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<h1>W3C Process Document</h1>
<h2>6 <a name="GAGeneral" id="GAGeneral">Working Groups, Interest Groups, and
Coordination Groups</a></h2>
<div class="toc">
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#ReqsAllGroups" class="tocxref">6.1 Requirements
for All Working, Interest, and Coordination Groups</a></li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsWG" class="tocxref">6.2 Working Groups and
Interest Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#group-participation" class="tocxref">6.2.1
Working Group and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharterDevelopment" class="tocxref">6.2.2
Working Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CharterReview" class="tocxref">6.2.3 Advisory
Committee Review of a Working Group or Interest Group Charter</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#cfp" class="tocxref">6.2.4 Call for
Participation in a Working Group or Interest Group</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#charter-extension" class="tocxref">6.2.5 Working
Group and Interest Group Charter Extension</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#WGCharter" class="tocxref">6.2.6 Working Group
and Interest Group Charters</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#three-month-rule" class="tocxref">6.2.7 Working
Group "Heartbeat" Requirement</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#GeneralTermination" class="tocxref">6.2.8
Working Group and Interest Group Closure</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="tocline3"><a href="#GroupsCG" class="tocxref">6.3 Coordination
Groups</a>
<ul class="toc">
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGParticipation" class="tocxref">6.3.1
Coordination Group Participation Requirements</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGCreation" class="tocxref">6.3.2 Coordination
Group Creation and Closure</a></li>
<li class="tocline4"><a href="#CGCharter" class="tocxref">6.3.3 Coordination
Group Charters</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<p><a name="GAGroups" id="GAGroups">This document defines three types of
groups:</a></p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#GroupsWG">Working Groups.</a> Working Groups typically produce
deliverables (e.g., <a href="tr.html#rec-advance">Recommendation Track
technical reports</a>, software, test suites, and reviews of the deliverables
of other groups). There are <a href="#good-standing">Good Standing</a>
requirements for Working Group participation as well as additional
participation requirements described in the <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</li>
<li><a href="#GroupsIG">Interest Groups.</a> The primary goal of an Interest
Group is to bring together people who wish to evaluate potential Web
technologies and policies. An Interest Group is a forum for the exchange of
ideas.</li>
<li><a href="#GroupsCG">Coordination Groups.</a> A Coordination Group manages
dependencies and facilitates communication with other groups, within or outside
of W3C.</li>
</ol>
<p>Neither Interest Groups nor Coordination Groups publish <a href=
"#rec-track-doc">Recommendation Track technical reports</a>; see information
about <a href="#ig-cg-notes">maturity levels for Interest Groups and
Coordination Groups</a>.</p>
<h3>6.1 <a name="ReqsAllGroups" id="ReqsAllGroups">Requirements for All
Working, Interest, and Coordination Groups</a></h3>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a charter. Requirements
for the charter depend on the group type. All group charters <span class=
"rfc2119">MUST</span> be public (even if other proceedings of the group are
<a href="comm.html#Member-only">Member-only</a>). Existing charters that are
not yet public <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be made public when next
revised or extended (with attention to <a href=
"comm.html#confidentiality-change">changing confidentiality level</a>).</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a name="GeneralChairs"
id="GeneralChairs">Chair</a> (or co-Chairs) to coordinate the group's tasks.
