Tutorial for leadership teams of ITU-T study groups, TSAG, tariff groups and focus groups Working methods and best practices of ITU-T Simão Campos Counsellor, SG 16 ITU Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 Outline 1. High level overview of ITU CS/CV/GR, Council 2. Role of chairmen, Rapporteurs, editors, liaison officers etc. 3. Creation of groups 4. Modifying or creating new Questions 5. Types of meeting document and their usage 6. Coordination of the work (liaisons, GSI, JCA …) 7. Working with outside organizations: A.4, A.6 and A.5; A.23 8. Languages 9. Focus Groups 10. Meetings outside Geneva 11. Electronic meetings 12. Rapporteur meetings 13. Participation of non-members Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 2 High level overview of ITU CS/CV/GR, Council Covered in a separate presentation – Constitution Convention General rules – Council meetings – – Defined at Plenipotentiary conferences CS: Constitution / CV: Convention / GR: General Rules Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 3 Role of chairmen, Rapporteurs, editors, liaison officers etc. Res*.1 §3 Rec. A.1 * In this presentation, unless otherwise noted, Resolutions mentioned refer to Res. adopted at WTSA-08 Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 4 Governance and structure ITU Plenipotentiary Assemblies (PP) (every 4 years) WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION ASSEMBLY Workshops, Seminars, Symposia, … TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION ADVISORY GROUP JCA IPR ad hoc STUDY GROUP WORKING PARTY WORKING PARTY Focus Groups Q GSIs STUDY GROUP WORKING PARTY WORKING PARTY Q Q Q Consensus STUDY GROUP Q Q = Questions Develop Recommendations JCA: Joint Coordination Activity GSI: Global Standards Initiative TSB: Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (= ITU-T Secretariat) Note: Experts progressing the work of a Question are frequently referred to as “Rapporteur Group” (RG) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 5 Res.1 §3 Study group management Normally understood as SG chair & VCs, WP chairs & VCs and variants, plus SG Counsellor/Engineer + Assistant SG Officials: add Rapporteurs (and variants), liaison officers Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 6 Range of official roles Chairmen: SG, WP – Variations: WP co-chairs Vice-chairmen: SG, WP Rapporteurs – Variations: co-Rapporteurs, Associate Rapporteurs, Vice-Rapporteurs Liaison officers: one- or two-way – – Representatives of the SG elsewhere Representatives of other groups into the SG Not necessarily the same person (in particular for ISO/IEC) – – Variations: liaison Rapporteur, liaison representative Not possible for Associates! Editors (not codified) Other: EWM (ex EDH) coodinator; Promotion officer; Vocabulary Rapporteur (Res.67/SCV) Vice versus Co-* – choice between hierarchic Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 or equal-footing 7 Who nominates? SG chairs and VCs – WTSA-08 by agreement (normally expressed with acclamation) based on proposal from the heads of delegations WP Chairs and variations – – Study group by acclamation based on SG management proposal Normally well coordinated and accommodating the membership views to avoid problems/surprises Rapporteurs and variations – – SG / WP chair to propose names (in coordination with the other members of the SG management) Formally by agreement of the WP (SG only if the Question is not allocated to a specific WP) But normally also endorsed at SG level Editors – Appointed by Rapporteur with the agreement of the Rapporteurs Group Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 8 Criteria for chairs, vice-chairs Top SG positions have more political components in the nomination but managerial and technical skills are fundamental Preference is given to VCs for WP chair positions BUT frequently other qualified experts take up those roles – “Variations” can be used to allow the most effective choices Expected to have the necessary support of the Member State or Sector Member to fulfil this commitment throughout the study period – ITU does not provide financial assistance to Chairmen and Vice-chairmen Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 9 Criteria for Rapporteurs, editors Appointment primarily based on their expertise in the subject to be studied / text to be developed Rapporteurs: Commitment should be for the whole study period, but there is more turn around at this level Editors: Commitment at least until the approval of the work item – … and support for maintenance issues Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 10 Role of SG chairman The chairman shall direct the debates during the meeting, with the assistance of TSB – General Rules, specific Sector provisions Proposes to the plenary new chairs and vice-chairs of WPs and Rapporteurs Ensure all members can fully express themselves Authorized to decide that there shall be no discussion on Questions on which insufficient Contributions have been received IPR roll call Judgement after AAP LC/AR Authorize Rapporteur group meetings Ensure that work progresses in between meetings Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 11 Chairman’s powers* (GR11, 17) Open and close the meetings Direct the deliberations Ensure that the rules of procedure are applied Give the floor to speakers “Put questions to the vote” and announce the decisions adopted Responsible for the general direction of all