The Open Group Standards Process

Introduction

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Abstract

The Open Group Standards Process defines the technical procedures for how key tasks within The Open Group standards development activities are performed. The objectives of having documented and observed procedures are:

  1. To explain how The Open Group Standards Processes operate.
  2. To record how complex tasks involving different groups may be executed in an effective and repeatable manner.
  3. To ensure the quality of Open Group standards deliverables.
  4. To ensure that The Open Group complies with legal constraints on the operation of consortia

Summary Slide Presentation (informative)

Principles

The Open Group Standards Process is founded on the following principles:

Name: Openness
Statement:
  • Standards are developed in an open process with decisions taken based upon the consensus of the parties involved
Rationale:
  • Openness is a basic part of The Open Group's raison d'etre (embedded in the name). The Open Group must be seen to be open.
  • Openness is a key part of the value proposition to Open Group members. Our standards are competing in the market with vendor-specific standards; the openness of the process that produces them is a key part of the value of our standards to the market, and to the members who join us in order to help develop them.
Implications:
  • The process must be not only be open, but seen to be open.
  • Openness implies effective communication with and between all relevant parties.
  • Openness should be applied throughout the standards development process, not just in the final company review.
  • Openness implies that any member is eligible to participate in any council, forum, work group or project, and stand for election to any office (e.g. Chair, Vice Chair) of any such group of members, and stand for election to represent the membership at the Governing Board, limited only by entitlements associated with their membership type and status
  • All standards published by The Open Group must be copyright of The Open Group

Name: Timely and Deterministic Process
Statement:
  • Standards are developed using a deterministic process that delivers standards in a predictable and timely manner.
Rationale:
  • There is a continuum of standards in any industry, de jure, industry consensus and vendor-specific or commercial. While consensus standards cannot be produced as rapidly as those of a single vendor, they do have to be produced at an acceptable pace to have value in the market, and have to be substantially faster and more deterministic in getting to market than de jure standards, which often have other drivers, such as health, safety or national interests, underlying them
Implications:
  • Determinism is a means to the end of timeliness, not an end in itself.
  • The inability of many de jure standards efforts to deliver effective standards in a timely manner means that we should distinguish ourselves from de jure bodies in the market.
  • We should be prepared for an activity to be stopped or re-constituted if it does not reach consensus in a timely manner.

Name: Public Availability of Published Standards
Statement:
  • Standards once published are made publicly available.
Rationale:
  • Standards only have value if they are widely adopted in the market
  • A key part of the overall value proposition for Open Group members is the widespread adoption of their deliverables
Implications:
  • Standards should be available to all (members and non-members)
  • The Open Group should publicize the fact that a standard is publicly available

Name: No Legal Impediment to Implementation or Adoption
Statement:
  • There must be no legal impediment to implementation or adoption of an Open Group standard.
Rationale:
  • Legal impediments could prove to be a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of the standard
Implications:
  • The Open Group must have copyright to the standard, and any patents must be free of charge, or available under RAND (Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory) terms to all parties

Summary Slides (informative)

Overview

An overview of the Standards Process and how the different components interact is shown in the summary diagram below:

Any comments relating to the material contained in this document may be submitted to The Open Group at:

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or by electronic mail to:
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