The Director appoints (and re-appoints) Chairs for all groups. The Chair is a
<a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member representative</a>, a <a href=
"organization.html#Team">Team representative</a>, or an <a href=
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert</a> (invited by the Director). The
requirements of this document that apply to those types of participants apply
to Chairs as well. The <a href="/Guide/chair-roles">role of the Chair
[MEM14]</a> is described in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Guide/">Member
guide</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-guide">MEM9</a>].</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have a <a name="TeamContact"
id="TeamContact">Team Contact</a>, who acts as the interface between the Chair,
group participants, and the rest of the Team. The <a href=
"/Guide/staff-contact">role of the Team Contact</a> is described in the Member
guide. The Chair and the Team Contact of a group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD
NOT</span> be the same individual.</p>
<p>Each group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> have an archived mailing list
for formal group communication (e.g., for meeting announcements and minutes,
documentation of decisions, and <a href="policies.html#FormalObjection">Formal
Objections</a> to decisions). It is the responsibility of the Chair and Team
Contact to ensure that new participants are subscribed to all relevant mailing
lists. Refer to the list of <a href="http://www.w3.org/Member/Mail/">group
mailing lists</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-mailing-lists">MEM2</a>].</p>
<p>A Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> form task forces (composed of group
participants) to carry out assignments for the group. The scope of these
assignments <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> exceed the scope of the
group's charter. A group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> document the
process it uses to create task forces (e.g., each task force might have an
informal "charter"). Task forces do not publish <a href=
"tr.html#Reports">technical reports</a>; the Working Group <span class=
"rfc2119">MAY</span> choose to publish their results as part of a technical
report.</p>
<h3>6.2 <a name="GroupsWG" id="GroupsWG">Working Groups</a> and <a name=
"GroupsIG" id="GroupsIG">Interest Groups</a></h3>
<p>Although Working Groups and Interest Groups have different purposes, they
share some characteristics, and so are defined together in the following
sections.</p>
<h4>6.2.1 <a name="group-participation" id="group-participation">Working Group
and Interest Group Participation Requirements</a></h4>
<p>There are three types of individual <a name="wgparticipant" id=
"wgparticipant">participants in a Working Group</a>: <a href=
"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a>, <a href=
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>, and <a href=
"organization.html#Team">Team representatives</a> (including the <a href=
"#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>).</p>
<p>There are four types of individual <a name="igparticipant" id=
"igparticipant">participants in an Interest Group</a>: the same three types as
for Working Groups plus, for an Interest Group where the only <a href=
"#ig-mail-only">participation requirement is mailing list subscription</a>,
<a name="public-participant-ig" id="public-participant-ig">public
participants</a>.</p>
<p>Except where noted in this document or in a group charter, all participants
share the same rights and responsibilities in a group; see also the <a href=
"policies.html#ParticipationCriteria">individual participation
criteria</a>.</p>
<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> represent at most one
organization in a Working Group or Interest Group.</p>
<p>An individual <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> become a Working or Interest
Group participant at any time during the group's existence. See also relevant
requirements in <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-join">section 4.3</a> of the
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p>On an exceptional basis, a Working or Interest Group participant
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> designate a <a name="mtg-substitute" id=
"mtg-substitute">substitute</a> to attend a <a href=
"policies.html#GeneralMeetings">meeting</a> and <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> inform the Chair. The substitute <span class=
"rfc2119">MAY</span> act on behalf of the participant, including for <a href=
"policies.html#Votes">votes</a>. For the substitute to vote, the participant
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Chair in writing in advance. As a
courtesy to the group, if the substitute is not well-versed in the group's
discussions, the regular participant <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span>
authorize another participant to act as <a href="policies.html#proxy">proxy</a>
for votes. For the purposes of <a href="#good-standing">Good Standing</a>, the
regular representative and the substitute are considered the same
participant.</p>
<p>To allow rapid progress, Working Groups are intended to be small (typically
fewer than 15 people) and composed of experts in the area defined by the
charter. In principle, Interest Groups have no limit on the number of
participants. When a Working Group grows too large to be effective, W3C
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> split it into an Interest Group (a discussion
forum) and a much smaller Working Group (a core group of highly dedicated
participants).</p>
<p>See also the licensing obligations on Working Group participants in <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section 3</a> of
