Meta-charter

(Rough first draft, August 2009.)

The Scheme Standardization charter of January 2004 set up a process for the creation of a single work product, the R6RS. Recognizing that Scheme standardization is an ongoing process involving multiple work products evolving concurrently as well as sequentially, we propose that there be potentially several concurrent and/or sequential working groups, each with its own charter. This structure permits working group goals, timelines, and governance to evolve independently without requiring amendment of the standardization charter itself.

Working group charters can come from any source, and will be reviewed by the community and approved by the steering committee. Each working group charter should address

Charters can be amended, renewed, or terminated by the steering committee.

We anticipate certain operating procedures that would be common to all working groups:

A typical working group might designate the following individual roles:

The overall standardization processes (but not necessarily charters) are assumed to be ongoing. Mistakes can get fixed, perhaps by charter changes. We have to assume an iterative development process, not a cataclysmic one.

A working groups is normally disbanded after its deliverable artifacts have been approved by the steering committee. Approved artifacts can be revised by proposing a new working group for that purpose.

For comparison and inspiration we should look to organizations that have a track record of generating technical specifications in an orderly and effective manner. One example: W3C process (World Wide Web Consortium).