Team representative</a>, or an <a href=
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"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert</a> (invited by the Director). The
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requirements of this document that apply to those types of participants apply
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to Chairs as well. The <a href="/Guide/chair-roles">role of the Chair
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[MEM14]</a> is described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">Member
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guide</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-guide">MEM9</a>].</p>
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<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a name="TeamContact"
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id="TeamContact">Team Contact</a>, who acts as the interface between the Chair,
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group participants, and the rest of the Team. The <a href=
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"/Guide/staff-contact">role of the Team Contact</a> is described in the Member
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guide. The Chair and the Team Contact of a group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD
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NOT</span> be the same individual.</p>
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<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have an archived mailing list
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for formal group communication (e.g., for meeting announcements and minutes,
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documentation of decisions, and <a href="policies.html#FormalObjection">Formal
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Objections</a> to decisions). It is the responsibility of the Chair and Team
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Contact to ensure that new participants are subscribed to all relevant mailing
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lists. Refer to the list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Mail/">group
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mailing lists</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-mailing-lists">MEM2</a>].</p>
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<p>A Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> form task forces (composed of group
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participants) to carry out assignments for the group. The scope of these
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assignments <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> exceed the scope of the
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group's charter. A group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> document the
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process it uses to create task forces (e.g., each task force might have an
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informal "charter"). Task forces do not publish <a href=
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"tr.html#Reports">technical reports</a>; the Working Group <span class=
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"rfc2119">MAY</span> choose to publish their results as part of a technical
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report.</p>
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<h3>6.2 <a name="GroupsWG" id="GroupsWG">Working Groups</a> and <a name=
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"GroupsIG" id="GroupsIG">Interest Groups</a></h3>
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<p>Although Working Groups and Interest Groups have different purposes, they
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share some characteristics, and so are defined together in the following
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sections.</p>
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<h4>6.2.1 <a name="group-participation" id="group-participation">Working Group
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and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></h4>
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<p>There are three types of individual <a name="wgparticipant" id=
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"wgparticipant">participants in a Working Group</a>: <a href=
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"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a>, <a href=
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"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>, and <a href=
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"organization.html#Team">Team representatives</a> (including the <a href=
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"#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>).</p>
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<p>There are four types of individual <a name="igparticipant" id=
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"igparticipant">participants in an Interest Group</a>: the same three types as
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for Working Groups plus, for an Interest Group where the only <a href=
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"#ig-mail-only">participation requirement is mailing list subscription</a>,
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<a name="public-participant-ig" id="public-participant-ig">public
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participants</a>.</p>
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<p>Except where noted in this document or in a group charter, all participants
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share the same rights and responsibilities in a group; see also the <a href=
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"policies.html#ParticipationCriteria">individual participation
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criteria</a>.</p>
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<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> represent at most one
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organization in a Working Group or Interest Group.</p>
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<p>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> become a Working or Interest
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Group participant at any time during the group's existence. See also relevant
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requirements in <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-join">section 4.3</a> of the
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<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
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[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
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<p>On an exceptional basis, a Working or Interest Group participant
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<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> designate a <a name="mtg-substitute" id=
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"mtg-substitute">substitute</a> to attend a <a href=
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"policies.html#GeneralMeetings">meeting</a> and <span class=
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"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> inform the Chair. The substitute <span class=
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"rfc2119">MAY</span> act on behalf of the participant, including for <a href=
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"policies.html#Votes">votes</a>. For the substitute to vote, the participant
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<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Chair in writing in advance. As a
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courtesy to the group, if the substitute is not well-versed in the group's
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discussions, the regular participant <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
