6 Programme of Work
6.1 Overall Programme
of Work
6.1.1
Within the overall
business plan, JTC 1 shall establish and
maintain a programme of work. The programme of work, which must
be within the scope agreed by the Councils, shall consist of a detailed
list of all work items under development and for study. The
selection of items shall be subject to close scrutiny in accordance
with the policy objectives and resources of ISO/IEC and should be
governed by economic, social and technical considerations (see ISO/IEC
Directives Part 1, Annex C).
6.1.2
Each item in the
programme of work shall be given a project
number and shall be retained in the programme of work under that
project number until the work on that item is completed or its deletion
has been agreed upon. A work item may be subdivided, or two or
more work items merged, if it is subsequently found necessary and new
project numbers, related to the original(s) issued.
6.1.3
The list of work items
shall indicate, where appropriate, the SC
or WG to which each item is allocated.
6.2 Additions to the Programme of Work
6.2.1
New Work Item Proposals (NP)
6.2.1.1
An NP may be submitted
by an NB, JTC 1 or one of its SCs,
another TC or SC, organisations with category A-liaison status to JTC
1, the ITTF, TMB/SMB, ISO or IEC Councils, Policy Development
Committees or Committees on General Standardization Principles, or one
or both of the Secretaries-General. Those NPs submitted by other
organisations in liaison with ISO or IEC will be referred to JTC 1 for
consideration. [Note: Organisations in liaison with JTC 1
subsidiary bodies are expected to work through these bodies.]
6.2.1.2
Any proposal to add a
new item to the programme of work shall
be made using an NP form (see Form G1), obtainable from the ITTF, and
shall be fully justified (see ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Annex C) by
the proposer. This justification shall include a non-technical
statement of users' functional requirements which need to be satisfied
by the NP. The NP form shall be accompanied by the NP Project
Acceptance Criteria form (see Form G3G1). In responding to an NP
ballot, NBs should comment on the statement of user requirements and
are encouraged to consult widely within the user community for input.
The proposer is encouraged to append a working draft ( WD) or an
outline, if available, in order to help NBs understand the proposal
more clearly and to expedite the subsequent standardisation process.
6.2.1.3
It is the
responsibility of NBs to review each NP to ensure
proper coordination among standards development activities and
avoidance of duplication of efforts. In this regard, NBs should
take particular note of related standardisation activities identified
in the proposal and are encouraged to seek input from the national
counterparts to these organisations when developing a position since
direct input from the international organisations identified may or may
not be possible within the time frame of the ballot. Each
proposal shall be voted on by letter ballot (see Form G4), even if it
has appeared on the agenda of a meeting. In order to be approved,
the proposal shall be supported by a majority of all P members of JTC 1
with at least five P members of the SC to which the project will be
assigned committed to active participation. If the NP is
submitted by an SC, the SC should first determine that at least five of
its P-members will participate. This does not prevent initiation
of discussion of technical documents pertaining to a proposed new item,
pending approval of the item by NP letter ballot of the JTC 1 P members
or the SC approval of a study period. If the result of the JTC 1
NP letter ballot is negative, discussion of the proposal shall be
abandoned.
6.2.1.4
Active participation
for NPs includes involvement by NBs in
more than one of the following:
- Attendance at meetings (see also 7.11);
- Contributing to the development of the WD;
- Performing substantial review on a CD and subsequent stages;
- Submitting detailed comment with ballots.
6.2.1.5
The procedure of
distributing the NP form for voting is not
required in the case of revision of a published IS. Such
revisions should, however, be recorded in JTC 1's programme of work as
items at Stage 2 (see 12.1) and
should have target dates and priorities
assigned as for other work items.
6.2.1.6
When proposing a new
work item, the elements to be clarified
are:
- Title: The title should indicate the subject matter of the
proposed new standard.
- Scope (and field of application): The scope should give a clear
indication of the coverage of the proposed new work item and, if
necessary for clarity, exclusions.
- Purpose and justification: Details based on a critical study of
the following elements should be given whenever practicable:
- The specific aims and reason for the standardisation activity,
with particular emphasis on the aspects of standardisation to be
covered, the problems it is expected to solve or the difficulties it is
intended to overcome, and the business requirements for it.
- The main interests that might benefit from or be affected by the
activity, such as industry, consumers, trade, governments, distributors.
- Feasibility of the activity: Are there factors that could
hinder the successful establishment or general application of the
standard(s)?
- Timeliness of the standards to be produced: Is the
technology reasonably stabilised? If not, how much time is likely
to be available before advances in technology may render the proposed
standards outdated? Are the proposed standards required as a
basis for the future development of the technology in question?
- Urgency of the activity, considering the needs of other fields or
organisations.