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>], and the patent claim
exclusion process of <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Exclusion">section 4</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.1 <a name="member-rep-wg" id="member-rep-wg">Member
Representative</a> in a Working Group</h5>
<p>An individual is a Member representative in a Working Group if all of the
following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question has
designated the individual as a Working Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p><a name="member-rep-info" id="member-rep-info">To designate an individual as
a Member representative in a Working Group</a>, an Advisory Committee
representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> provide the Chair and Team
Contact with all of the following information, in addition to any other
information required by the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a> and
charter (including the participation requirements of the <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]):</p>
<ol>
<li>The name of the W3C Member the individual represents and whether the
individual is an employee of that Member organization;</li>
<li>A statement that the individual accepts the participation terms set forth
in the charter (with an indication of charter date or version);</li>
<li>A statement that the Member will provide the necessary financial support
for participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and conferences).</li>
</ol>
<p>A Member participates in a Working Group from the moment the first Member
representative joins the group until either of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Member <a href="policies.html#resignation">resigns</a> from the Working
Group; this is done through the Member's Advisory Committee
representative.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.2 <a name="member-rep-ig" id="member-rep-ig">Member
Representative</a> in an Interest Group</h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Member representative
in an Interest Group if all of the following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Advisory Committee representative of the Member in question has
designated the individual as an Interest Group participant, and</li>
<li>the individual qualifies for <a href="policies.html#member-rep">Member
representation</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as a Member representative in an Interest Group,
the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> follow
the instructions in the <a href="#cfp">Call for Participation</a> and
charter.</p>
<p>Member participation in an Interest Group ceases under the same conditions
as for a Working Group.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.3 <a name="invited-expert-wg" id="invited-expert-wg">Invited
Expert</a> in a Working Group</h5>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> invite an individual with a
particular expertise to participate in a Working Group. This individual
<span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> represent an organization in the group (e.g.,
if acting as a liaison with another organization).</p>
<p>An individual is an Invited Expert in a Working Group if all of the
following conditions are satisfied:</p>
<ul>
<li>the Chair has designated the individual as a group participant,</li>
<li>the Team Contact has agreed with the Chair's choice, and</li>
<li>the individual has provided the <a href="#inv-expert-info">information
required of an Invited Expert</a> to the Chair and Team Contact.</li>
</ul>
<p>To designate an individual as an Invited Expert in a Working Group, the
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the Team Contact and provide
rationale for the choice. When the Chair and the Team Contact disagree about a
designation, the <a href="organization.html#def-Director">Director</a>
determines whether the individual will be invited to participate in the Working
Group.</p>
<p><a name="inv-expert-info" id="inv-expert-info">To be able to participate in
a Working Group as an Invited Expert</a>, an individual <span class=
"rfc2119">MUST</span> do all of the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>identify the organization, if any, the individual represents as a
participant in this group,</li>
<li>agree to the terms of the <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/collaborators-agreement">invited expert and
collaborators agreement</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-invited-expert">PUB17</a>],</li>
<li>accept the participation terms set forth in the charter (including the
participation requirements of <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section 3</a>
(especially 3.4) and <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Disclosure">section 6</a>
(especially 6.10) of the <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>]). Indicate a specific charter date or
version,</li>
<li>disclose whether the individual is an employee of a W3C Member; see the
<a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of interest policy</a>,</li>
<li>provide a statement of who will provide the necessary financial support for
the individual's participation (e.g., for travel, telephone calls, and
conferences), and</li>
<li>if the individual's employer (including a self-employed individual) or the
organization the individual represents is not a W3C Member, indicate whether
that organization intends to join W3C. If the organization does not intend to
join W3C, indicate reasons the individual is aware of for this choice.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Chair <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD NOT</span> designate as an Invited
Expert in a Working Group an individual who is an employee of a W3C Member. The
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> use Invited Expert status to
