- From: <noah_mendelsohn@us.ibm.com>
- Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:10:05 -0400
- To: www-tag@w3.org
TAG members: In an email just sent [1], I summarized the work we've done so far toward setting the TAG's long term agenda. We have a F2F scheduled tentatively for end of June: if we can make good progress refining our priorities between now and then, we'll have a much more effective F2F agenda, and there will be less need to spend time discussing priorities. So, here are my thoughts on next steps, along with a request for you to help move this discussion forward in the coming weeks: First, it's clear that there is a balance to be struck between top down planning driven by unifying themes as identified at the F2F [2] vs. stepping in quickly and effectively on other high priority matters that need attention. I don't think we yet know what the right balance is. Also, we haven't >yet< shown that we can use the themes we gathered at the F2F to motivate specific work items with clear goals and measures of success. Even if the themes do prove effective, we'll need to be nimble about taking up other high priority work from time to time. So, we need to propose more specific activities under each theme, and to prioritize both the big themes and the specific activities. Let's try in email in the coming weeks to make progress, building on what we did at the F2F. There are multiple threads we'll need to pursue in parallel, iterating until we have a set of particular deliverables organized by high priority themes, or else perhaps until the point where we decide that themes aren't serving us after all. Below my signature are a set of questions I think we should be discussing between now and the F2F. I propose that we let this discussion go on as a background activity for a few weeks to see whether it proves fruitful. In the meantime, we have quite a few items left over from last week's agenda, as well as one or two new ones, and they look worthwhile to me. I'll be scheduling those for telcons on the 26th and the 2nd, while keeping an eye on this discussion of long term priorities. Thank you. Thank you. Noah [1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-tag/2009Mar/0138.html [2] http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/2009/03/05-whiteboard-priorities.txt [3] http://www.w3.org/2001/tag/2009/03/03-TAG-issue-status.html SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR EMAIL DISCUSSION ------------------------------------- * Of the 6 themes identified [2] at the F2F, and of the particular items listed under them, help us set priorities. Should we focus on all 6 equally? Are the themes in fact useful in setting priorities? * Help us understand what >particular activities< you would pursue under those themes. Your proposals can come from existing issues, finding drafts, etc., or can be new proposals. We need to get to the point where each activity is aimed at identified audience(s), has clear measures of success, and has at least a rough agreed timeframe. Of course, we can retune such plans at anytime. * Are there topics we're working on or considering that should be dropped or wrapped up? * If possible, take some time to review all the material linked from my email pointing to all the fact finding done at the F2F and in earlier emails [1] and see whether any of it motivates suggestions for what we should do. * Please take the time to look at and help us prioritize the open issues that we did not get to at the F2F. If you want to help tune up the descriptions or volunteer to shepherd that would be even better, and it will save us from eventually taking group time to do that. Right now, the most important thing is to suggest priorities and dispositions (e.g. if you thank an issue should be closed). I am aware that there is a circular dependence between prioritizing these issues in isolation and at the same time deciding who to use themes to set priorities. I'm suggesting that setting preliminary priorities in isolation is useful anyway, and if the themes eventually cause us to reconsider, that's fine. I'm encouraging you to discuss all this in parallel for awhile, and from whatever angles seem most useful to you. What I'll be looking for is to see that whatever path we choose through all this leads to priorities that we can agree to, and that those agreed priorities allow us to efficiently identify concrete high value work items and deliverables, each of which has reasonably clear timetables and measures of success. -------------------------------------- Noah Mendelsohn IBM Corporation One Rogers Street Cambridge, MA 02142 1-617-693-4036 --------------------------------------
Received on Sunday, 22 March 2009 15:11:26 UTC