--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,
LeoObjective
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:
Identifies each change.
Provides a rationale for the change.
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@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:
This is a simple issue that can be resolved with updated text.
This is a more complex issue that needs to be thought through and discussed.
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.
coc-tf mailing list
coc-tf@ripe.net
https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/coc-tf