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authorize another participant to act as <a href="policies.html#proxy">proxy</a>
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for votes. For the purposes of <a href="#good-standing">Good Standing</a>, the
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regular representative and the substitute are considered the same
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participant.</p>
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<p>To allow rapid progress, Working Groups are intended to be small (typically
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fewer than 15 people) and composed of experts in the area defined by the
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charter. In principle, Interest Groups have no limit on the number of
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participants. When a Working Group grows too large to be effective, W3C
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<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> split it into an Interest Group (a discussion
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forum) and a much smaller Working Group (a core group of highly dedicated
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participants).</p>
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<p>See also the licensing obligations on Working Group participants in <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section 3</a> of
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the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
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[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], and the patent claim
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exclusion process of <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Exclusion">section 4</a>.</p>
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<h5>6.2.1.1 <a name="member-rep-wg" id="member-rep-wg">Member
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Representative</a> in a Working Group</h5>
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<p>An individual is a Member representative in a Working Group if all of the
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following conditions are satisfied:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question has
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designated the individual as a Working Group participant, and</li>
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<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member
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representation</a>.</li>
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</ul>
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<p><a name="member-rep-info" id="member-rep-info">To designate an individual as
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a Member representative in a Working Group</a>, an Advisory Committee
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representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide the Chair and Team
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Contact with all of the following information, in addition to any other
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information required by the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a> and
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charter (including the participation requirements of the <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
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"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]):</p>
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<ol>
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<li>The name of the W3C Member the individual represents and whether the
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individual is an employee of that Member organization;</li>
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<li>A statement that the individual accepts the participation terms set forth
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in the charter (with an indication of charter date or version);</li>
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<li>A statement that the Member will provide the necessary financial support
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for participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and conferences).</li>
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</ol>
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<p>A Member participates in a Working Group from the moment the first Member
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representative joins the group until either of the following occurs:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>the group closes, or</li>
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<li>the Member <a href="policies.html#resignation">resigns</a> from the Working
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Group; this is done through the Member's Advisory Committee
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representative.</li>
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</ul>
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<h5>6.2.1.2 <a name="member-rep-ig" id="member-rep-ig">Member
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Representative</a> in an Interest Group</h5>
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<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
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Group mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Member representative
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in an Interest Group if all of the following conditions are satisfied:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question has
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designated the individual as an Interest Group participant, and</li>
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<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member
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representation</a>.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>To designate an individual as a Member representative in an Interest Group,
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the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> follow
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the instructions in the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a> and
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charter.</p>
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<p>Member participation in an Interest Group ceases under the same conditions
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as for a Working Group.</p>
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<h5>6.2.1.3 <a name="invited-expert-wg" id="invited-expert-wg">Invited
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Expert</a> in a Working Group</h5>
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<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with a
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particular expertise to participate in a Working Group. This individual
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<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> represent an organization in the group (e.g.,
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if acting as a liaison with another organization).</p>
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<p>An individual is an Invited Expert in a Working Group if all of the
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following conditions are satisfied:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>the Chair has designated the individual as a group participant,</li>
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<li>the Team Contact has agreed with the Chair's choice, and</li>
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<li>the individual has provided the <a href="#inv-expert-info">information
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required of an Invited Expert</a> to the Chair and Team Contact.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>To designate an individual as an Invited Expert in a Working Group, the