circumvent participation limits imposed by the <a href=
"#WGCharter">charter</a>.</p>
<p>An Invited Expert participates in a Working Group from the moment the
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>the Chair or Director withdraws the invitation to participate, or</li>
<li>the individual <a href="policies.html#resignation">resigns</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h5>6.2.1.4 <a name="invited-expert-ig" id="invited-expert-ig">Invited
Expert</a> in an Interest Group</h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group mailing list subscription</a>, the participation requirements for an
Invited Expert in an Interest Group are the same as those for an <a href=
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.5 <a name="team-rep-wg" id="team-rep-wg">Team Representative in a
Working Group</a></h5>
<p>An individual is a Team representative in a Working Group when so designated
by W3C management.</p>
<p>An Team representative participates in a Working Group from the moment the
individual joins the group until any of the following occurs:</p>
<ul>
<li>the group closes, or</li>
<li>W3C management changes Team representation by sending email to the Chair,
cc'ing the group mailing list.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Team participates in a Working Group from the moment the Director
announces the creation of the group until the group closes.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.6 <a name="team-rep-ig" id="team-rep-ig">Team Representative in an
Interest Group</a></h5>
<p>When the participation requirements exceed <a href="#ig-mail-only">Interest
Group mailing list subscription</a>, an individual is a Team representative in
an Interest Group when so designated by W3C management.</p>
<h5>6.2.1.7 <a name="good-standing" id="good-standing">Good Standing in a
Working Group</a></h5>
<p>Participation by an individual in a Working Group on an ongoing basis
implies a serious commitment to the charter, including all of the
following:</p>
<ul>
<li>attending most meetings of the Working Group.</li>
<li>providing deliverables or drafts of deliverables in a timely fashion.</li>
<li>being familiar with the relevant documents of the Working Group, including
minutes of past meetings.</li>
<li>following discussions on relevant mailing list(s).</li>
</ul>
<p>At the first Working Group meeting that follows any <a href="#cfp">Call for
Participation</a>, all participants are in Good Standing. If a Member or
Invited Expert joins the Working Group after the end of that meeting, the
Member Representative or Invited Expert does not attain Good Standing until the
start of the second consecutive meeting that individual attends.</p>
<p>When the Chair and the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a> agree, the
Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> declare that a participant is no longer
in Good Standing (henceforth called "Bad Standing"). If there is disagreement
between the Chair and the Team Contact about standing, the Director determines
the participant's standing. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> declare
a Team participant to be in Bad Standing, but it is clearly preferable for the
Chair, Team participant, and W3C management to resolve issues internally.</p>
<p>A participant <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be declared in Bad Standing
in any of the following circumstances:</p>
<ul>
<li>the individual has missed more than one of the last three <a href=
"policies.html#distributed-meeting">distributed meetings</a>.</li>
<li>the individual has missed more than one of the last three <a href=
"policies.html#ftf-meeting">face-to-face meetings</a>.</li>
<li>the individual has not provided deliverables in a timely fashion twice in
sequence.</li>
<li>the individual has not followed the <a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of
interest policy</a> by disclosing information to the rest of the group.</li>
</ul>
<p>Although all participants representing an organization <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> attend all meetings, attendance by one representative
of an organization satisfies the meeting attendance requirement for all
representatives of the organization.</p>
<p>The above criteria <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be relaxed if the Chair
and Team Contact agree that doing so will not set back the Working Group. For
example, the attendance requirement can be relaxed for reasons of expense
(e.g., cost of travel) or scheduling (for example, an exceptional
teleconference is scheduled at 3:00 a.m. local time for the participant). It is
the responsibility of the Chair and Team Contact to apply criteria for Good
Standing consistently.</p>
<p>When a participant risks losing Good Standing, the Chair and Team Contact
are expected to discuss the matter with the participant and the participant's
Advisory Committee representative (or W3C management for the Team) before
declaring the participant in Bad Standing.</p>
<p>The Chair declares a participant in Bad Standing by informing the
participant's Advisory Committee representative and the participant of the
decision. If the Advisory Committee representative and Chair differ in opinion,
the Advisory Committee representative <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
<a href="organization.html#def-Director">Director</a> to confirm or deny the
decision. <a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a> declared in Bad
Standing <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> appeal to the Director.</p>
<p>The Chair and Team Contact restore Good Standing and <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> do so when the individual in Bad Standing satisfies the
above criteria. The Chair <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> inform the
