This document details the operating procedures that govern collaboration in SG16. Specifically, it details the processes used by SG16 to abide by SD-4: WG21 Practices and Procedures. These procedures are also intended to align with those described in P2145: Evolving C++ Remotely.
For any questions or concerns regarding these procedures, please contact the SG16 chair at tom@honermann.net.
SG16 follows the WG21 code of conduct described in SD-4: WG21 Practices and Procedures.
SG16 welcomes participation from anyone with applicable C++, Unicode, and/or text processing interest or expertise from around the globe. The following resources are available to accommodate such participation.
The SG16 mailing list is open to the public. Subscription information and archives are available at https://lists.isocpp.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/sg16. The mailing list is intended for general organizational use, technical discussion, and dissemination of other relevant information.
Most informal discussion occurs on Slack in the sg16_unicode channel within the Cpplang workspace. Participants will require an invitation to the Cpplang workspace to join the channel. An invitation can be requested by visiting https://cpplang.now.sh or by contacting the SG16 chair via the contact information listed above.
Two forms of meetings take place:
- Telecons are held approximately twice a month. These are public meetings and summaries of them are made publicly available at https://github.com/sg16-unicode/sg16-meetings and in WG21 papers such as P1666. Meeting times and draft agendas are posted to the SG16 Slack channel and at https://github.com/sg16-unicode/sg16-meetings. Invitations are sent to the mailing list and to prior attendees. An invitation can be requested by contacting the SG16 chair via the contact information listed above. Reminders of telecons will be sent to the mailing list with agenda updates, connection information, and anticipated decisions to be made the day before the telecon.
- Face to face meetings are held at WG21 meetings. Attendees must follow the normal WG21 procedures to attend. Remote access may be made available for recognized experts at the SG16 chair's discretion pending available technical equipment. Summaries of these meetings are not made public in accordance with WG21 procedures, but anonymized poll questions and results may be quoted in public facing documents.
Proposals and non-proposal topics may be discussed at any meeting. The chair may schedule topics based on discussion observed outside of meetings (e.g., on the mailing list or in Slack) or on request.
Proposals require a WG21 paper (See https://isocpp.org/std/submit-a-proposal) or a WG14 paper. Proposal polling will only be conducted on P-numbered papers and paper revisions. Proposals will only be discussed if an author or appropriate surrogate is present. Draft proposals or revisions may be discussed, but will not be polled.
Consensus requires a quorum of regular attendees and acknowledged experts. Both quorum and consensus are determined by the chair. The chair conducts polls. Polls may be conducted at both telecons and face to face meetings.
In both telecons and face to face meetings, polls are conducted via a show of (virtual) hands. The positions of individuals are not recorded; only the sums for each position are recorded. Statements for those strongly in favor or strongly opposed to a poll may be recorded in an anonymized fasion.
For various reasons, including but not limited to travel and timezone challenges, some qualified experts will be unable to participate in either telecons or face to face meetings. SG16 has a responsibility to ensure that the perspectives and expertise of such experts is included in decision making.
Traditional WG21 processes were changed by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this event, SG16 would typically conduct polls and forward recommendations to upstream subgroups at face to face meetings. Following the cancelation of the Varna 2020 summer meeting, it became necessary to conduct polling at telecons so that SG16 recommendations could be forwarded to upstream subgroups for processing at their telecons.
Polls are frequently drafted in response to active discussion. That makes it unrealistic to prepare polls in advance, whether for telecons or face to face meetings. Further, it is frequently difficult to infer the motivation or intent of a poll based solely on the poll text; discussion leading up to the poll is often critical context. For these reasons, participation in polls is limited to those that were present for preceding discussion.
In order to ensure that the perspectives of those that are unable to attend telecons are taken into account, poll results in telecons that are deemed to have consensus by telecon participants will be deemed to have tentative consensus. The results of such polls will be posted to the SG16 mailing list in order to invite dissenting opinions over a one week period. If dissent is expressed, then the chair will determine if the level of dissent is sufficient to override the tentative consensus position obtained during the telecon and, if so, will schedule further discussion; otherwise, the tentative consensus will become the SG16 consensus and will be communicated as a recommendation to upstream subgroups as necessary.
When the chair anticipates taking an important poll prior to a telecon, the chair will send a notification to the SG16 mailing list in advance of the telecon with the goal of maximizing attendance.
Polling at face to face meetings will not follow a tentative consensus process due to time constraints; at face to face meetings, it is critical that study group recommendations are communicated quickly to upstream subgroups. The following section details procedures that can be followed following a face to face meeting by non-attendees with dissenting perspectives.
Prior SG16 decisions may be revisited, at the chair's discretion, if new information on a topic becomes available. However, the process of revisiting a prior decision differs depending on the actions that have followed that decision.
- If SG16 has communicated a decision to an upstream subgroup, but that subgroup has not yet taken further action on that decision, then the prior decision can be revisited within SG16 via an appeal to the chair and presentation of new information. The chair will then notify the upstream subgroup that the decision is being reconsidered.
- If SG16 has communicated a decision to an upstream subgroup, and that subgroup has taken further action on
that decision, then revisiting the decision will require one of two approaches:
- An appeal to the upstream subgroup chair to revisit the decision in the upstream subgroup. The upstream subgroup chair will then decide to revisit the matter in the upstream subgroup or to send the matter back to SG16 to return with a new recommendation.
- A new paper arguing for a new position. Such a paper can be targeted to either SG16, the upstream subgroup, or both. The respective chairs will then schedule the paper for further discussion.