LC comment for SpecGL : 'Simplify & consolidate the guidelines of SpecGL'

Here is a last call comment from Lofton Henderson (lofton@rockynet.com) 
on QA Framework : Specifications Guidelines (and Examples and Techniques)
received by the LC form system.

Submitted on behalf of: N/A
Comment type: Substantive
The comment applies to: "Overall"
Comment title: Simplify & consolidate the guidelines of SpecGL

Comment:
If the 14 specification guidelines can be clearly summarized in 6 bullets, as we claim is done in the QA Outreach Kit,

http://www.w3.org/2003/Talks/qa-outreach/slide5-0.html ,

then perhaps the guidelines themselves ought to be consolidated and reduced in number.  I believe that most of the checkpoints are appropriate, but perhaps should be repackaged.  

Six bullets:

* Scope - define the scope, identifying what needs to conform and how
* Conformance Clause - specify the conformance policy and requirements
* If you must subset - use profiles, modules, functional levels
* Extensions - specify whether and how extensions are allowed
* Tag for later use - identify testable assertions, discretionary items
* Claims - specify how conformance claims and statements are made

I think the first 4 are almost right for guidelines.  The later ones don't seem to me to be quite right.

new GL1: define and illustrate scope (includes old GL1, GL2)
new GL2: define conformance policy and requirements (old GL3, GL10)
new GL3: subset as needed (old GL4, GL5, GL6)
new GL4: extensions (old GL9)

Then it gets a little rougher...

new GL5: get a handle on other conformance variability factors (deprecation & discretionary) [old GL7, GL8].  I would not recommend this consolidation unless we can reduce the total checkpoints from 10.

new GL6: is there a nice umbrella statement that would accomodate GL13 and GL14?

new GL7: claims -- specify how and provide an ICS [old GL11, GL12]

So at best, we would have 7 guidelines.  At worst, 9 (if the new GL5 wouldn't stick together, and we couldn't find a new GL6 that was satisfactory).


Proposed resolution : 

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Received on Saturday, 15 March 2003 17:15:39 UTC