individual's Advisory Committee representative of any change in standing.</p>
<p>When a Member representative permanently replaces another (i.e., is not
simply a temporary <a href="#mtg-substitute">substitute</a>), the new
participant inherits the standing of the departing participant.</p>
<p>Changes in an individual's standing in a Working Group have no effect on the
obligations associated with Working Group participation that are described in
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a>
[<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> In general, the time commitment for participating in
an Interest Group is less than that for a Working Group; see the section on
<a href="#ig-charter-participation">participation provisions in an Interest
Group charter</a>.</p>
<h4>6.2.2 <a name="WGCharterDevelopment" id="WGCharterDevelopment">Working
Group and Interest Group Charter Development</a></h4>
<p>The Team <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> notify the Advisory Committee
when a charter for a new Working Group or Interest Group is in development. The
suggestions for building support around an <a href=
"activities.html#ActivityDevelopment">Activity Proposal</a> apply to charters
as well.</p>
<p>W3C <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> begin work on a Working Group or
Interest Group charter at any time. A Working Group or Interest Group
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be part of an approved <a href=
"activities.html#def-Activity">Activity</a>.</p>
<h4>6.2.3 <a name="CharterReview" id="CharterReview">Advisory Committee
Review</a> of a Working Group or Interest Group Charter</h4>
<p>The Director <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> solicit <a href=
"acreview.html#ReviewAppeal">Advisory Committee review</a> of every new or
substantively modified Working Group or Interest Group charter. The Director is
<span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to solicit Advisory Committee review
prior to a charter extension or for minor changes.</p>
<p>The Director's Call for Review of a substantively modified charter
<span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> highlight important changes (e.g., regarding
deliverables or resource allocation) and include rationale for the changes.</p>
<h4>6.2.4 <a name="cfp" id="cfp">Call for Participation in a Working Group or
Interest Group</a></h4>
<p>After Advisory Committee review of a Working Group or Interest Group
charter, the Director <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> issue a Call for
Participation to the Advisory Committee. For a new group, this announcement
officially creates the group. The announcement <span class=
"rfc2119">MUST</span> include a reference to the <a href=
"#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a href=
"#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, and the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
Contact</a>.</p>
<p>After a Call for Participation, any <a href=
"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a> and <a href=
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a> <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> be
designated (or re-designated).</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a href=
"acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> creation or substantive modification of a
Working Group or Interest Group charter.</p>
<h4>6.2.5 <a name="charter-extension" id="charter-extension">Working Group and
Interest Group Charter Extension</a></h4>
<p>To extend a Working Group or Interest Group charter with no other
substantive modifications, the Director announces the extension to the Advisory
Committee. The announcement <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> indicate the new
duration, which <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> exceed the duration of
the Activity to which the group belongs. The announcement <span class=
"rfc2119">MUST</span> also include rationale for the extension, a reference to
the <a href="#WGCharter">charter</a>, the name(s) of the group's <a href=
"#GeneralChairs">Chair(s)</a>, the name of the <a href="#TeamContact">Team
Contact</a>, and instructions for joining the group.</p>
<p>After a charter extension, Advisory Committee representatives and the Chair
are <span class="rfc2119">NOT REQUIRED</span> to re-designate <a href=
"policies.html#member-rep">Member representatives</a> and <a href=
"#invited-expert-wg">Invited Experts</a>.</p>
<p>Advisory Committee representatives <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> <a href=
"acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> the extension of a Working Group or
Interest Group charter.</p>
<h4>6.2.6 <a name="WGCharter" id="WGCharter">Working Group and Interest Group
Charters</a></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
include all of the following information.</p>
<ul>
<li>The group's mission (e.g., develop a technology or process, review the work
of other groups);</li>
<li>The scope of the group's work and criteria for success;</li>
<li>The duration of the group (typically from six months to two years);</li>
<li>The nature of any deliverables (technical reports, reviews of the
deliverables of other groups, or software), expected milestones, and the
process for the group participants to approve the release of these deliverables
(including public intermediate results). A charter is <span class="rfc2119">NOT
REQUIRED</span> to include the schedule for a review of another group's
deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on the deliverables of
this group. For any dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
specify the mechanisms for communication about the deliverables;</li>
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside of W3C.