- Related work in other areas of standardisation, including
commitments for Co-operation or collaboration with organisations
external to JTC 1
- The benefits to be gained by the implementation of the proposed
standard(s); alternatively, the loss or disadvantage(s) if no standards
are established within a reasonable time. Publicly available
industry data such as product volume or value of trade can be useful in
this regard, but care should be taken to avoid presenting or discussing
information where such action could be interpreted as violating
national competition or anti-trust legislation.
- The status of the technology (mature, anticipatory, etc.).
- If the standardisation activity is or is likely to be the subject
of regulations or to require the harmonisation of existing regulations,
this should be indicated.
- If a series of new work items is proposed the purpose and the
justification of which is common, a common proposal may be drafted
including all elements to be clarified and enumerating the titles and
scopes of each individual item.
- Programme of work: Target date(s) should be indicated and, when a
series of standards is proposed, priorities should be suggested.
- Relevant documents: Any known relevant documents (such as
standards and regulations) should be listed, regardless of their
source. When the proposer considers that an existing
well-established document may be acceptable as a standard (with or
without amendments) this should be indicated with appropriate
justification and a copy attached to the proposal.
- Co-operation and liaison: Relevant organisations or bodies, with
which Co-operation and liaison should exist, should be listed.
- Preparatory work: The proposer should indicate whether he or his
organisation is prepared to undertake the preparatory work required for
the new work item.
If the JTC 1 Secretariat finds that an NP is short of the above
elements, the JTC 1 Secretariat may refer the NP back to the proposer
to add more complete explanations.
6.2.1.7
An NP for a
standard which utilises a Formal Description
( FD) shall identify the Formal Description Technique ( FDT) to be used
and include appropriate references. See 10.4. Justification
shall be included for use of an FDT not already standardised or in the
process of being standardised. If subsequent to the approval of
the NP, an SC decides to include an FD, this shall be handled in
accordance with this clause, or 6.2.2.1, as
applicable.
6.2.1.8
All proposals for
standardising new FDTs shall be subject to
the NP voting procedure. For acceptance of an NP on an FDT, the
following criteria shall be met at the time of submission of the NP
(see 6.2.1.2):
- The need for the FDT shall be demonstrated;
- Evidence that it is based on a significantly different model from
that of an existing FDT shall be provided; and
- The usefulness and capabilities of the FDT shall be demonstrated.
6.2.1.9
Where a new JTC 1
Registration Authority is deemed necessary
(see 18.3), the technical group
responsible for the technical standard
shall if possible identify this need in the NP together with
appropriate justification. If this necessity is recognised later
in the course of the standard's development, an NP is required for the
companion procedure standard (see 18.4).
6.2.1.10
Comments received with
NP ballot responses need to be
addressed in an appropriate manner and the NP proposal modified, if
necessary, to accommodate the comments. If the comments deal with
a potential overlap between the proposal and the work of other
organisations, representatives of the other organisations should be
invited to present their advice concerning the disposition of comments.
6.2.2
Subdivisions
6.2.2.1
To avoid undue delays
in authorising subdivisions of projects
or minor enhancements of existing work, where the changes are not
outside the scope of the original item, the SC may proceed with such
work if approved by a vote of its P members. The change(s),
however, must be submitted to JTC 1 for endorsement and, if JTC 1 does
not approve, the work must cease.
6.2.2.2
Following its plenary
meeting, an SC shall submit to the JTC 1
Secretariat as a single document the SC's modified programme of work,
including all proposed subdivisions of projects and minor enhancements
of existing work, exclusive of proposals for new work. This
document shall be distributed by the JTC 1 Secretariat to the JTC 1
NBs. Unless the JTC 1 Secretariat receives notification within 75
days of why a proposed change should not be approved, the modified
programme of work will be accepted.
6.2.3
New Work Areas
6.2.3.1
Applicability
As a part of measures to improve the overall planning and management of
the JTC 1 work programme, it is considered as important that steps are
taken to ensure that the level of preparation of new work areas is
adequate, and that there is adequate time for study of, and comment on,
such new work areas by NBs, liaison organisations and other SCs before
they are submitted for formal ballot. New work areas require the
production of a clear plan setting out the technical activity and
resource estimates. The new work area procedures should be
applied when the following two conditions exist:
- An area of technical activity will require a significant amount
of expertise over an extended period in order to produce the required
standards.
- A requirement exists for two or more interrelated work items to
produce the required standards.
6.2.3.2
Procedures
6.2.3.2.1
An NP for a new work
area should be the output of a study
period in the SC concerned during which NBs, liaison organisations and
other SCs that may be concerned have been able to review and comment on
drafts for the NP. The final draft should be subject to the
formal approval of the SC responsible before submission to JTC 1.