the work of the meeting Ensure that order is maintained at meetings Rule on motions of order and points of order Empowered to close the lists of speakers and to propose that discussion on a question be postponed or closed, or that a meeting be suspended or adjourned Postpone the convening of a plenary meeting Protect the right of each delegation to express its opinion freely and fully on the point at issue Ensure that discussion is limited to the point at issue, and may interrupt any speaker who departs therefrom – request such speakers to confine their remarks to the subject under discussion Submit proposals likely to accelerate the debates Decide whether proposals during discussions be presented orally or in writing * Extensible as appropriate to chairs of other groups under the SG Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 12 Responsibilities: SG Chairmen Perform the duties required of them within their study groups or within joint coordination activities Attend Chairmen’s meetings that precede TSAG meetings Participate in the regular Chairmen’s conference calls (every 2-3 months) – Chairing rotates amongst the TSAG/SG chairs Represent SG and/or ITU at events – – Joint meetings of ITU & other SDOs (GSC, IETF, ISO/IEC JTC1, etc) Workshops, other meetings Lead preparations for formal meetings – – Collective letter preparation with TSB Coordination meetings / conference calls / etc Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 13 Responsibilities: SG Vice-chairmen Assist the chairman in matters relating to the management of the study group – Including substitution for the chairman at meetings or permanent replacement of the chairman WTSA-08 Res.56: – – SG Vice-chairs from developing countries are to perform as “ambassadors” of their group (SG or TSAG) in their regions Expected deliverables listed: mobilize all ITU members in the region to participate in the ITU standardization activities; make mobilization and participation reports to the ITU body concerning the region; prepare and submit a mobilization programme for the regions that they represent at the first meeting of TSAG or applicable SG Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 14 Responsibilities: WP chairs, Editors WP chairmen – – Provide technical and administrative leadership Recognized as having a role of equal importance to that of a study group vice-chairman Editors – – Fine line to walk: editors while editors are not contributors – separation of roles Record the consensus points, maintain issues lists, etc Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 15 Responsibilities: Rapporteurs [1] Coordinate the detailed study following guidelines provided by WP or SG Basic goal: assist in producing Recommendations – – Not obliged to produce them (e.g. lack of contributions) Based on contributions received Liaison role with other groups within and outside ITU, as needed and authorized by the SG Adopt appropriate work methods – TSB EDH system, meetings of experts, etc Provide timely progress reporting to parent WP/SG – – – – particularly for work by correspondence or otherwise outside SG & WP meetings Rapporteur Group meetings, editing meetings, etc TD not later than the first day of the meeting Draft new/rev Recommendations: whenever possible submit TD at least 6 weeks before the SG/WP meeting Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 16 Responsibilities: Rapporteurs [2] Advance notice to SG/WP & TSB of intention to hold Rapporteur Group meetings, especially unplanned ones – See slide ahead with further details concerning Rapporteur Group meetings. Establish a group of active "collaborators" where appropriate – Updated list of collaborators given to TSB at each WP/SG meeting Delegate the relevant functions from the list above to associate rapporteurs, editors and/or liaison rapporteurs as necessary – Delegation does not transfer responsibility Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 17 Responsibilities: Rapporteurs [3] Responsible for the quality of their texts – Delegation to editors does not relinquish the responsibility Progress on the basis of written contributions Establish and update the Question’s work programme Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 18 Intermission Work programme database Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 19 Res.1 §2 Creation of groups Study Groups: WTSA, TSAG Working parties, Rapporteur groups: SG – Joint working parties: concerned SGs Recommendations submitted to Lead SG Regional groups: SG Focus Groups: SG, TSAG JCAs: SG, TSAG Ad hoc groups Other groups Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 20 Modifying or creating new Questions Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 21 Rev/new Questions between WTSAs Min: 1 month Only very exceptional cases!!! Min: 2 months TSB distributes Question to Members (§7.1.3) SG itself proposes new or revised Question (§7.1.4) See §7.1.2 for Question text template SG reviews and agrees to submit Question for approval (§7.1.6) Urgent case? (§7.1.8) LS sent to TSAG for endorsement or suggested changes (§7.1.7) No Yes At lest four members commit themselves to support the work (§7.2.2) Next TSAG meeting Members submit proposed Questions (§7.1.1) OK from TSB Director, TSAG chairman, other SG chairs (§7.1.8) TSAG reviews and recommends (§7.2.4) LS sent to TSAG for noting (§7.2.5) Yes (§7.2.3a) Consensus at SG? (§7.2.2) No Director notifies members