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Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Team Contact and provide
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rationale for the choice. When the Chair and the Team Contact disagree about a
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designation, the <a href="organization.html#def-Director">Director</a>
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determines whether the individual will be invited to participate in the Working
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Group.</p>
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<p><a name="inv-expert-info" id="inv-expert-info">To be able to participate in
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a Working Group as an Invited Expert</a>, an individual <span class=
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"rfc2119">MUST</span> do all of the following:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>identify the organization, if any, the individual represents as a
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|
participant in this group,</li>
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<li>agree to the terms of the <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">invited expert and
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collaborators agreement</a> [<a href=
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"refs.html#ref-invited-expert">PUB17</a>],</li>
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<li>accept the participation terms set forth in the charter (including the
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participation requirements of <a href=
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"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section 3</a>
|
|
(especially 3.4) and <a href=
|
|
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Disclosure">section 6</a>
|
|
(especially 6.10) of the <a href=
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|
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
|
|
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]). Indicate a specific charter date or
|
|
version,</li>
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|
<li>disclose whether the individual is an employee of a W3C Member; see the
|
|
<a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of interest policy</a>,</li>
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<li>provide a statement of who will provide the necessary financial support for
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the individual's participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and
|
|
conferences), and</li>
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|
<li>if the individual's employer (including a self-employed individual) or the
|
|
organization the individual represents is not a W3C Member, indicate whether
|
|
that organization intends to join W3C. If the organization does not intend to
|
|
join W3C, indicate reasons the individual is aware of for this choice.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> designate as an Invited
|
|
Expert in a Working Group an individual who is an employee of a W3C Member. The
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|
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> use Invited Expert status to
|
|
circumvent participation limits imposed by the <a href=
|
|
"#WGCharter">charter</a>.</p>
|
|
<p>An Invited Expert participates in a Working Group from the moment the
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|
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
|
|
<ul>
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<li>the group closes, or</li>
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<li>the Chair or Director withdraws the invitation to participate, or</li>
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<li>the individual <a href="policies.html#resignation">resigns</a>.</li>
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</ul>
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<h5>6.2.1.4 <a name="invited-expert-ig" id="invited-expert-ig">Invited
|
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Expert</a> in an Interest Group</h5>
|
|
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
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Group mailing list subscription</a>, the participation requirements for an
|
|
Invited Expert in an Interest Group are the same as those for an <a href=
|
|
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
|
|
<h5>6.2.1.5 <a name="team-rep-wg" id="team-rep-wg">Team Representative in a
|
|
Working Group</a></h5>
|
|
<p>An individual is a Team representative in a Working Group when so designated
|
|
by W3C management.</p>
|
|
<p>An Team representative participates in a Working Group from the moment the
|
|
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>the group closes, or</li>
|
|
<li>W3C management changes Team representation by sending email to the Chair,
|
|
cc'ing the group mailing list.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>The Team participates in a Working Group from the moment the Director
|
|
announces the creation of the group until the group closes.</p>
|
|
<h5>6.2.1.6 <a name="team-rep-ig" id="team-rep-ig">Team Representative in an
|
|
Interest Group</a></h5>
|
|
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
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Group mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Team representative in
|
|
an Interest Group when so designated by W3C management.</p>
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|
<h5>6.2.1.7 <a name="good-standing" id="good-standing">Good Standing in a
|
|
Working Group</a></h5>
|
|
<p>Participation by an individual in a Working Group on an ongoing basis
|
|
implies a serious commitment to the charter, including all of the
|
|
following:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>attending most meetings of the Working Group.</li>
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|
<li>providing deliverables or drafts of deliverables in a timely fashion.</li>
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|
<li>being familiar with the relevant documents of the Working Group, including
|
|
minutes of past meetings.</li>
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|
<li>following discussions on relevant mailing list(s).</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>At the first Working Group meeting that follows any <a href="#cfp">Call for
|
|
Participation</a>, all participants are in Good Standing. If a Member or
|
|
Invited Expert joins the Working Group after the end of that meeting, the
|
|
Member Representative or Invited Expert does not attain Good Standing until the
|
|
start of the second consecutive meeting that individual attends.</p>
|
|
<p>When the Chair and the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a> agree, the
|
|
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> declare that a participant is no longer
|
|
in Good Standing (henceforth called "Bad Standing"). If there is disagreement
|
|
between the Chair and the Team Contact about standing, the Director determines
|
|
the participant's standing. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> declare
|
|
a Team participant to be in Bad Standing, but it is clearly preferable for the
|
|
Chair, Team participant, and W3C management to resolve issues internally.</p>
|
|
<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be declared in Bad Standing
|
|
in any of the following circumstances:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>the individual has missed more than one of the last three <a href=
|
|
"policies.html#distributed-meeting">distributed meetings</a>.</li>
|
|
<li>the individual has missed more than one of the last three <a href=
|
|
"policies.html#ftf-meeting">face-to-face meetings</a>.</li>
|
|
<li>the individual has not provided deliverables in a timely fashion twice in
|
|
sequence.</li>
|
|
<li>the individual has not followed the <a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of
|
|
