2 Organisation

2.1 Establishment, Title and Scope

2.1.1 JTC 1 was established by unanimous agreement of IEC and ISO Councils on the recommendation of the Joint Technical Programming Committee ( JTPC) encompassed in Decision JTPC 24 (January, 1987).

2.1.2  The title of JTC 1 is "Information Technology" and its scope is "international standardization in the field of information technology".  JTC 1 may request a modification of its title or scope, or both.  The ISO Technical Management Board and the IEC Standardization Management Board (TMB/SMB) shall decide on such modifications.

2.1.3  Information Technology includes the specification, design and development of systems and tools dealing with the capture, representation, processing, security, transfer, interchange, presentation, management, organisation, storage and retrieval of information.

2.1.4  The following table demonstrates the terminology adopted to represent similar concepts in ISO and IEC.

Term
ISO  
IEC
national body
member body (MB)
National Committee (NC)
technical management board (TMB)
Technical Management Board (TMB)
Standardization Management Board (SMB)
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Secretary-General
General Secretary
office of the CEO
Central Secretariat (CS)
Central Office (CO)
council board
Council   
Council Board (CB)
advisory group
Technical Advisory
Advisory Committee
strategic plan
business plan
strategic policy statement (SPS)
   
2.2    General

2.2.1  The work is undertaken by JTC 1 subsidiary bodies, i.e. subcommittees ( SC), working groups ( WG), other working groups ( OWG), special working groups (SWG) and Workshops, subject to the authority of JTC 1, acting under the general authority of the IEC and ISO Councils.  The work is planned and co-ordinated by JTC 1 with the assistance of the Chairman and Secretariat.

2.2.2  The primary duty of JTC 1 is the preparation and review of ISs.  This work is carried out by the members of JTC 1 and its subsidiary bodies in collaboration, when appropriate, with other ISO and IEC Technical Committees (TC) and with other o rganisations.

2.2.3  JTC 1 may also develop International Workshop Agreements (IWAs).  This work is carried out by participants in a Workshop called for the purpose of developing one or more IWAs.  Proposals for Workshops may come from any source and the broadest range of relevant interested parties worldwide may participate in the Workshop.  The procedures for Workshops are defined in Annex L

2.2.4  JTC 1 and its subsidiary bodies shall take into consideration any contribution supplied by the National Bodies (NB) and, when relevant, by other organisations, and also the work of other ISO and IEC TCs dealing with related subjects.

2.2.5  JTC 1 and its subsidiary bodies shall ensure that all necessary aspects of a subject are dealt with (as de scribed in the programme of work) and that duplication of or conflict with the work of other ISO and IEC TCs is avoided.

2.2.6 JTC 1 and its subsidiary bodies shall pay particular attention to the results of the work of ISO and IEC Policy Development Committees and Committees on General Standardization Principles.

2.3    JTC 1 Organisations

2.3.1    JTC 1

2.3.1.1    Responsibilities

JTC 1 plenary meetings direct the JTC 1 Chairman and Secretariat in the coordination of SC activities, in the preparation and monitoring of the overall programme of work and meeting schedules, and in the discussion and resolution of inter-subcommittee problems and issues.
Issues of concern for JTC 1 plenary meetings include, but are not restricted to:
2.3.1.2    Membership

There are three types of membership in JTC 1 (see 3, Membership Categories and Obligations):
No member may concurrently hold more than one type of membership in JTC 1 or any of its SCs.  However, a member may hold one type of membership in JTC 1 and any of its SCs and another type of membership in other JTC 1 SCs.

Application for membership in any category (or for change in membership category) shall be made to the JTC 1 Secretariat, with a copy to the ITTF.

2.3.2    JTC 1 Special Working Groups (SWG)

JTC 1 may, at its discretion, establish SWGs to assist it in the performance of its responsibilities.  Such SWGs have specific responsibilities and operate on a continuing basis until dissolved by JTC 1.  JTC 1 SWGs operate under the auspices of JTC 1.  The membership in SWGs of JTC 1 is open to all P members of JTC 1 and any others specified by JTC 1 for each SWG.

2.3.2.1    JTC 1 Rapporteur Groups (RGs)

JTC 1 may, at its discretion, establish RGs with defined membership to carry out certain responsibilities. 

2.3.2.1.1    Purpose of a Rapporteur Group.

A JTC 1 Rapporteur Group is established to advise JTC 1 on specific issues or areas as outlined in its Terms of Reference.  Other types of activities such as writing standards or technical development must be authorised by JTC 1 in the Terms of Reference of the Rapporteur Group, or in response to a specific request by the Rapporteur Group.  Unless authorised, a Rapporteur Group may not issue Letter Ballots for JTC 1 or submit New Work Item proposals.  Once established by resolution of JTC 1, a Rapporteur Group must be reconfirmed at each subsequent JTC 1 plenary meeting or it ceases to exist.