For example, one group's charter might specify that another group is expected
to review a technical report before it can become a Recommendation. For any
dependencies, the charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> specify when
required deliverables are expected from the other groups. The charter
<span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> set expectations about how coordination
with those groups will take place; see the section on <a href=
"liaisons.html#Liaisons">liaisons with other organizations</a>. Finally, the
charter <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> specify expected conformance to the
deliverables of the other groups;</li>
<li>The <a href="comm.html#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
of the group's proceedings and deliverables;</li>
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
<li>Communication mechanisms to be employed within the group, between the group
and the rest of W3C, and with the general public;</li>
<li>An estimate of the expected time commitment from participants;</li>
<li>The expected time commitment and level of involvement by the Team (e.g., to
track developments, write and edit technical reports, develop code, or organize
pilot experiments).</li>
</ul>
<p>See also the charter requirements of <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Licensing">section 2</a> and
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy#sec-Obligations">section
3</a> of the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent
Policy</a> [<a href="refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<p id="ig-charter-participation">An Interest Group charter <span class=
"rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions regarding participation, including
specifying that the <a name="ig-mail-only" id="ig-mail-only">only requirement
for participation (by anyone) in the Interest Group</a> is subscription to the
Interest Group mailing list. This type of Interest Group <span class=
"rfc2119">MAY</span> have <a href="#public-participant-ig">public
participants</a>.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> conflict
with the <a href="policies.html#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the Process
Document.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other than
those required by this document. The charter <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> highlight whether additional provisions impose
constraints beyond those of the W3C Process Document (e.g., limits on the
number of individuals in a Working Group who represent the same Member
organization or group of <a href="organization.html#MemberRelated">related
Members</a>).</p>
<h4>6.2.7 <a name="three-month-rule" id="three-month-rule">Working Group
"Heartbeat" Requirement</a></h4>
<p>It is important that a Working Group keep the Membership and public informed
of its activity and progress. To this end, each Working Group <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> publish in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C
technical reports index</a> a new draft of <em>each active technical
report</em> at least once every three months. An active technical report is a
Working Draft, Candidate Recommendation, Proposed Recommendation, or Proposed
Edited Recommendation. Each Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span>
publish a new draft of <em>at least one of its active technical reports</em> on
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C technical reports index</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-doc-list">PUB11</a>] at least once every three months.</p>
<p>Public progress reports are also important when a Working Group does not
update a technical report within three months (for example, when the delay is
due to a challenging technical issue) or when a Working Group has no active
technical reports (for example, because it is developing a test suite).</p>
<p>In exceptional cases, the Chair <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> ask the
Director to be excused from this publication requirement. However, in this
case, the Working Group <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> issue a public status
report with rationale why a new draft has not been published.</p>
<p>There are several reasons for this Working Group "heartbeat"
requirement:</p>
<ul>
<li>To promote public accountability;</li>
<li>To encourage Working Groups to keep moving forward, and to incorporate
their decisions into readable public documents. People cannot be expected to
read several months of a group's mailing list archive to understand where the
group stands;</li>
<li>To notify interested parties of updated work in familiar a place such as
the W3C home page and index of technical reports.</li>
</ul>
<p>As an example, suppose a Working Group has one technical report as a
deliverable, which it publishes as a Proposed Recommendation. Per the heartbeat
requirement, the Working Group is required to publish a new draft of the
Proposed Recommendation at least once every three months, even if it is only to
revise the status of the Proposed Recommendation document (e.g., to provide an
update on the status of the decision to advance). The heartbeat requirement
stops when the document becomes a Recommendation (or a Working Group Note).</p>
<h4>6.2.8 <a name="GeneralTermination" id="GeneralTermination">Working Group
and Interest Group Closure</a></h4>
<p>A Working Group or Interest Group charter specifies a duration for the
group. The Director, subject to <a href="acreview.html#ACAppeal">appeal</a> by
Advisory Committee representatives, <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> close a
group prior to the date specified in the charter in any of the following
circumstances:</p>
<ul>
<li>There are insufficient resources to produce chartered deliverables or to
maintain the group, according to priorities established within W3C.</li>
<li>The group produces chartered deliverables ahead of schedule.</li>
<li>The Activity to which the group belongs terminates.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Director closes a Working Group or Interest Group by announcement to the
Advisory Committee.</p>
<p>Closing a Working Group has implications with respect to the <a href=
"http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy">W3C Patent Policy</a> [<a href=
"refs.html#ref-patentpolicy">PUB33</a>].</p>
<h3>6.3 <a name="GroupsCG" id="GroupsCG">Coordination Groups</a></h3>
<p>W3C Activities interact in many ways. There are dependencies between groups
within the same Activity or in different Activities. There are also
dependencies between W3C Activities and the activities of other organizations.