of approval (§7.2.3c) Member States replies (§7.2.3b) Director requests Member States’ approval (§7.2.3a) SG requests consultation of Member States (§7.2.3) Res.1 §7 Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 22 Res.1 §7.4 Sequence for deletion of Questions Periodic check should be performed at SG meetings to identify Questions that are candidate for deletion, e.g. – – work terminated not receiving Contributions for current and two previous meetings Special consideration can be given to “strategic Questions” Steps: • By agreement at SG meeting • First Circular letter informing membership of the intention to delete the Question • Two months deadline for Member States to comment • No opposition: another Circular announcing deletion • Opposition (with reasons): back to SG at its next meeting for reconsideration Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 23 Types of meeting documents and their usage Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 24 SG Meeting documents Formal meetings – – – Contributions members only Reports produced by TSB Temporary documents SG officials Also: Liaison Statements – – – Working documents these “do not exist” [TSB] Circular Letters whole ITU membership [SG] Collective Letters only SG membership Rapporteur group meetings – Rapporteur group documents (single or multiple series) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 25 GSIs, JCAs, focus groups GSIs – Even though GSIs are not a group per se, some have a separate document series Increase coordination of documents when meeting of RGs (not SGs) Better visibility – Handling similar to formal meeting documents Focus groups – They define their own series, from simple (single series) to complex ones (Inputs, outputs, TDs, LS, reports, etc) BUT Practice shows it should be as simple as possible JCAs – Also define their own documentation system, usually kept simple, if exists at all Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 26 Coordination of the work (liaisons, GSI, JCA …) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 27 Coordinating activities – high level Liaison statements Workshops Groups of representatives from concerned groups – PCP-TDR, JCAs When GSIs are concerned: – Specific JCA and TSR TSAG – higher instance PCP-TDR = Partnership coordination panel on telecoms for disaster relief and mitigation Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 28 Coordinating activities – technical Liaison statements Liaison representatives Collocated meetings of parent groups – – Important to have joint sessions ITU-T and with other groups, e.g. IEEE, ISO/IEC JTC 1 MPEG Joint meetings of Rapporteur groups – – Agreed on a case-by-case basis Ad hoc for smaller projects GSI on a pre-defined theme – Major projects involving various SGs where tight coordination and short response times are required Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 29 Rec.A.1, §2.2 Joint Coordination Activities Multi-purpose Need to address a broad subject covering the area of competence of more than one study group Does not perform technical work Representatives from within and outside ITU-T (as needed) Proposed by SG or TSAG – – Approved by SG: subject under its mandate Approved by TSAG: various SGs are concerned Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 30 Approval of JCAs JCAProposal initiated Lead SG & within Res. 2 mandate? No Y es Electronic notif icationto TSAG and SGs ref lector Electronic notif icationto SG ref lector >4 weeks, <8 weeks* Time to next SGmeeting? >4 weeks, <8 weeks* <4 weeks >8 weeks* Comments f rom SGmembership Resolv e comments, approv e at SG meeting Comments f rom SGmembership Resolv e comments, approv e** electronically <4 weeks >8 weeks* Comments f rom SGmembership Comments f rom TSAG and SGs membership Comments f rom TSAG, SGs membership Comments f rom TSAG, SGs membership Discuss at SG meeting but no decisiony et Resolv e comments, approv e at TSAG meeting Resolv e comments, approv e** electronically Discuss at TSAG meeting but no decisiony et Resolv e comments, approv e** electronically * Nominaltimeperiod ** If there are no substantiv e comments, the JCA is considered approv ed. If the JCA Proposal is modif ied per comments receiv ed, it is again circulated f or a f our week rev iew. If there are no substantiv e comments, the JCA is considered approv ed. Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 Time to next TSAG meeting? Resolv e comments, approv e** electronically JCAInitiated 31 Working with outside organizations Rec. A.4, A.6 and A.5 Rec. A.23 Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 32 Workshops, seminars Both a promotion and a working tool Logistic support of TSB, technical lead from the SG Two formats: – – – Workshops – demonstrations, technical issue resolution, and for the creation of specific deliverables Seminars – sharing ITU-T vision and technical knowledge Various designations: workshops, seminars, tutorials, symposia, forums, etc Various focus: – – – – Study group strategy focused Information focused Tutorial focused Promotion focused Audio and written archives: promotion and education tools Updated list (and link to past ones): http://itu.int/ITU-T/worksem Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 33 ISO/IEC Special relationship, “sister organizations” WSC, joint activities Rec.A.23, Annex A – – – Joint teams Common text (=identical publication) Twin text (=identical technical