Policies & Procedures - 4.5 Technical Activities Council

- approved 4/99, updated 4/05, 12/2011

1. Purpose

To make it easier for volunteers and IEEE Communications Society staff to conduct Technical Activities within the framework set by the IEEE Communications Society Constitution, Bylaws and general Policy & Procedures.

There are three levels of TAC Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) that apply:

100 Series – These are interim P&Ps defined by the VP Technical Activities and quickly put into place to meet pressing needs. They will automatically expire within one year, if not moved to the 200 or 300 Series.

200 Series – These are P&Ps that have been approved by the Technical Activities Council.

300 Series - These are P&Ps that have been approved by the ComSoc Board of Governors.

Note: most P&Ps will not require BoG approval, except if they are of wide impact to the Society or may involve possible Bylaws issues.

 

2. Technical Activities Council Meetings

This section provides policies and procedures for conducting Technical Activities Council Meetings:

TAM100:	The Technical Activities Council will normally meet at each ICC and GLOBECOM on the second full day of technical sessions during the hours of 7:30 to 9:30 A.M., including breakfast, and will be chaired by the VP-Technical Activities (TA).
TAM105:	Meeting room, equipment and meal arrangements will be made by ComSoc Staff Support. The TAC Secretary will inform ComSoc Staff Support of any special meeting needs and verify that arrangements are being made.
TAM110:	The TAC Secretary will take notes, including a list of attendees. These notes will identify action items and responsible parties for follow-up. The TAC Secretary will send the draft notes for review to the VP-TA no later than ten days after the meeting. The VP-TA will return comments to the TAC Secretary no later than ten days after receipt of this draft. The TAC Secretary will distribute or otherwise make available the notes to TAC members no later than ten days after receipt of these comments.
TAM115:	The TAC Secretary will notify TAC members no later than 30 days in advance of each TAC meeting.  The meeting agenda will be developed by the VP-TA in conjunction with the TAC Secretary and sent to TAC members one week in advance of the meeting.

 

3. VP Technical Activities (tac Chair)

In addition to the duties described in the ComSoc Bylaws, the following policies and procedure apply:

CHR100:	The VP TA will chair TAC meetings at each ICC and GLOBECOM in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
CHR105:	The VP-TA will coordinate overall TC and Standing Committee activities, assuring they meet broader ComSoc goals and objectives.
CHR110:	The VP-TA will appoint a TAC Vice Chair and a TAC Secretary (one person will typically be appointed to serve both positions). In addition, the VP-TA will appoint TAC ad hoc or standing committee chairs as appropriate.
CHR115:	The VP-TA will provide an Operating Plan, Budget and other input to the BoG process, per BoG policies and procedures.
CHR120:	The VP-TA will review and approve (where appropriate) all expense pre-approval and expense report requests within 5 days of receipt, assuring they are in accordance with IEEE, ComSoc and Technical Activities policies.
CHR125:	The VP-TA will participate in committees and boards of other VP areas, as appropriate.

 

4. TAC Secretary

The following policies and procedures apply for the TAC Secretary:

SEC100:	The TAC Secretary will facilitate TAC Meetings as outlined in the TAC Meetings policies and procedures section (TAM), including notifying participants, preparing an agenda, taking notes, and working with ComSoc Support Staff to arrange meeting facilities (including overhead projector, screen, and meals or refreshments as appropriate).
SEC105:	The TAC Secretary will work with ComSoc Support Staff to establish and maintain an accurate record of Technical Committee officers, Standing Committee chairs, and Standing Committee members. This record will include current contact information. The TAC Secretary or ComSoc Support Staff will notify TAC members of any updates to this information, unless minor.
SEC110:	The TAC Secretary will work with ComSoc Support Staff to establish and maintain the TAC email distribution list (i.e., email exploder), which will be open only to TAC members and selected additional members. The TAC Secretary or VP Technical Activities must approve selected additional members before they may be added.
SEC115:	The TAC Secretary will periodically review (at least once per month) the Technical Activities web pages on the ComSoc server for completeness, accuracy and user-friendliness, and will work with ComSoc Support Staff for corrections or enhancements.

 

5. ComSoc Support Staff

ComSoc staff plays a key role in assuring a successful implementation of technical activities by our Society, especially when volunteer support may not be available. The other sections of these policies and procedures cite ways that ComSoc staff supports Technical Activities volunteers in conducting their activities. In addition, the following policies and procedures apply:

STF100:	The ComSoc Executive Director will identify a member of his or her staff to serve as the primary "ComSoc Staff Support" person for the Technical Activities area. This person will be the gateway into the wider Staff organization and will work directly with the VP-TA, TAC Secretary, TC Chairs and Standing Committee Chairs.
STF105:	ComSoc Staff Support will work with the VP-TA to keep the Communications-related IEEE Technical Interest Profiles (TIP codes that IEEE sends to members as part of their annual renewal package) up to date. Staff will work with IEEE to introduce changes to the list of TIP codes. Staff will also use the TIP codes to help measure and stimulate membership activity and growth.
STF110:	ComSoc Staff Support will serve as a point-of-contact for technical subject matter information or committee membership requests, referring inquirers to the appropriate Technical Committee chairs either directly or after consultation with the VP-TA.
STF115:	ComSoc Staff Support will provide administrative support such as preparation and mailing of appointment letters, maintenance of Technical Activities leadership names and contact information, maintenance of relevant web pages hosted by ComSoc, and maintenance of Technical Activities email exploders including a current list of authorized members, etc.