Examples of dependencies include the use by one technology of another being
developed elsewhere, scheduling constraints between groups, and the
synchronization of publicity for the announcement of deliverables. Coordination
Groups are created to manage dependencies so that issues are resolved fairly
and the solutions are consistent with W3C's mission and results.</p>
<p>Where a Coordination Group's scope covers two groups with unresolved
disputes or tensions, it is the first locus of resolution of these
disputes.</p>
<h4>6.3.1 <a name="CGParticipation" id="CGParticipation">Coordination Group
Participation Requirements</a></h4>
<p>There are four types <a name="cgparticipant" id="cgparticipant">participants
in a Coordination Group</a>: the <a href="#GeneralChairs">Chair</a>, the Chair
of each coordinated group (to promote effective communication among the
groups), Invited Experts (e.g., liaisons to groups inside or outside W3C), and
Team representatives (including the <a href="#TeamContact">Team Contact</a>).
The requirements for Invited Expert participation are the same as for an
<a href="#invited-expert-wg">Invited Expert in a Working Group</a>.</p>
<p>Coordination Group participants <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> follow the
<a href="policies.html#coi">conflict of interest policy</a> by disclosing
information to the rest of the group.</p>
<p>There are no Good Standing requirements for Coordination Group
participation; regular participation in a relevant Coordination Group is one of
the <a href="/Guide/chair-roles">roles of a group Chair [MEM14]</a>.</p>
<h4>6.3.2 <a name="CGCreation" id="CGCreation">Coordination Group Creation and
Closure</a></h4>
<p>The Director creates or modifies a Coordination Group by sending the
<a href="#CGCharter">Coordination Group charter</a> to the Advisory Committee.
A Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> be created as part of an
<a href="activities.html#ActivityProposal">Activity Proposal</a> (for example
to coordinate other groups in the Activity or to draw up charters of future
groups), or during the life of an Activity when dependencies arise. A
Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> operate as part of several
W3C Activities.</p>
<p>A Coordination Group <span class="rfc2119">SHOULD</span> close when there is
no longer a perceived need for coordination.</p>
<h4>6.3.3 <a name="CGCharter" id="CGCharter">Coordination Group
Charters</a></h4>
<p>A Coordination Group charter <span class="rfc2119">MUST</span> include all
of the following information:</p>
<ul>
<li>The group's mission;</li>
<li>The scope of the group's work, including the names of coordinated groups
and contact information for those groups;</li>
<li>Any dependencies by groups within or outside of W3C on this group;</li>
<li>Any dependencies of this group on other groups within or outside of W3C;
see the section on <a href="liaisons.html#Liaisons">liaisons with other
organizations</a>.</li>
<li>The <a href="comm.html#confidentiality-levels">level of confidentiality</a>
of the group's proceedings;</li>
<li>Meeting mechanisms and expected frequency;</li>
<li>Communication mechanisms to be employed within the group, between the group
and the rest of W3C, and with the general public;</li>
<li>An estimate of the expected time commitment from participants;</li>
<li>The expected level of involvement by the Team.</li>
</ul>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include additional voting
procedures, but those procedures <span class="rfc2119">MUST NOT</span> conflict
with the <a href="policies.html#Votes">voting requirements</a> of the Process
Document.</p>
<p>A charter <span class="rfc2119">MAY</span> include provisions other than
those required by this document. The charter <span class=
"rfc2119">SHOULD</span> highlight whether additional provisions impose
constraints beyond those of the W3C Process Document.</p>
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