Re: Use Case Management and IG Process

Russell, all,
I review your template together with contribution from some other people  
and updated the reference template, now available on the wiki

On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:38:55 +0200, Giuseppe Pascale <giuseppep@opera.com>  
wrote:

> Russell. thanks for your template
> Francois, thanks for your overview of available tools.
>
> My view on this is when it comes to the HNTF work (this could be  
> extended to the all IG if people agree) is the following:
>
> We should be able to do a good job with the tools available, that is  
> mail, wiki and tracker.
> In order to avoid confusion and things lost in the discussion,
> I would propose to adopt a really simple process (copied also on the  
> wiki for reference [1])
>
>
> 1. Submitter sends a use case to public-web-and-tv@w3.org using the the  
> Use Cases Template
> 2. The Moderator creates an issue to keep track of this use case,  
> linking the initial email to the issue
> 3. Editor writes down the use case in the wiki and take editing  
> responsibilities for it. In general the Submitter will also be the  
> Editor but there could be exceptions.
> 4. discussion happens, use case gets updated as necessary on the Wiki.
> 5. The Moderator issues a short call for consensus ("anything else on  
> that topic?")
> 6. The Moderator notes the outcome of the discussion in tracker and  
> closes the issue.
> 7. At this point The Use Case/Proposal can be merged in the main  
> requirement document (or saved as a separate deliverable if this is the  
> case)
>
> Notes:
> 1. This is just a proposal (feel free to comment on it); For HNTF  
> participants, I suggest to discuss this during our next call and discuss  
> if this is enough or if something more is needed.
> 2. I'll reuse Russell template and make a "wiki" version of it.
>
> /g
>
> [1] http://www.w3.org/2011/webtv/wiki/HNTF
>
> On Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:55:14 +0200, Francois Daoust <fd@w3.org> wrote:
>
>> Dear Russell,
>>
>> On 04/11/2011 09:16 AM, Russell Berkoff wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> I noticed use-cases are begining to be considered. To help manage this  
>>> process I would encourage the IG to adopt a uniform _*use-case  
>>> submission template*_.
>>> In addition it would be useful for the IG to provide a  
>>> document-management facility so that use-cases can be submitted,  
>>> tracked and archived.
>>> The attached template is based on a (non-scientific) review of Use  
>>> Case templates used by various SDOs.
>>
>> Thanks for sharing the template. Tracking suggestions, issues and  
>> actions is certainly useful to ensure smooth progress of group's  
>> discussions. We do not use a document-management facility as such in  
>> W3C but there are a few tools that are available and that can help  
>> organize life in the group.
>>
>> In the end, the way tools will be used is up to chairs and task force  
>> moderators, so please consider the points below as possibilities. It's  
>> important that participants feel at ease with tools.
>>
>>
>> Tools:
>>
>> 1. Emails
>> -----
>> Emails remain one of the easiest tools to use for everyone and are  
>> heavily used in W3C.
>> Emails sent to the mailing-list are archived and indexed:
>>   http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-web-and-tv/
>> They can be searched for and pointed at to remind people of past  
>> discussions on a given topic.
>>
>> Emails may not look formal, but keep in mind culture at W3C is more  
>> oriented towards informal discussions within the group. Things get  
>> formal at W3C when decisions get taken and/or when contention appears.  
>> If a suggestion appears to be falling through the cracks, just raise it  
>> again to the chairs and staff contacts. Other SDOs may have much more  
>> formal submission processes, that's usually not the case in W3C.
>>
>> Templates may be used to increase readability, but please bear in mind  
>> that text should be used whenever possible (instead of email  
>> attachements) for indexation purposes.
>>
>>
>> 2. Wiki
>> -----
>> The group has a a wiki which can be edited by participants of the IG:
>> http://www.w3.org/2011/webtv/wiki/Main_Page
>>
>> A wiki allows participants to work together on a use case, a report, an  
>> agenda, etc and converge on a common view. Version history is preserved  
>> and it's easy to roll back on changes if there is disagreement about an  
>> update. That's the closest thing we have to a document-management  
>> facility.
>>
>> If participants feel they will be using non-textual documents such as  
>> diagrams a lot, it is possible to set up a CVS or a Mercurial  
>> repository, but that's usually more for source code than for use cases  
>> and these tools may not be easy accessible to everyone.
>>
>>
>> 3. Tracker
>> -----
>> Tracker helps track issues and actions on products (products are  
>> typically the deliverables of the group).  There is an instance of  
>> tracker for the Web and TV IG available at (member-only link):
>> http://www.w3.org/2011/webtv/track/
>>
>> Tracker is a simple but powerful tool. Here is how things usually work:
>>
>> 1/ someone sends a use case, a suggestion, or a question to  
>> public-web-and-tv@w3.org.
>> 2/ a chair or a task force moderator creates an issue on Tracker to  
>> keep track of this use case, linking the initial email. Let's say that  
>> the issue that gets created is ISSUE-38.
>> 3/ discussion follows. Tracker monitors the mailing-list and  
>> automatically links emails that contain "ISSUE-38" to the issue in the  
>> Web interface.
>> 4/ if something needs to be done to solve the issue, someone should be  
>> "actioned" to investigate or propose solutions. For instance, ACTION-97  
>> could be created on you to report on the processing power needed to run  
>> typical CSS Transformations within the next two weeks (I'm totally  
>> making this up, obviously). This action would be linked to ISSUE-38.  
>> Same as with issues, tracker tracks emails that contain "ACTION-97"  
>> automatically.
>> 5/ Once actions are done and there does not seem to be any more  
>> disagreement on a topic, the chair or moderator should issue a short  
>> call for  consensus on the mailing-list, or propose a resolution during  
>> a teleconference call (if the task force meets on the phone for  
>> instance).
>> 6/ the chair or moderator notes the outcome of the discussion in  
>> Tracker and closes the issue and associated actions.
>>
>> The power of the tool lies in the ability to keep on using emails to  
>> discuss issues and propose changes. Through "trackbot", Tracker also  
>> monitors the #webtv channel on W3C IRC server. That's very useful  
>> during teleconferences call to manage issues and actions without even  
>> having to use the Web-based interface.
>>
>> The Web-based interface provides different useful views: actions you  
>> need to do, open actions, overdue actions, actions that are pending  
>> review by the rest of the group, etc. In other words, Tracker provides  
>> a formal organization on top of informal mail and chat exchanges.
>>
>> Tracker features are described in:
>> http://www.w3.org/2005/06/tracker/
>>
>> Kaz and I are here to assist with tools, so feel free to ask questions.
>>
>> HTH,
>> Francois.
>
>


-- 
Giuseppe Pascale
TV & Connected Devices
Opera Software - Sweden

Received on Monday, 18 April 2011 09:23:08 UTC