 

6. Budget

Each year, the Board of Governors approves a budget for the Society using input from each Vice Presidential area. To help ease this process, the following policies and procedures apply for the Technical Activities area:

BUD100:	The VP-TA will provide budget input to the Executive Director (or designee) for the next year for review and approval at the current year’s second OpCom, covering expenses other than that provided directly by the Technical and Standing Committees (see BUD105).
BUD105:	Each Technical and Standing Committee must provide budget input to the Executive Director (or designee) for the next year for review and approval at the current year’s second OpCom, in accordance with the schedule and format set by the general ComSoc policies and procedures.
BUD110:	The VP-TA will serve as advocate for Technical and Standing Committee Budgets at OpCom and BoG Meetings.
BUD115:	If impractical to implement BUD100 and BUD105 during the transition to the new Technical Activities Policies and Procedures, the VP-TA may instead provide aggregated budget amounts for the Technical and Standing Committees as part of the VP-TA budget in accordance with past practice.

 

7. Travel and Operating Expenses

Limited funding may be allocated by the Board of Governors each year for the Technical Committees and Standing Committees within the Technical Activities area to support the ComSoc mission. Use of such funds must be in accordance with IEEE and Communications Society travel and fiscal policy for volunteers. This limited funding is mainly intended to support special projects that may not otherwise receive funding from other sources. Examples are a Technical Committee newsletter, web page, recognition awards, telephone and postage, etc. It is normally not intended for travel expenses (especially not for attendance at conferences). The following policies and procedures apply:

EXP100:	Expense reporting must be done using the standard IEEE expense reporting form and procedures. All requests for travel support must be requested 30 days in advance by the Technical Committee Chair to the VP-TA, and may not be approved for reimbursement unless pre-authorized.
EXP105:	The TC or Standing Committee Chairs must provide all expense reports directly to the VP-TA for review and approval where appropriate.
EXP110:	The VP-TA will review and forward approved expense reports received from TC or Standing Committee Chairs to the ComSoc Executive Director for further processing, forwarding to IEEE, and direct reimbursement to the expense report originator, except as noted in EXP112.
EXP112:	In accordance with ComSoc Travel Policy, the VP-TA will forward expense reports in excess of $1,500 to the ComSoc President for review, approval and forwarding to the ComSoc Executive Director for further processing.
EXP115:	TC and Standing Committee Chairs must monitor their committee expenses and stay within their budget allocation.
EXP120:	ComSoc Staff Support will maintain a record of approved expense reports and provide this information to the ComSoc Accountant and VP-TA as needed or on an agreed-on schedule.

 

8. Operating Plans

To assure the highest level of achievement in our ComSoc technical activities, including sharing of ideas across TCs and informing others of our plans, Operating Plans for Technical Activities as a whole and for each Technical and Standing Committee must be provided for approval at the second ComSoc OpCom Meeting of the year. The following policies and procedures are applicable:

OPP100:	Each TC and Standing Committee Chair must provide a 1-2 page Operating Plan for the next year to the Executive Director (or designee) in accordance with the due date set for such input by ComSoc policy and procedures. A copy must also be sent to the VP-TA and TAC Secretary.
OPP105:	The TAC Secretary (or designee) will follow up with TC and Standing Committee Chairs to assure timely input per OPP100.
OPP110:	The VP-TA will serve as advocate for the TC and Standing Committee Operating Plans at OpCom and BoG Meetings.
OPP115:	The Operating Plans should focus on: a) near-term plans for the upcoming year, b) longer-term vision from 2-5 years out based on the ComSoc Strategic Plan, and c) identifying up to three important issues that may benefit from OpCom or TAC involvement.
OPP120:	The Operating Plans should focus on: a) near-term plans for the upcoming year, b) longer-term vision from 2-5 years out based on the ComSoc Strategic Plan, and c) identifying up to three important issues that may benefit from OpCom or TAC involvement.
OPP125:	If impractical to implement OPP100-115 during the transition to the new Technical Activities Policies and Procedures, the VP-TA may use the TA Operating Plan to represent the TA area in accordance with past practice.

 

9. Technical Committees

Each Technical Committee should develop its own policies and procedures that will preserve continuity over changes in leadership and facilitate participation in ComSoc technical activities. The following policies and procedures apply:

TEC100:

Each Technical Committee Chair will prepare and maintain policies and procedures applicable to their specific Technical Committees, including but not limited to the following areas: a) definition of elected and appointed officer positions, b) nomination and election procedures, c) planning, announcement and conduction of TC meetings, d) budget and expense policies and procedures, e) support for ComSoc activities such as publications, conferences, educational services, standards activities, membership development, etc., f) information dissemination activities such as newsletters and web pages, g) other areas that may be appropriate.

 

10. Standing Committees

Each Standing Committee should develop its own policies and procedures that will preserve continuity over changes in leadership and facilitate participation in ComSoc technical activities. The following policies and procedures apply:

STA100:	Each Standing Committee Chair will prepare and maintain policies and procedures applicable to their specific committees, including, but not limited, to the following areas: a) appointment of committee members, b) conduction of business, c) budget and expense policies and procedures, d) interaction with internal entities such as the ComSoc Technical Committees, and external entities such as IEEE and Sister Societies, e) committee member job descriptions, f) other areas that may be appropriate.
STA105:	Each Standing Committee Chair will recommend at least one candidate to serve as a successor prior to expiration of his or her term of office.
STA110:	Each Standing Committee Chair will recommend for appointment members of their committees in accordance with the structure and terms set by the ComSoc Bylaws.