[gnso-improvem-impl-sc] Recommended Amendments to WG Guidelines and Summary

[Ken Bour]

SCI Team Members:

 

I understand that most of you have not had the time or opportunity to review the online WG Self-Assessment DRAFT that I forwarded just prior to the Durban meeting. For your convenience, that link, again, is: http://scitestwg.questionpro.com. Feel free to complete the questionnaire and provide any feedback via the embedded comment sections or this email list. As of today, two committee members have tested the instrument (Angie & Mikey) and I thank them for their reviews. 

 

In the meantime, while we continue evaluating the proposed design and online questionnaire presentation, I took the liberty of recommending specific modifications to the WG Guidelines <http://gnso.icann.org/council/annex-1-gnso-wg-guidelines-08apr11-en.pdf>  document (and its Summary <http://gnso.icann.org/council/summary-gnso-wg-guidelines-06apr11-en.pdf>  version) consistent with having a formal self-assessment questionnaire available for Chartering Organizations to utilize. 

 

For brevity’s sake, I only included the sections of those documents which, in my judgment, would need to be modified. My suggested changes are presented below in maroon text. 

 

Procedurally, given the way online survey forms work, I think it would be best to copy the master questionnaire and create a new link (URL) for each WG. For example, if the GNSO Council wishes to request self-assessment feedback from the IRTP Part D WG, we might create a link such as http://irtp-part-d.questionpro.com (sample only). The downside is that the QuestionPro link would change for each WG; however, the upside is that (a) there should be no confusion or misdirection about which questionnaire is applicable to which WG, (b) it would be straightforward to store and subsequently archive the results under that specific identification, and (c) the link could be made active/inactive based upon when that WG’s members are invited to complete the form. 

 

What I propose is that, when a WG Charter is written, the CO could merely specify that it wants participants to complete a formal Self-Assessment. During the WG’s actual closure process, the Chair (via Staff reminder) would provide the exact questionnaire link to WG members along with the timeframe (open and close dates). A Staff Administrator, such as myself, would have the names of WG members and could monitor QuestionPro to see who has and has not completed the questionnaire. Reminders could then be sent out periodically to those who had not yet registered their feedback. At the conclusion of the survey period, the Staff Administrator would compile the results and produce a report for the CO and, upon approval, publish it on the Wiki and/or other locations as deemed appropriate. 

 

I welcome your feedback.

 

Ken Bour

 

Working Group Guidelines (ANNEX 1 <http://gnso.icann.org/council/annex-1-gnso-wg-guidelines-08apr11-en.pdf>  - GNSO Operating Procedures) 

 

2.1.4.3: Items for Review 

At the first meeting of the WG or as soon thereafter as practicable, the following documents should be reviewed in order to ensure all members have a common understanding of the WG’s mission, goals, objectives, deliverables, decision-making process and timeframes: Charter, Working Group Guidelines and any other documents relevant for the WGs discussion (e.g., Policy Development Process Guidebook, Issues Paper). These documents are normally transmitted to the WG prior to the first meeting. It is required that WGs develop a work plan that outlines the necessary steps and expected timing in order to achieve the milestones set out in the WG Charter. If a WG does not develop a work plan, it will need to provide a justification to the Chartering Organization. 

 

If the Chartering Organization has specified that it would like the WG to complete a formal Self-Assessment, it may be helpful to participants to review the questionnaire (see Section 7.0) in advance so that, as plans unfold and deliberations proceed, members have an understanding of the information that will be asked at the conclusion of the team’s work. 

 

The WG Chair may use the following checklist for assistance: (see Addendum) for further details.

 

Addendum: Chair Checklist [Note: given its small size, I suggest eliminating the separate Addendum and inserting the table here in Section 2.1.4.3]


Checklist

Yes/No


Have all WG members submitted Statements of Interest? 

