Subject: 1364-2005 Issues
From: Brophy, Dennis (dennisb@model.com)
Date: Tue Jun 24 2003 - 04:59:55 PDT
Dear 1364-2005 Working Group,
I have raised issues with the IEEE regarding the organization, constitution and operation of 1364-2005. It will take time to address these issues, but it is important to understand that my assertion of operational issues may have an impact on indemnification generally provided by the IEEE for working groups.
Some of these issues relate to how the IEEE Computer Society's DASC has improperly constituted 1364-2005.
I seek proper organization as permitted by IEEE rules and mandated policies and procedures. I send this email to the group to ensure you are aware of these issues since the DASC Chair is unavailable until next week. So I doubt he will have an opportunity to communicate with this working group, or any working group until next week.
In the ETF/BTF meetings last week, some may have characterized them as interesting or amusing. I respectfully disagree with this characterization and find them to be serious. In fact, if IEEE groups do not follow prescribed rules, they can lose IEEE indemnification. This means claims of collusion, unfair trade practices, anti-competitive behavior, if asserted, would need to be personally defended. In the absence of IEEE indemnification, team members may be left to defend for themselves such claims as the DASC recognizes "individual" participation in standards, not "entity" participation.
Since voting privileges in all DASC sponsored working groups require membership in the DASC, I will assume that most of you are aware of these issues. (In fact, the notion DASC membership requirements were communicated to you in 1996 and 1997. But, I understand this may still come as a shock to the working group.) If you are an active "observer" and have no voting membership rights in the DASC, you may be unaware of these issues. Here is a brief review of them:
1. 1364-2005 WG Chair was not elected by DASC membership are required by DASC bylaws
The DASC has no notion of a chair position going from one PAR version to the
next. Thus when 1364-2001 expired in favor of 1364-2005, the DASC was required
to confirm the current chair or elect a new chair. I submitted a claim to the
DASC Chair of DASC membership disenfranchisement.
Just so you are aware, the IEEE Standards Association has established that the
chair goes with the PAR. When you create a new PAR, a new election for chair
is needed.
2. 1364-2001/2005 The 2001 chair and appointed 2005 chair did not hold needed DASC membership
A DASC WG Chair must be a DASC member. The membership information for 2003 first given
to the team has shown the 2001 chair and appointed 2005 chair to not be a member.
The DASC Chair accepted an explanation of clerical error and confirmed chair-ship. I
have contested the DASC Chairs confirmation and requested the formation of an appeals
panel. I found no membership in DASC for the formative years of 1364-2001 (1997, 1998,
1999 and for the ballot).
3. P1364 Not Properly Approved
The DASC Chair in concert with the 1364-2001 WG Chair have failed to maintain a
qualified membership list. This is a complaint of inaction and cannot be
dismissed using the 30-day clause. And, if the argument continues to be the 30-day
clause, I again repeat that I filed notice 17 days after I "knew, or reasonable
should have known" in keeping with the 30-day rule.
4. Non-Notification of 1364-2005 Press Release
I found no discussion of the press release in 1364 WG meeting minutes.
Thus, it appears to me that the press release was created in secret and without
team review and approval. I don't think this meets anyone's test of openness
and consensus. This is a major issue of concern within the IEEE SAB that they
discussed, approved and issued modifications to the issuing of statements. I
applaud the DASC Chair sending out what will constitute an part of the June 2003
update to the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operation Manual to the DASC Steering
Committee. The press release took positions which were not made by a properly
constituted WG.
In addition to the issues I have with the DASC operations, there are concerns with 1364-2005 operation. As the EFT/BTF meetings concluded last week, there was discussion on voting rights. I note that Shalom sent out 1995 procedures. The first meeting of 1364-2005 should have done the same thing.
I call on 1364-2005 to do first things first. Establish rules of operation.
To that end, I note from the 1364@accellera.org discussion, there was a VSG meeting on 5/5 and on 5/27. We are now going to have another VSG meeting today. I have found no meeting minutes for 5/27.
The question I have is, was there a meeting on 5/27? If so, IEEE Computer Society (CS) Standards Association Board (SAB) Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) and DASC Bylaws mandate the 5/27 meeting minutes be published within 30 days with advance notice of meetings. Therefore, another VSG meeting cannot be held until minutes are published. If the meeting is to be held less than 30 days since the last meeting, the minutes need to be published within 2/3 the time from the last meeting to the next meeting. (I've no email with the minutes and I cannot find them at http://www.boydtechinc.com/1364/minutes/2003_05_05.html. Nor can I find a meeting cancellation notice.)
In the case of today's meeting, the minutes should have been published 18 days after the 5/27 meeting, or on or before 6/14. Since this is not the case, if the meeting is held today, I will protest this action. Meeting minutes play an important role to document what happened in the previous meeting and allow all to better participate in the next meeting.
As an aside, a meeting can occur with advanced notice after 30 days if the meeting minutes are published. If the minutes are published today, we could meeting any day on or after 6/27.
My suggestion is the 1364 working group establish their policies and follow prescribed rules.
I will be on the call today if the group would like me to discuss these issues with them further.
Respectfully,
Dennis
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