Dear TF and RIPE NCC staff,
As promised earlier today, I have done some thinking for how we can work
efficiently to achieve the task we have taken on. I have drafted an
approach and it relies on the RIPE NCC collating an input document we can
review and assess.
This approach relies on significant support from the RIPE NCC but I think
that the up front investment will help us work efficiently as a team and
maximize the chance that we will meet our target of producing an update
that can be shared at RIPE81.
I would be grateful for input on this approach from the RIPE NCC and TF
members.
If there is agreement on the viability of the approach, we will need
feedback from the RIPE NCC on the time it will take to prepare the input
document so that we can then review it and schedule our first meeting. The
decisions made at that first meeting will help us schedule the rest of the
work.
Also, if there is agreement on this approach, I will prepare a draft agenda
for the first meeting and circulate that. I think that the discussion at
the first meeting is likely to inform our decisions on the agendas for
other meetings.
Kind regards,
Leo
Objective
The immediate objective of this TF is to update the most recent version of
the Code of Conduct document to a version that can be adopted by the RIPE
Community. The adopted document will need to be reviewed and updated based
on future experience.
The document sent to the RIPE Community for adoption needs to address the
most important outstanding issues. The updated document should be
accompanied by a companion document that:
1.
Identifies each change.
2.
Provides a rationale for the change.
3.
Indicates whether the TF suggests looking more closely at this issue in
future updates.
A plan for the next two work items can be developed after RIPE81.
Challenges
The most recent update to the document was drafted in a time when
international travel was easier and large conferences could be held. Large
in-person events may not be possible for some time and airlines are facing
business challenges that could place a practical limit on the amount of
international travel possible for several years.
Our review and update should acknowledge where the balance of participation
has already changed and might continue to change.
Input
In working towards the objective the TF needs to review unresolved issues
documented in three areas:
-
The RIPE NCC impact analysis on the proposal.
-
The mailing list discussion.
-
The minuted discussion at the last meeting.
Approach
The TF should rely on the RIPE NCC staff to produce a document summarizing
the unresolved issues drawn from the input sources. Issues should be
categorized, so that the TF can discuss general issues before focusing on
specific text. The rationale for the differing views should be included in
the document.
For each category, the TF should discuss and decide whether it is practical
to agree an update to the most recent version of the Code of Conduct by
RIPE81, or if the issue is so significant that it needs to be returned to
the whole RIPE Community for further discussion.
Work Method
The TF is distributed across four countries and about 12,000km. Meetings
should be conducted using a video or telephone conference system and kept
to a minimum.
The RIPE NCC has already established a mailing list (coc-tf(a)ripe.net) for
the TF.
There should be an initial meeting to:
-
Help us integrate as a team.
-
Get to know the RIPE NCC staff members who will support our work.
-
Discuss the work method described below.
-
Make appropriate changes to this plan.
The RIPE NCC should provide tooling to allow the TF members to share
working documents, comments and potential edits with each other in an
efficient way.
The RIPE NCC should provide a conferencing system.
The RIPE NCC should produce a table of issues, organized in categories, and
summarizing the differing views expressed, to be discussed and addressed.
Each member of the TF should review the table of issues and sort them into
the following categories:
1.
This is a simple issue that can be resolved with updated text.
2.
This is a more complex issue that needs to be thought through and
discussed.
3.
This is an issue that requires external input, such as from the whole
RIPE Community or a legal expert.
The output from this initial exercise can then be used to develop a more
detailed approach and timeline, with help from the RIPE NCC.
The TF should publish the minutes of its meetings on relevant TF web pages,
after they have been approved, whether that is by e-mail confirmation or at
the next meeting.
Scheduling of 1st Meeting
To make the best use of people’s time, I suggest the TF’s first meeting be
held after the RIPE NCC has prepared the input materials and the TF members
have reviewed them and shared their review. This will allow us to make the
best use of our time at the meeting.
The RIPE NCC should prepare and circulate meeting minutes in a timely
fashion.