6.2.3.2.2
The study should
address:
- The requirements, involving possible users where this is relevant;
- The relationships with other work, the technical approach and
technical feasibility of the NP, including identification of reference
material on technical issues and initial material if available;
- The preparation of a detailed plan of work covering the
timetable, resource requirements and resource availability (technical
and administrative).
6.2.3.2.3
The timetable should
propose a start date for the work and
should have justification in terms of the resource requirement and
resource availability, time to research, prepare and review text - with
adequate allowance for the time to resolve conflicting views.
6.2.3.2.4
The resource
availability should be clearly specified in
terms of:
- Rapporteur;
- Editor(s);
- Major contributors (possibly indicating areas of major activity);
- Review contributors;
- Secretariat (SC and WG support for Convenors).
6.2.3.2.5
The timetable and
resource statements should show clearly the
plans for necessary liaisons in terms of resources commitment and plans
for any necessary joint meetings.
6.2.3.2.6
JTC 1 shall be
notified as soon as possible if the new work
area is of a cross-over nature. A topic is considered a
cross-over one when:
- It falls within the scope of more than one body inside JTC 1 or
even ISO or IEC, and these bodies can make valuable contributions to
the achievement of the work.
- The Co-operation of several bodies is considered essential to
obtain a satisfactory completion of the work, and therefore, has to be
monitored during the work period.
When JTC 1 is notified that a work area is of a cross-over nature, it
shall decide upon the progression and allocation of the work.
6.2.3.3
Processing NPs for New
Work Areas
6.2.3.3.1
The NP itself should
contain a realistic estimate of the
overall workload involved in the development of the new work area.
6.2.3.3.2 The NP should
indicate a proposed start date for the project
if it is approved. This date should not simply be the end of the
NP ballot period, but should represent a realistic target, based on the
workload and priorities of the SC in which the work will be carried out.
6.2.3.3.3 SCs should be
encouraged to establish clear milestones and
then to conduct realistic and regular reviews of their workload, to
prioritise their work items in order of importance and to suspend or
delete those items that are not being actively pursued.
6.2.3.3.4 NBs, when indicating
on the NP ballot form whether they will
participate or not in the project, should base their response on
whether they can support the level of activity described in the NP.
6.3 Target Dates and
Priorities
6.3.1
Target dates
6.3.1.1
For each item of the
programme of work, JTC 1 shall establish
target dates for:
- Registration of the first CD (and subsequent CDs);
- Submission of text for FDIS processing;
- Publication.
6.3.1.2
Recognizing that it is
reasonable to envisage that certain
projects may progress faster or slower than others, and therefore that
it may be inappropriate to focus on a single set of target dates, JTC 1
has established three timeframes (sometimes referred to as ‘standards
development tracks’) known as ‘Default Timeframe’, the ‘Accelerated
Timeframe’, and the ‘Extended Timeframe’, as follows:
Default Timeframe
- Availability of committee draft: 12 months
- Availability of approval draft: 30 Mnoths
- Availability of published standard: 36 months
Accelerated Timeframe
Committee draft omitted
- Availability of enquiry draft: 6 months
- Availability of published standard: 24 months
Extended Timeframe
- Availability of committee draft: 12 months
- Availability of approval draft: 43 months
- Availability of published standard: 48 months
Where a proposed NP is approved for inclusion on a SC’s programme of
work, the SC shall in every case determine which of the three
timeframes is to be applied to the project, and report this to JTc 1
and ITTF at the time of notifying approval of the project.
Unless otherwise agreed, this timeframe will apply without change
throughout the lifetime of the project.
6.3.1.3
The target dates shall shall be kept under periodic
review by
JTC 1 and amended as necessary. Particular attention should be
given to target dates which have been established on formal request by
an intergovernmental organisation.
6.3.1.4
It is required that each SC establish priorities
and, based on
these priorities, establish timetables for the target dates for all
work items assigned to the SC.
6.3.1.5
As per TMB Resolution 30/2003, JTC 1 recommends that that
a
standard be completed within 36 months. However, it is possible
to use an accelerate
6.3.2
Priorities
6.3.2.1
If the whole programme of work cannot be studied at
the same
time, JTC 1 determines in consultation with each SC to which work items
priority shall be given.
6.3.2.2
The allocation of priority to a work item means that the
said
item will receive special attention in the ISO/IEC procedure for the
preparation of an IS.
6.4 Progress Control
and Reporting
6.4.1
Progress Control
6.4.1.1
JTC 1 shall ensure that
the planned programme is pursued and
that, as far as possible, established target dates are met.
Control shall be exercised over each separate work item for each stage
in the procedure. Periodic progress reports to JTC 1 by its
subsidiary bodies, and meetings between the Secretariats of JTC 1 and
its subsidiary bodies, will assist in controlling the progress.
6.4.1.2
The ITTF shall follow
the progress of work in JTC 1 and report
periodically to the TMB/SMB.