 


Introduction of WG members 

 


Inform members that WG will operate under the principles of transparency and openness (i.e., mailing lists are publicly archived, meetings are recorded / transcribed) 

 


Review of WG’s mission, goals, objectives, deliverables, decision-making process, timeframes and any other documents relevant for the WG‟s discussion 

 


Review WG Self-Assessment Questionnaire (see Section 7.0)

 


Development of a work plan 

 


Schedule for future meetings of the WG 

 

 

Section 5.0: Products and Outputs

The products and outputs of a Working Group may be prescribed by the Charter such as a report, recommendations, guidelines, self-assessment or defined by the process under which the WG operates (e.g., Policy Development Process). In addition, the Working Group might decide that additional products or outputs are required in order to carry out its Charter in an efficient and productive manner such as a statement of work or a project plan. Working Groups should be encouraged to review products and outputs from other WGs and/or consult with ICANN Staff to decide what additional products or outputs would be advisable to develop. Links to some examples of products and outputs produced by other GNSO Working Groups can be found hereunder:

·         [Skipping other bullets for brevity]

·         WG Self-Assessment (see Section 7.0)

 


6.2.4.4: Closure and Working Group Self-Assessment 

This section of the Charter should describe any instructions for WG final closure including any feedback and/or self-assessment that is requested by the Chartering Organization. This section might also indicate if there is any specific format, template, or prescribed manner in which the feedback is to be provided; for example, a recommended questionnaire (illustrative) is included in Section 7.0 and can be made available online for WG members to complete at the appropriate time. 

 

[NEW] Section 7.0: Working Group Self-Assessment

 

A WG Self-Assessment instrument has been developed as a means for Chartering Organizations to formally request feedback from a WG as part of its closure process. WG members are asked a series of questions about the team’s inputs, processes (e.g., norms, decision-making, logistics), and outputs as well as other relevant dimensions and participant experiences. Screenshots of the questionnaire have been assembled into a PDF (see link below) so that WG participants can review, in advance, how it is designed and what specific information will be solicited. 

 

During the WG’s closure process, coordinating with the Chair, Staff will provide a unique link (URL) to the online questionnaire along with open and close dates and any specific instructions. Staff will then perform the following actions: 

·         Monitor the online process providing status updates to the WG Chair;

·         Provide technical assistance to WG members if requested;

·         Notify the Chair when all team members have completed the questionnaire; and, following the close date,

·         Summarize the feedback in a written report to the Chartering Organization. 

 

Link to WG Self-Assessment (illustrative PDF): [Note: the PDF link (TBD) would be maintained on the GNSO website <http://gnso.icann.org/en/council/procedures>  together with ANNEX 1. For now, I have attached an example of the PDF based on the current draft questionnaire]. 

 

 

Working Group Guidelines Summary

 

2. First meeting of the Working Group 

The first meeting of the Working Group should address the following issues: 

·         Introductions - members of the Working Group should be provided with the opportunity, at the start of the first meeting, to share information regarding interests, background, skills, experience, especially as related to any requirements in the Charter. 

·         Members of the Working Group should be informed that all Working Groups are normally expected to operate under the principles of transparency and openness, which means, inter alia, that mailing lists are publicly archived, meetings are normally recorded and/or transcribed, and Statements of Interest (SOIs) are required from Working Group participants which will be publicly posted. 

·         Election of the WG Leaders – Normally a Chair will be selected at the first meeting of the WG. A working Group may elect to have co-chairs, vice-chairs. Once selected, a working Group Chair will need to be confirmed by the Chartering Organization (CO). 

·         Items for review - At the first meeting of the WG or as soon thereafter as practicable, the following documents should be reviewed in order to ensure all members have a common understanding of the WG’s mission, goals, objectives, deliverables, decision-making process and timeframes: Charter, Working Group Guidelines and any other documents relevant for the WGs discussion (e.g., Policy Development Process Guidebook, Issues Paper). It is required that WGs develop a work plan that outlines the necessary steps and expected timing in order to achieve the milestones set out in the WG Charter. If the Chartering Organization has specified that it would like the WG to complete a formal Self-Assessment, it may be helpful to participants to review the questionnaire (see Section 7.0) in advance so that, as plans unfold and deliberations proceed, members have an understanding of the information that will be asked at the conclusion of the team’s work. 

 

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