At the plenary meeting
the 802.20 working group approved a new process for reviewing the System
Requirements Document between meetings. The process attempts to model the
process that 802.16 uses to manage the balloting process.
The
basic steps in the submission and resolution of comments as part of a Working
Group review and ballot cycle are as follows:
1.
The
ballot package, consisting of the draft document under review and a blank comment review database (“CRD”), is downloaded by
each Working Group member from the IEEE 802.20 web site as per the instructions
in the formal ballot announcement. After reviewing the draft document, the
Working Group members enter their comments and suggested remedies into their
copies of the CRD.
2.
The
comments entered into the CRDs are then exported and e-mailed to the 802.20
Chief Editor (separately by each Working Group member). Transmission of
comments to the Chief Editor may take place at any time until the ballot cycle
closes.
3.
During
the ballot cycle, the Chief Editor periodically accumulates the comments from
the Working Group members, updates the “official” CRD, and distributes
the updated database to the Working Group by means of the web site.
4.
Working
Group members then download the updated database to review the comments that
have been entered so far. They may then enter recommendations and propose
resolutions to comments in their CRDs (e.g., suggest that a particular comment
be accepted, or accepted with a modified remedy).
5.
The
recommendations and proposed resolutions entered into their CRDs are then
exported and e-mailed to the Chief Editor by the Working Group members.
6.
The
Chief Editor gathers the recommendations and proposed resolutions, updates the
“official” CRD, and re-issues an updated database to the Working
Group members.
7.
Steps
5 through 7 may be repeated as often as there is time available in the ballot
cycle. When the ballot cycle closes, the “final” CRD is posted to
the 802.20 web site for review by all members. No further comments will be
accepted. The CRD is distributed to the Clause Editors. The ballots of the
Working Group members (submitted along with the comments) are also counted.
8.
The
802.20 Working Group then meets during either a plenary or interim meeting to
work on the draft document. The comment resolution sessions for each clause
considers the comments, suggested remedies, and proposed resolutions, and
develops the final resolution to each comment. The “official” CRD
is updated with the final resolutions, and posted to the web for review by all
Working Group members.
9.
The
Clause Editors then use the “official” CRD to determine the changes
required to be made to the draft document. After these changes have been
implemented in the draft, a new draft is created, and the ballot cycle begins
anew.