interest policy</a> by disclosing information to the rest of the group.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>Although all participants representing an organization <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> attend all meetings, attendance by one representative
|
|
of an organization satisfies the meeting attendance requirement for all
|
|
representatives of the organization.</p>
|
|
<p>The above criteria <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be relaxed if the Chair
|
|
and Team Contact agree that doing so will not set back the Working Group. For
|
|
example, the attendance requirement can be relaxed for reasons of expense
|
|
(e.g., cost of travel) or scheduling (for example, an exceptional
|
|
teleconference is scheduled at 3:00 a.m. local time for the participant). It is
|
|
the responsibility of the Chair and Team Contact to apply criteria for Good
|
|
Standing consistently.</p>
|
|
<p>When a participant risks losing Good Standing, the Chair and Team Contact
|
|
are expected to discuss the matter with the participant and the participant's
|
|
Advisory Committee representative (or W3C management for the Team) before
|
|
declaring the participant in Bad Standing.</p>
|
|
<p>The Chair declares a participant in Bad Standing by informing the
|
|
participant's Advisory Committee representative and the participant of the
|
|
decision. If the Advisory Committee representative and Chair differ in opinion,
|
|
the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
|
|
<a href="organization.html#def-Director">Director</a> to confirm or deny the
|
|
decision. <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a> declared in Bad
|
|
Standing <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> appeal to the Director.</p>
|
|
<p>The Chair and Team Contact restore Good Standing and <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> do so when the individual in Bad Standing satisfies the
|
|
above criteria. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the
|
|
individual's Advisory Committee representative of any change in standing.</p>
|
|
<p>When a Member representative permanently replaces another (i.e., is not
|
|
simply a temporary <a href="#mtg-substitute">substitute</a>), the new
|
|
participant inherits the standing of the departing participant.</p>
|
|
<p>Changes in an individual's standing in a Working Group have no effect on the
|
|
obligations associated with Working Group participation that are described in
|
|
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
|
|
[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
|
|
<p><strong>Note:</strong> In general, the time commitment for participating in
|
|
an Interest Group is less than that for a Working Group; see the section on
|
|
<a href="#ig-charter-participation">participation provisions in an Interest
|
|
Group charter</a>.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.2 <a name="WGCharterDevelopment" id="WGCharterDevelopment">Working
|
|
Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></h4>
|
|
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> notify the Advisory Committee
|
|
when a charter for a new Working Group or Interest Group is in development. The
|
|
suggestions for building support around an <a href=
|
|
"activities.html#ActivityDevelopment">Activity Proposal</a> apply to charters
|
|
as well.</p>
|
|
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> begin work on a Working Group or
|
|
Interest Group charter at any time. A Working Group or Interest Group
|
|
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be part of an approved <a href=
|
|
"activities.html#def-Activity">Activity</a>.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.3 <a name="CharterReview" id="CharterReview">Advisory Committee
|
|
Review</a> of a Working Group or Interest Group Charter</h4>
|
|
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> solicit <a href=
|
|
"acreview.html#ReviewAppeal">Advisory Committee review</a> of every new or
|
|
substantively modified Working Group or Interest Group charter. The Director is
|
|
<span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to solicit Advisory Committee review
|
|
prior to a charter extension or for minor changes.</p>
|
|
<p>The Director's Call for Review of a substantively modified charter
|
|
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> highlight important changes (e.g., regarding
|
|
deliverables or resource allocation) and include rationale for the changes.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.4 <a name="cfp" id="cfp">Call for Participation in a Working Group or
|
|
Interest Group</a></h4>
|
|
<p>After Advisory Committee review of a Working Group or Interest Group
|
|
charter, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> issue a Call for
|
|
Participation to the Advisory Committee. For a new group, this announcement
|
|
officially creates the group. The announcement <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">MUST</span> include a reference to the <a href=
|
|
"#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a href=
|
|
"#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, and the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
|
|
Contact</a>.</p>
|
|
<p>After a Call for Participation, any <a href=
|
|
"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a> and <a href=
|
|
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
|
|
designated (or re-designated).</p>
|
|
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a href=
|
|
"acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> creation or substantive modification of a
|
|
Working Group or Interest Group charter.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.5 <a name="charter-extension" id="charter-extension">Working Group and
|
|
Interest Group Charter Extension</a></h4>
|
|
<p>To extend a Working Group or Interest Group charter with no other
|
|
substantive modifications, the Director announces the extension to the Advisory
|
|
Committee. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> indicate the new
|
|
duration, which <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> exceed the duration of
|
|
the Activity to which the group belongs. The announcement <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">MUST</span> also include rationale for the extension, a reference to
|
|
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a href=
|
|
"#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
|
|
Contact</a>, and instructions for joining the group.</p>
|
|
<p>After a charter extension, Advisory Committee representatives and the Chair
|
|
are <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to re-designate <a href=
|
|
"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a> and <a href=
|
|
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>.</p>
|
|
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a href=
|
|
"acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> the extension of a Working Group or
|
|
Interest Group charter.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.6 <a name="WGCharter" id="WGCharter">Working Group and Interest Group
|
|
Charters</a></h4>
|
|
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
|
|
include all of the following information.</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>The group's mission (e.g., develop a technology or process, review the work
|
|
of other groups);</li>
|
|
<li>The scope of the group's work and criteria for success;</li>
|
|
<li>The duration of the group (typically from six months to two years);</li>
|
|
<li>The nature of any deliverables (technical reports, reviews of the
|
|
deliverables of other groups, or software), expected milestones, and the
|
|
process for the group participants to approve the release of these deliverables
|
|
(including public intermediate results). A charter is <span class="rfc2119">NOT
|
|
REQUIRED</span> to include the schedule for a review of another group's
|
|
deliverables;</li>
|
|
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on the deliverables of
|
|
this group. For any dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
|
|
specify the mechanisms for communication about the deliverables;</li>
|
|
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside of W3C.