2.3.2.2    Membership and Participation

2.3.2.2.1  Membership in a Rapporteur Group is by National Bodies as nominated by those bodies in response to a call for members issued by the JTC 1 Secretariat.  A National Body may have more than one member on a Rapporteur Group.  If desired, JTC 1 may authorise participation by certain JTC 1 subgroups.

2.3.2.2.2  Observers are permitted at the discretion of the Rapporteur.

2.3.2.2.3  Liaisons between a Rapporteur Group and a non-JTC 1 entity can be established with the approval of JTC 1 or by JTC 1 establishing a direct liaison between itself and that body and directing the liaison to function as a member of the Rapporteur Group.

2.4    Workshops


JTC 1 may set up Workshops in order to develop IWAs with wide participation.  The rules for setting up and conducting Workshops are given in Annex L.

2.5    Subcommittees (SC)

2.5.1    Establishment

2.5.1.1  JTC 1 may establish SCs charged with the study of particular parts of the programme of work of JTC 1.  SCs shall be consecutively numbered beginning with 1, and shall have the reference JTC 1/SC .... (where the dots stand for the SC number).  If an SC is dissolved, its number shall not be allocated to another SC.

2.5.1.2  An SC shall comprise at least five P members.  If active participating membership falls below five, a formal (ballot) review shall take place on the need for and viability of the SC.  JTC 1 decides on the dissolution of its SCs.

2.5.1.3  No maximum size is mandated for an SC provided that its scope is well defined, there is coherence in its work programme, and there is an effective internal coordination structure which ensures efficiency and productivity.

2.5.2    Title, Scope and Responsibilities

2.5.2.1  The title, scope and programme of work of the SCs are determined by JTC 1.  An SC may propose changes to its title or scope which shall be submitted to JTC 1 for approval.  Any proposed change to the programme of work shall be approved by JTC 1 before the SC begins active development of a new item.  (This does not preclude study of potential items in accordance with 6.2.1.3 and 6.2.3).

2.5.2.2  An SC shall have a single, descriptive, and self-explanatory title.  The scope is a statement precisely defining the limits of the work of the SC within the scope of JTC 1.  The scope shall be drafted as concisely as possible so as to eliminate all superfluous phraseology.  Responsibilities which are automatically assigned to the SC such as "development of standardisation requirements" and "creation of new work item proposals", shall not be referred to in the scope.  The definition of the scope should begin with the words "Standardisation of ..." or "Standardisation in the field of ...".  Should it be necessary to specify that certain questions are outside the scope of the SC, these questions should be listed at the end of the definition and be introduced by the word "Excluded: ...."

2.5.2.3  Each SC shall develop and maintain a business plan for internal use and for reporting to JTC 1 on its programme of work.

2.5.3    Membership

2.5.3.1  Membership of SCs is divided into the same three categories as for JTC 1: P member, O member and liaison member.  P- or O membership of an SC is open only to P- and O members of JTC 1.  When an NB desires O membership in JTC 1, but is in a position to contribute to the work of an SC, P membership in the SC may be granted without altering the O member status in JTC 1.

There are three categories of liaison membership at the SC level, A, B and C (see 3.3.4.2).  Internal organisations, (e.g. other SCs or other ISO or IEC TCs, see 3.3.3) may also participate in SC meetings.  All participants at each SC meeting must be authorised by their NB or appropriate liaison organisation.

2.5.3.2  Members of JTC 1 shall be given the opportunity at the time of the establishment of an SC to advise of their intention of becoming P- or O members of the SC.  They may subsequently begin or end their membership in the SC or change their membership category by notifying the Secretariat of the SC, the Secretariat of JTC 1, and the ITTF of the change intended.  P- or O membership in JTC 1 does not automatically confer membership in its SCs.

2.5.3.3 Obligations of P members of SCs are defined in 3.1.

2.5.4    SC Advisory Groups (AG)


SCs may establish AGs where appropriate to carry out tasks concerning coordination, planning and steering of its work or other specific tasks of an advisory nature.  In establishing AGs, the following criteria shall be met:
2.6    Working Group Organisations

2.6.1    Working Groups (WG)

2.6.1.1  Where necessary to expedite development of one or more approved work items, a WG may be established by JTC 1 or by one of its SCs.  Additional projects may be assigned, where appropriate, to existing WGs.

2.6.1.2  NBs that are P-members or O-members of the parent body and organisations in liaison Category A and Category C may nominate experts as members of a WG. 

Internal organisations, (e.g. other SCs or other ISO or IEC TCs, see 3.3.3) may also participate in WG meetings.  All participants at each WG meeting must be authorised by their NB or appropriate liaison organisation.

