Keith:
Convincing the entire IESG is a very high barrier, especially when
typically, most of the IESG just wants the issue to go away. It might
happen for a significant architectural issue, perhaps, but not for an
area-specific technical flaw.
Here's the point: if an AD can't get at least one or two other ADs to
read the document and agree to join in the blocking, then that AD MUST
NOT be allowed to block the document. That's even the case if the AD
thinks she's found a serious flaw. Because if, out of 14 others in
the IESG, not ONE other is willing to read the document, understand
the issue, and agree on it.
That's also how I interpret the rules. I just don't think that this is
sufficient review. I think that in practice it makes IESG more-or-less a
rubber stamp for any issue that isn't easily fixed with small and often
inconsequential changes to the document text.
The problem is, the ADs are very busy people, and their expertise has to
cover a wide range of topics, so there will be few IESG members who can
really understand a subtle issue. Document reviews outside of one's subject
area are very difficult and require considerable focus. GIven that, even if
only one AD catches a flaw in a document, there's a good chance (though not a
certainty of course) that it's something that warrants more attention. It's
far more likely that no ADs will find the flaw because nobody really took the
time to read the document thoroughly and to understand its implications of
the document outside of the narrow subject area of the working group.
I understand (and agree with) the sentiment that, ultimately, one or two
people shouldn't be able to block a document. Nor do I want documents held
up for trivialities as, unfortunately, sometimes happens. But I've seen many
cases where working groups failed to do an adequate level of review outside
of their narrow areas of concern, and it appears that IESG's current rules
and workload make it difficult for problems to get fixed after a document
leaves the WG.
My experience is that a technical flaw, even if it is a corner case, is acted
upon by the WG. There are rare cases where the WG has lost energy, but in
general the WG wants to produce a quality output. As a result, technical flaws
are not the place where things get messy. Rather, things get messy over issues
that have a political component.
Russ
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