content, distinct publication) X-series, H-series Easy normative referencing, access upon request to their texts and meetings Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 34 Forums, consortia and regional SDOs Qualification for exchanging information: – – – Forums, consortia: Rec. A.4 Regional SDOs: Rec. A.6 Exchange of messages with non-qualified organizations is also possible Qualification for normative referencing – – Rec. A.5 Objective: ensure implementability of ITU-T Recommendations (access to text, RAND IPRs, stability of text, consensus-based, etc) Initiated by the SG or by the external organization – Via the TSB director List of qualified organizations on ITU-T website http://itu.int/ITU-T/lists/qualified.aspx Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 35 Requirements for A.4/A.6 Qualification (1) Objectives: development of globally applicable standards Organization: legal status, geographic scope (A.4) / accreditation (A.6), secretariat, representative Membership (openness, in particular towards ITU Member States & Sector Members) Technical subject areas relevant to ITU-T SG(s) IPR Policy and Guidelines on patents, software copyright, marks & copyright consistent with ITU-T’s Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 36 Requirements for A.4/A.6 Qualification (2) Working methods/processes: open, fair, welldocumented, supporting competition, explicitly addressing anti-trust issues Document publication and maintenance process: well-defined and availability to ITU members Requirements concerning documents submitted to ITU-T: – – – No proprietary info Indicate approving entity Indicate stability, degree or stage of approval of document, change control process, etc Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 37 Requirements for A.5 normative referencing (1) In practice, allowed for organizations already qualified under A.4/A.6 Clear description of the document (type of document, title, number, version, date, etc.) Status of approval Justification for the specific reference (including why incorporation of the full text in the Recommendation is inappropriate) Current information, if any, about IPR issues (including patents, copyrights, trademarks) The degree of stability or maturity of the document Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 38 Requirements for A.5 normative referencing (2) Relationship with other existing or emerging documents Other useful information describing the "Quality" of the document (e.g. length of time it has existed, whether products have been implemented using it, whether conformance requirements are clear, whether the specification is readily and widely available) When a document is referenced in an ITU-T Recommendation, all explicit references within that referenced document should also be listed Qualification of referenced organization: from A.4/A.6 Qualification Other (for any supplementary information) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 39 Intermission A.4/A.6 & A.5 databases Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 40 Use of languages in ITU-T Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 41 Languages PP-06 Res.154 “Use of the six official languages of the Union on an equal footing”, resolves: to take all necessary measures to maximize interpretation and the translation of ITU documentation in the six languages on an equal footing, although some work in ITU (for example working groups, study groups, regional conferences) might not require the use of all six languages Current language policy and practice in ITU-T: see Council document C08/56, Cor.1 Various aspects: – – – Interpretation at meetings Translation (written texts) Other issues Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 42 Interpretation at meetings Provided upon request at least one month before the meeting – – – Full time in TSAG and SG 3 meetings for one meeting room Closing plenary of the other SG meetings Full time at WTSAs In principle not provided for other meetings (e.g. workshops, JCAs, Rapporteur group meetings) WTSA-08 Res.70 – Accessibility brings in sign language requirements yet to be addressed at policy and budget levels Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 43 Interpretation team rules Teams are always booked for the “whole day” “Whole day” = 3 hour session + 1.5 hours break + 3 hour session – – – Interpreters work in pairs they do not need coffee breaks Exceed by more than 15 minutes, ITU has to pay another full day for all teams involved No longer than 2 additional hours with a 30 min break Any change to the basic agreement, ask interpreter’s OK Alternatives: ask the meeting whether to – – Stop the meeting short of the excess of 15 mins Continue without interpretation (don’t say “continue in English-only”) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 44 Translation AAP Recommendations: only English version is published – – Budget constraints Summaries translated TAP Recommendations translated into 6 languages (after Determination but before Decision meeting) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 45 Other languages issues Multi-lingual, multi-cultural environment GR §20.2: Speakers must express themselves slowly and distinctly, separating their words and pausing as necessary in order that everybody may understand their meaning Frequently presenters use notes – – – – They script what they are going to say Give them time to react (questions, comments, etc) Make sure they understand what is the conclusion on a topic Do not rush moving from one agenda item to the next Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 46 Focus Groups Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 47 Focus Groups Defined in Rec.A.7 Very powerful tool as the group can define its own membership, working methods, deliverables, financing, working language – Constraints: clear ToR; consensus-based; country where members are from must be a MS; limited financial burden on ITU; ITU IPR policy; periodic reporting to SGs; only ITU-T members for strategic/structural/operational FGs Aimed at quickly developing work not already been done by ITU-T SGs – Also: internalization of work done elsewhere (e.g. FS-VDSL) Short life term, usually one meeting cycle – Can be longer if justified Very important: transparency & coordination – Creation, processes, deliverables, meeting schedule, etc Two cases: single or multiple SG concerned – In any case, only one parent group Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 48 FG establishment at SG meetings Proposal submitted at least 10 calendar days before the meeting Within mandate of SG? No Yes Discuss at a study group meeting Relay to TSAG chairman Consider for approval Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 49 FG establishment between SG meetings Member submits written proposal to chairman of target parent SG Start electronic consultation (4 weeks) Unresolved comments? Yes SG chairman consults with SG management Pursue further? No FG cannot be established No FG can be immediately established Yes Single SG Discuss at next study group meeting Multiple SGs Relay to TSAG chairman Consider for approval Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 50 FG establishment at TSAG meetings Proposal submitted at least 10 calendar days before TSAG meeting Discuss at TSAG meeting Referral of a proposal by an ITU-T SG (when timely) Identification of parent group Consider for approval Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 51 FG establishment between TSAG meetings Member submits written proposal to chairman of TSAG Proposal by an ITU-T SG is referred to the TSAG chairman TSAG chairman organizes a review panel* Pursue further? Yes * The review panel is composed of chairmen of TSAG and of concerned SGs, and TSAG vice-chairmen and WP chairmen Start electronic consultation (4 weeks) Yes Unresolved comments? No FG can be immediately established No FG cannot be established Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 Discuss at next TSAG meeting Identification of parent group Consider for approval 52 About meetings Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 53 Types of meetings “Formal” meetings: – TSAG, Study Group and Working Party meetings “Informal” meetings: – – – Electronic meetings Rapporteur & ad hoc group meetings Correspondence groups (mostly TSAG) Focus groups: case apart, as FGs define their own working methods Focus here: SG and subordinated groups Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 54 Comparison Formal meetings – – – – – Documentation controlled by TSB Convened by a Collective Letter Strict rules for documentation deadline and participation eligibility Decision-making capability Participation of secretariat Final reports by TSB Informal meetings (incl. Rapporteur Group ones) – Documentation controlled by Rapporteur/Convener Template, numbering, availability, archiving – – Rapporteur is responsible for convening the meeting (see next slides re: steps) Participation of non-members Attendance versus written contributions – – Consensus-building but not decision-making Secretariat not present reporting by Rapporteur/Convener BOTH types of meeting must be equally transparent Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 55 SG/WP Meetings outside Geneva Invited by a member or with the OK from a Member State (especially if inviter is not a member) – – – – Invitation submitted to a WTSA or SG meeting Needs agreement of TSB Director Host must commit to cover at least costs surpassing allocated TSB budget Host to provide suitable facilities and services normally at no cost to participants Cancelation: fall back to original dates in Geneva Specific requirements vary from SG to SG TSB has example requirements based on recent experiences (e.g. WiFi, Internet access, size & number of meeting rooms, etc) Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 56 Electronic meetings Increase in use (live, off-line) – – – Audio-conferences E-mail or forum based discussion threads Web-based collaboration ITU-T trial, launched by TSAG in Dec 2007, to evaluate remote participation tools – – – GoToMeeting: used extensively within ITU for short (>2 hours) meetings, with up to 30 participants GoToWebinar: used for covering Climate Change symposium in Kyoto, with up to 200 participants over 2 days (archived) WebEx: one year trial offered by Cisco Systems Important aspects to consider: – – – – All concerned experts be informed about them Clear beginning and end times/dates Take time differences into consideration For live events, keep times short (<3 hours), “share the pain” Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 57 Rapporteur group meetings Rec.A.1 §s 2.3.3.6, 2.3.3.10, 11, 13, 14, 15 Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 58 Six steps Pre-authorize Plan Authorize Confirm Hold