An e-mail drafting session can be launched, either on a dedicated exploder list as a cybermeeting or as an informal discussion between interested delegates. Objectives can extend from debating an existing contribution, a Liaison Statement or a Change Request to progressing the service requirements of a specific Work Item and involving one or more Working Groups.
In case of
"cybermeeting", the Chair of the discussions shall issue an un-ambiguous guideline including:
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the objectives and agenda of the meeting;
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input document(s) to be clearly specified;
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start date and end date of the debates;
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afterwards, summary of results of the "cybermeeting".
The end-goal being to reach an
"agreement" on the deliverable, either at the next meeting or via an e-mail approval procedure.
Authority for an e-mail decision to take place should usually be agreed at plenary meeting. If this is not possible, there shall be a clear notification (i.e. status report) indicating that there will be an e-mail decision. This notification shall be sent on the main mailing lists indicating the mailing list where the discussion will take place (TSG, WG or SWG list). Target and timeframe shall be clearly indicated. A permanent Chair (i.e. WG Chair or Vice Chair) shall be nominated, who will be responsible for managing the e-mail decision procedure, including initiation, monitoring and announcing when it is complete.
During the e-mail decision period, there shall be a clear message stating what the status of each open item is. It is recommended to have a weekly summary of the status of all items, from the previous plenary listing:
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the name of the open item;
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the name of the responsible delegate;
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time left for comments before the deadline & expiration date;
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current work versions of documents: Tdoc number, CR number, Revision number;
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status (Debate ongoing, Agreed, Postponed, Rejected, ...).
When a decision is made (Agreed, rejected, postponed…) a clear notification on what has been agreed shall be sent on the main mailing lists of the relevant groups.
E-mail decision procedure should start at the latest 3 weeks before relevant plenary:
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the e-mail decision period is two weeks (one status report required);
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the procedure shall be completed one week before the relevant TSG, WG or SWG plenary, due to practical arrangements.