David,
For example, as you note, the IESG approves working groups and working
group
charters. So the IESG does, in fact, have the ability to control the
later
demand placed on it.
Are you suggesting that we start disapproving new working groups
since they cause work for the IESG ?
That does sound pretty silly, doesn't it?
But, then, it sounds pretty silly to have a pattern of filling up with working
groups when we cannot provide adequate support to them. (Note, for example,
that having too many working groups means we have too many parallel sessions
and cannot get the breadth and depth of participation we need.)
As I said, we do not tolerate that sort of continued congestion in an Internet
service, so why do we fail to attend to the problem in the IETF?
We can help to fine tune charters. We can engage the community to
scope the work better. However, we are explicitly not chartered to
review charters for the amount of work that they cause for the IESG.
Working groups are expensive. Very expensive.
Not just in iesg time, of course, but in quite a variety of resources
consumed. Having lots of working groups seems to mean that a) we give very
poor support to them, and b) we hassle them when they are done.
If the IESG is really concerned about quality, then it needs to both faciliate
and apply pressure at the beginning of the working group and continue these
during the life of the working group.
The silliest thing we can do is permit poor charters, floundering working
groups and then veto their documents after 3-10 years.
So, what sort of support?
1. Much, much better charters. For example, we do not even try to enforce the
requirements specified in the Working Group Guidelines RFC.
2. Much better oversight of new working group chairs, to ensure that the
group gets traction on its effort.
3. Insistence on review of major decisions along the way.
4. Reorganization of IETF management to handle the current load and
diversity of participation better, with a particular eye on finding ways
to prevent single-person vetos.
d/
---
Dave Crocker
Brandenburg InternetWorking
+1.408.246.8253
dcrocker a t ...
WE'VE MOVED to: www.bbiw.net
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