|
|
For example, one group's charter might specify that another group is expected
|
|
to review a technical report before it can become a Recommendation. For any
|
|
dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> specify when
|
|
required deliverables are expected from the other groups. The charter
|
|
<span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> set expectations about how coordination
|
|
with those groups will take place; see the section on <a href=
|
|
"liaisons.html#Liaisons">liaisons with other organizations</a>. Finally, the
|
|
charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> specify expected conformance to the
|
|
deliverables of the other groups;</li>
|
|
<li>The <a href="comm.html#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
|
|
of the group's proceedings and deliverables;</li>
|
|
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
|
|
<li>Communication mechanisms to be employed within the group, between the group
|
|
and the rest of W3C, and with the general public;</li>
|
|
<li>An estimate of the expected time commitment from participants;</li>
|
|
<li>The expected time commitment and level of involvement by the Team (e.g., to
|
|
track developments, write and edit technical reports, develop code, or organize
|
|
pilot experiments).</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>See also the charter requirements of <a href=
|
|
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Licensing">section 2</a> and
|
|
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
|
|
3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent
|
|
Policy</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
|
|
<p id="ig-charter-participation">An Interest Group charter <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions regarding participation, including
|
|
specifying that the <a name="ig-mail-only" id="ig-mail-only">only requirement
|
|
for participation (by anyone) in the Interest Group</a> is subscription to the
|
|
Interest Group mailing list. This type of Interest Group <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">MAY</span> have <a href="#public-participant-ig">public
|
|
participants</a>.</p>
|
|
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
|
|
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> conflict
|
|
with the <a href="policies.html#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the Process
|
|
Document.</p>
|
|
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other than
|
|
those required by this document. The charter <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> highlight whether additional provisions impose
|
|
constraints beyond those of the W3C Process Document (e.g., limits on the
|
|
number of individuals in a Working Group who represent the same Member
|
|
organization or group of <a href="organization.html#MemberRelated">related
|
|
Members</a>).</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.7 <a name="three-month-rule" id="three-month-rule">Working Group
|
|
"Heartbeat" Requirement</a></h4>
|
|
<p>It is important that a Working Group keep the Membership and public informed
|
|
of its activity and progress. To this end, each Working Group <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> publish in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C
|
|
technical reports index</a> a new draft of <em>each active technical
|
|
report</em> at least once every three months. An active technical report is a
|
|
Working Draft, Candidate Recommendation, Proposed Recommendation, or Proposed
|
|
Edited Recommendation. Each Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
|
|
publish a new draft of <em>at least one of its active technical reports</em> on
|
|
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C technical reports index</a> [<a href=
|
|
"refs.html#ref-doc-list">PUB11</a>] at least once every three months.</p>
|
|
<p>Public progress reports are also important when a Working Group does not
|
|
update a technical report within three months (for example, when the delay is
|
|
due to a challenging technical issue) or when a Working Group has no active
|
|
technical reports (for example, because it is developing a test suite).</p>
|
|
<p>In exceptional cases, the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
|
|
Director to be excused from this publication requirement. However, in this
|
|
case, the Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue a public status
|
|
report with rationale why a new draft has not been published.</p>
|
|
<p>There are several reasons for this Working Group "heartbeat"
|
|
requirement:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>To promote public accountability;</li>
|
|
<li>To encourage Working Groups to keep moving forward, and to incorporate
|
|
their decisions into readable public documents. People cannot be expected to
|
|
read several months of a group's mailing list archive to understand where the
|
|
group stands;</li>
|
|
<li>To notify interested parties of updated work in familiar a place such as
|
|
the W3C home page and index of technical reports.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>As an example, suppose a Working Group has one technical report as a
|
|
deliverable, which it publishes as a Proposed Recommendation. Per the heartbeat
|
|
requirement, the Working Group is required to publish a new draft of the
|
|
Proposed Recommendation at least once every three months, even if it is only to
|
|
revise the status of the Proposed Recommendation document (e.g., to provide an
|
|
update on the status of the decision to advance). The heartbeat requirement
|
|
stops when the document becomes a Recommendation (or a Working Group Note).</p>
|
|
<h4>6.2.8 <a name="GeneralTermination" id="GeneralTermination">Working Group
|
|
and Interest Group Closure</a></h4>
|
|
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter specifies a duration for the
|
|
group. The Director, subject to <a href="acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> by
|
|
Advisory Committee representatives, <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> close a
|
|
group prior to the date specified in the charter in any of the following
|
|
circumstances:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>There are insufficient resources to produce chartered deliverables or to
|
|
maintain the group, according to priorities established within W3C.</li>
|
|
<li>The group produces chartered deliverables ahead of schedule.</li>
|
|
<li>The Activity to which the group belongs terminates.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>The Director closes a Working Group or Interest Group by announcement to the
|
|
Advisory Committee.</p>
|
|
<p>Closing a Working Group has implications with respect to the <a href=
|
|
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
|
|
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
|
|
<h3>6.3 <a name="GroupsCG" id="GroupsCG">Coordination Groups</a></h3>
|
|
<p>W3C Activities interact in many ways. There are dependencies between groups
|
|
within the same Activity or in different Activities. There are also
|
|
dependencies between W3C Activities and the activities of other organizations.