Report Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 59 Rapporteur meetings: preauthorization At SG or WP meeting, obtain agreement in principle to hold a RG meeting Provide – – Host, venue, dates (tentative or confirmed) Mandate for the meeting (e.g. items for discussion) Controversial topics: need to be more specific Normally at least 2 months notice List of pre-authorized RG meetings are listed in the SG home page Urgent cases: SG management can authorize holding non-planned RG meetings – Announcement needs to go out with extra antecedence Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 60 Rapporteur meetings: planning TSB does not circulate convening letters for meetings below working party level – – notice is posted on the SG web page, as provided by the study group and update it as needed Rapporteur is responsible for circulating meeting notices to the concerned experts (e.g. via mailing lists) soliciting contributions and participation Rapporteur meetings, as such, should not be held during working party or study group meetings – – Discussion on a Question during the SG/WP meeting is not a meeting of the Question – it is just part (i.e. a session) of the SG/WP meeting During SG & WP meetings, the more relaxed rules at RG meetings are not applicable document approval, submission deadlines, documentation availability RG meetings in Geneva: as soon as possible, ask TSB for room availability RG meetings outside Geneva: participants should not be charged for meeting facilities, unless agreed in advance by the study group and on an exceptional and fully justified case – – Caveat: no participant should be excluded from participation if he or she is unwilling to pay the charge Additional services offered by the host shall be voluntary, and there shall be no obligation on any of the participants resulting from these additional services Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 61 Rapporteur meetings: authorization Authorization by SG management – – Typically: by the SG chairman in consultation with TSB and the concerned WP chair Management can agree on a different arrangement Three criteria to be met: – – – clear terms of reference sufficient documentation to be discussed sufficient number of participants / membership representation Further considerations – – collocated with other related Questions? strategic importance of holding the meeting Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 62 Rapporteur meetings: confirm Circulate confirmation of date and venue: – – After authorization by SG management – see next slide At least three weeks before the meeting to participants Copy to TSB and SG & WP chairmen Update displayed in the SG website Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 63 Rapporteur meeting reports Obligation, as a TD, before the start of the next meeting of the parent group – If contains draft Recs: as much as possible at least six weeks before the meeting Should include: – – – – – – Date, venue and chairman Attendance list with affiliations Agenda of the meeting Summary of technical inputs & results Result of IPR roll call LSs sent to other organizations Additionally: stable archive of meeting documents needed – Default: SG Informal FTP Area Transparency of the process succinct, clear, timely Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 64 Participation of non-members WTSA-08 Res.1 §2.3.1: … Chairmen of meetings may invite individual experts as appropriate. PP-06 Res.135 resolves 3: that the participation of other observers in conferences, assemblies and meetings of the Union shall be guided by the terms of Annex 3 to this resolution PP-06 Res.135 Annex 3: Based on long-standing practice, the participation in ITU Sector meetings such as study groups or their subordinate groups by those organizations which have no status in ITU other than that of observers in an advisory capacity may include the submission of contributions and oral interventions in meetings. Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 65 Conclusion Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 66 Conclusions WTSA-08 introduced only evolutionary changes in working methods: – Focus Group creation process changed – GSIs defined, JRG no longer codified Stability indicates a solid, flexible set of rules ITU standardization environment is very flexible but complex – Experienced TSB staff is ready to assist Multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-interest environment – Need to be sensitive to differences Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 67 Final thoughts The just power of governments is derived from the consent of the governed. Thomas Jefferson Compared to rigidity, flexibility usually brings more benefits in multi-cultural / multiinterest environments – Open mind and willingness to come to a middle ground Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 68 Acronyms CS CV GR GSC GSI IFA IPR JCA MS PCP-TDR RG Res SG SM TSR WP WSC WSC Constitution Convention General Rules Global Standards Collaboration Global Standards Initiative Informal FTP Area Intellectual Property Rights Joint Coordination Activity Member State Partnership coordination panel on telecoms for disaster relief and mitigation Rapporteur Group Resolution Study Group Sector Member Telecommunication Standardization Review Working Party World Standards Collaboration World Standards Collaboration Tutorial for SG & TSAG leadership teams Geneva, 15-16 December 2008 69