2.6.1.3  WG members shall, whenever possible, make contributions in tune with their respective NB positions and shall keep their NBs informed of their verbal and written contributions to WGs.  WG members shall indicate whether views expressed reflect NB positions or personal opinions.  WGs shall distribute and consider documented NB positions, individual contributions, and liaison contributions relevant to work items entrusted to the WG.

2.6.1.4  Parent bodies shall periodically review the performance of their WGs against the following criteria:
2.6.2    Other Working Groups (OWG)

2.6.2.1  JTC 1, SCs and WGs may establish OWGs to undertake specific tasks between meetings of the establishing body.  These tasks shall be defined at a meeting of the establishing body.  The provisions of these directives which apply to WGs apply to OWGs as well, except as otherwise noted in the terms of reference of the OWG (see 2.6.2.3).  Since the provisions of 7.5.2 and 7.6.1 impose minimum lead times between meetings, advanced planning of such meetings is particularly necessary if work is to be completed before the next meeting of the establishing body.

2.6.2.2  Participation in these OWGs need not be restricted to the delegates present at the meeting during which the group is established.  However, the Convener should preferably be selected from among the attendees.

2.6.2.3 When established, the terms of reference of each OWG shall be defined by the establishing body taking into account:
2.6.2.4  If continuation of the OWG is required, it shall be re-established at each meeting of the establishing body.

2.6.2.5  The following are examples of OWGs:
2.6.2.6  JTC 1 or SCs may establish editing groups to ensure the best possible editorial presentation of drafts in conformity with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  An editing group works under the responsibility of the Secretariat of JTC 1 or the SC that established it and provides direction to the Project Editor (see 5.7).

2.6.3    Joint Working Groups ( JWG)

In special cases, JTC 1 may authorise establishment of a JWG to undertake a specific task in which more than one SC is strongly interested.  For administrative purposes the JWG shall be placed under one of the parent committees, nominated by mutual agreement.  JWGs may also be established with other ISO and IEC TCs.  JWGs shall follow the procedures defined for WGs.

2.6.4    Collaborative Relationship with ITU T

2.6.4.1  Two modes of collaboration with ITU T are defined in "Guide for ITU T and ISO/IEC JTC 1 Co-operation" (which is incorporated by reference as Annex K of these directives): collaborative interchange and collaborative team (CT).  A JTC 1 SC, in agreement with the corresponding ITU T Study Group, may establish either of these two modes of collaboration as appropriate.  In the case of collaborative interchange (see Annex K, 7.1) the terms of reference shall take into account:
In the case of collaborative team (see Annex K, 8.1), the terms of reference shall take into account:
2.6.4.2  Procedures for the operation of the two modes of collaboration are defined in Annex K.  These procedures deal primarily with the synchronisation of approval actions by JTC 1 and ITU T and are intended to supplement, not modify JTC 1 approval requirements.

2.6.4.3  A JTC 1 SC may terminate a collaborative interchange or collaborative team mode of collaboration after consultation with the corresponding ITU T Study Group.

2.7    Other Organisational Entities

2.7.1    Inter-SC Workshops

There is occasionally a topic for discussion which crosses multiple SCs and which cannot be handled by normal SC to SC liaison.  Inter-SC Workshops may provide useful vehicles for discussion of such topics, provided that their use is limited.  Since Inter-SC Workshops are considered extraordinary events, their establishment shall require approval by JTC 1 subject to the following conditions:
2.7.2    JTC 1 Registration Authorities

In cases where the implementation of an IS requires the designation of a registration authority, the rules in Annex E shall be applied.  The following rules shall apply to JTC 1 Registration Authorities (organisations which perform registration functions at the international level for JTC 1)

2.7.2.1    Appointment

The following procedure shall be followed to obtain appointment of an organisation as a JTC 1 Registration Authority:
2.7.2.2    Qualifications

To qualify for designation as a JTC 1 Registration Authority an organisation shall demonstrate that:
2.7.2.3    Contract

If appointed, the JTC 1 Registration Authority shall operate under contract with the ITTF.  Upon twelve months notice, either the JTC 1 Registration Authority or the ITTF may terminate the contract.

2.7.2.4    Duties

The JTC 1 Registration Authority is responsible for registering objects in accordance with these rules and both the technical standard and its associated procedure standard.
It shall:
2.7.3    JTC 1 Maintenance Agencies

(See ISO/IEC Directives - Part 1: Procedures for the technical work, Annex G)


Foreword   Table of Contents   List of Abbreviations   Index
Chapter: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Annex: A B C D E F G H HA HB HD HE  HF HG I J K  L  LA LB M MA  N O