6.4.1.3
Each SC shall review
its progress against the target dates at
regular intervals and amend target dates where necessary.
Justification shall be provided to JTC 1 for such amendments and, where
target dates have repeatedly not been met, a proposal shall be made to
JTC 1 to delete or redefine the work items.
To enable the NBs of JTC 1 to evaluate these priorities and target
dates against the overall work programme of JTC 1, a written report
containing the above information shall be submitted at least annually
by the SC.
6.4.1.4
JTC 1 requires SC
Chairmen to assume responsibility for the
management of work programmes under their jurisdiction. To this
end each SC Chairman is required to prepare a business plan for
inclusion in part 1 of the report to JTC 1 (see
6.4.2.2).
6.4.1.5
Except for work items
having a specifically notified late start
date, if a work item, registered as an NP before 1 January 2004, has
not progressed to Stage 3 (12.6) by
the second anniversary of project
initiation (NP approval or project subdivision), the SC shall consider,
either by letter ballot or plenary vote, whether the project shall be
retained (giving specific justification) and advise the JTC 1
Secretariat and ITTF of the results. If the SC fails to act, then
the project shall automatically be cancelled by the JTC 1 Secretariat
and ITTF.
6.4.1.6
When the JTC 1
programme of work includes an item, registered
as an NP before 1 January 2004, which has not progressed to Stage
4 (see 12.7) by the third
anniversary of the issuance of the first CD,
the SC shall consider, either by letter ballot or plenary vote, whether
the project should be retained (giving specific justification) and
advise the JTC 1 Secretariat and ITTF of the results. If the SC
fails to act, the JTC 1 Secretariat shall submit the item to the P
members of JTC 1 for confirmation by correspondence. Depending on
the nature of the comments received, the Secretariat shall decide
whether this work item should be eliminated or should continue to
remain on the programme of work.
6.4.1.7
All NPs registered
after 1 January 2004 shall be allocated a
timeframe as described in 6.3.1.2.
Action required when target dates are exceeded:
In those cases where the target date for CD is not met one of the
following actions shall be taken:
- Technical content of current text is considered acceptable and
mature-Progress existing text as a CD
- Technical content of current text is considered acceptable but
not sufficiently mature for a future International Standard-Publish as
a Technical Report
- Technical content is not regarded acceptable for a future IS or
TR, but nevertheless of interest to the public-Publish as Techncial
Report Type 3
- Consensus cannot be reached, but there is strong interest from
stakeholder to continue-Request JTC 1 and ITTF to grant an exception
and to permit the extension of the target dates.
- SC is unable to find a solution-Delete the project
In those cases where the target date for FDIS is not met one of the
following actions shall be taken
- technical contenet of current text is considered acceptable and
mature-Progress existing text as an FDIS
- Technical content of current text is considered acceptable but
not sufficiently mature for a future International Standard-Publish as
a technical report
- Technical content is not regarded as acceptable for a future IS
or TR, but nevertheless of interest to the public-Publish as a
Technical Report Type 3
- Consensus cannot be reached, but the work is considered still
market relevant, either (a) distribute the text as a further FCD, or
(b) request JTC 1 and ITTF grant an exception and to permit the
extension of the target date
- The SC and JTC 1 are unable to find a solution-Delete the project
6.4.2
Reporting
6.4.2.1
In light of the
requirement for SCs to submit reports to
JTC 1 on a periodic basis (see 6.4.2.2) the
requirement for preparation
of a JTC 1 annual report to ISO/IEC has been waived by the ITTF.
6.4.2.2
Reports to JTC 1 shall
be prepared by the SC Secretariats and
Chairmen and shall comprise two parts, each separately submitted.
The information in Part 1 shall be provided by the SC Chairman within
four weeks of the conclusion of an SC plenary meeting, and updated
prior to each plenary meeting of JTC 1. Part 2 shall be provided
by the SC Secretariat prior to each plenary meeting of JTC 1.
Part 1 shall be a Business Plan in accordance with the template in
Annex G (see Form G25).
Part 2 shall be a statistical report and shall:
- Describe the work of the SC and WGs (i.e. provide SC area of work
and WG terms of reference);
- Contain in full the latest version of the SC's programme of work
together with information as to the development stage of the various
work items. For all projects the last available reference
document, whether or not a WD, should be identified;
- Provide target dates for appropriate stages of development (e.g.
registration of the first CD, subsequent CDs and FCDs and submission of
text for FDIS processing);
- Provide the full name, address, telephone and facsimile numbers
and e-mail address for the SC Chairman and Secretariat, WG Convener(s)
and Secretariat(s) and all Project Editors.
The JTC 1 Secretariat may notify the SC Secretariat that submission of
Part 2 is unnecessary if complete, up-to-date information is available
and accessible via an SC web site linked to the JTC 1 web site.