|
|
Examples of dependencies include the use by one technology of another being
|
|
developed elsewhere, scheduling constraints between groups, and the
|
|
synchronization of publicity for the announcement of deliverables. Coordination
|
|
Groups are created to manage dependencies so that issues are resolved fairly
|
|
and the solutions are consistent with W3C's mission and results.</p>
|
|
<p>Where a Coordination Group's scope covers two groups with unresolved
|
|
disputes or tensions, it is the first locus of resolution of these
|
|
disputes.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.3.1 <a name="CGParticipation" id="CGParticipation">Coordination Group
|
|
Participation Requirements</a></h4>
|
|
<p>There are four types <a name="cgparticipant" id="cgparticipant">participants
|
|
in a Coordination Group</a>: the <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chair</a>, the Chair
|
|
of each coordinated group (to promote effective communication among the
|
|
groups), Invited Experts (e.g., liaisons to groups inside or outside W3C), and
|
|
Team representatives (including the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>).
|
|
The requirements for Invited Expert participation are the same as for an
|
|
<a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
|
|
<p>Coordination Group participants <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> follow the
|
|
<a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of interest policy</a> by disclosing
|
|
information to the rest of the group.</p>
|
|
<p>There are no Good Standing requirements for Coordination Group
|
|
participation; regular participation in a relevant Coordination Group is one of
|
|
the <a href="/Guide/chair-roles">roles of a group Chair [MEM14]</a>.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.3.2 <a name="CGCreation" id="CGCreation">Coordination Group Creation and
|
|
Closure</a></h4>
|
|
<p>The Director creates or modifies a Coordination Group by sending the
|
|
<a href="#CGCharter">Coordination Group charter</a> to the Advisory Committee.
|
|
A Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be created as part of an
|
|
<a href="activities.html#ActivityProposal">Activity Proposal</a> (for example
|
|
to coordinate other groups in the Activity or to draw up charters of future
|
|
groups), or during the life of an Activity when dependencies arise. A
|
|
Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> operate as part of several
|
|
W3C Activities.</p>
|
|
<p>A Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> close when there is
|
|
no longer a perceived need for coordination.</p>
|
|
<h4>6.3.3 <a name="CGCharter" id="CGCharter">Coordination Group
|
|
Charters</a></h4>
|
|
<p>A Coordination Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include all
|
|
of the following information:</p>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>The group's mission;</li>
|
|
<li>The scope of the group's work, including the names of coordinated groups
|
|
and contact information for those groups;</li>
|
|
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on this group;</li>
|
|
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside of W3C;
|
|
see the section on <a href="liaisons.html#Liaisons">liaisons with other
|
|
organizations</a>.</li>
|
|
<li>The <a href="comm.html#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
|
|
of the group's proceedings;</li>
|
|
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
|
|
<li>Communication mechanisms to be employed within the group, between the group
|
|
and the rest of W3C, and with the general public;</li>
|
|
<li>An estimate of the expected time commitment from participants;</li>
|
|
<li>The expected level of involvement by the Team.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
|
|
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> conflict
|
|
with the <a href="policies.html#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the Process
|
|
Document.</p>
|
|
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other than
|
|
those required by this document. The charter <span class=
|
|
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> highlight whether additional provisions impose
|
|
constraints beyond those of the W3C Process Document.</p>
|
|
<div class="noprint">
|
|
<div class="navbar"><map name="navbar-bottom" title="Navigation Bar" id=
|
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"navbar-bottom">
|
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<hr />
|
|
<p>[<a accesskey="n" rel="Next" href="tr.html">next chapter</a>]
|
|
[<a accesskey="p" rel="Prev" href="activities.html">previous chapter</a>]
|
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|
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|
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