- approved 11/05, 12/09 -
1. Preface
These are operating procedures that outline the orderly transaction of business of an entity standards development sponsor.
Entity projects are subject to Entity ComSoc Standards Board policies and procedures as well as to ComSoc Policies and Procedures related to Standards Development Projects with Individual Representation.
In case of clauses speaking to similar issues, for entity projects those clauses stated in Entity P&Ps (5.14.2) take precedence.
All clauses of section 1 of the Policies and Procedures for Individual representation projects (5.14.1) are applicable to entity projects.
Several documents take precedence over these procedures in the following order:
New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation Law
IEEE Certificate of Incorporation
IEEE Constitution
IEEE Bylaws
IEEE Policies
IEEE Board of Directors Resolutions
IEEE Standards Association Operations Manual
IEEE-SA Board of Governors Resolutions
IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws
IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual
IEEE-SA Standards Board Resolutions
Anything the Sponsor creates is hierarchically subordinate to the documents and resolutions that are listed above. The Operating Procedures of the Sponsor are hierarchically superior to other documents of the Sponsor. Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) is the recommended guide on questions of parliamentary procedure not addressed in these procedures.
This Sponsor’s hierarchy of governing documents is as follows:
IEEE TAB Operations Manual
IEEE Technical Activities Board TAB Resolutions
IEEE ComSoc Constitution
IEEE ComSoc Bylaws
IEEE ComSoc Policies and Procedures
IEEE ComSoc Board of Governors Resolutions
IEEE ComSoc Standards Board Policies and Procedures
IEEE Standards Working Group Policies and Procedures
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised
For the development of standards, openness and due process must apply, which means that any entity with a direct professed and material interest has a right to participate as it is proscribed for individual projects in section 1 of the Policies and Procedures for individual representation projects (514.2)
3. Organization of the Sponsor
Those activities of an entity Standards Sponsor that are related to standards development shall be under the jurisdiction of the IEEE-SA Standards Board and subject to its rules of standards development, as outlined in clause 5 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.
The Sponsor shall consist of officers as proscribed by individual P&Ps (see clause 3 of 5.14.1), and other members.
4. Responsibilities of the Sponsor
The Sponsor, i.e., IEEE ComSoc Standards Board shall be responsible for at least the following:
- Developing proposed IEEE standards and ensuring that they are within the scope of the Sponsor.
- Initiating and overseeing ballots of proposed IEEE standards within its scope, including:
- Approving PARs from a subgroup or the Sponsor,
- Submitting a proposed Project Authorization Request (PAR) to the IEEE-SA Standards Board for consideration. Following approval of the PAR, the Sponsor shall submit necessary requests for extension, modification, or withdrawal of the PAR as required by the IEEE-SA Operations Manual, and
- Submitting draft standards from a subgroup or the Sponsor to the IEEE Standards Association for Sponsor Ballot.
- Approving PARs from a subgroup or the Sponsor,
- Maintaining standards developed by the Sponsor in accordance with the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual
- Responding to requests for interpretations of the standards developed by the Sponsor
- Acting on other matters requiring Sponsor effort, as provided in these Procedures
- Cooperating with other appropriate standards development organizations
- Protecting against actions taken in the name of the Sponsor without proper Sponsor authorization
- Limiting distribution of the membership roster to appropriate parties
- Annually reporting to the IEEE-SA Standards Board
- Communicating with the IEEE-SA Standards Board on specific Sponsor activities as needed
- Conducting Independent Expert Reviews of draft PARs, Standards and other Technical Documents produced by the Study or Working Groups.
- Authorizing the formation of study groups to determine if a Project Authorization Request should be created.
- Establishing partnership with IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group (CAG), in project cosponsorship scenario or seek advice and/or guidance from CAG on strategic, public relations, procedural and operational matters.
- Reviewing amendments to the operating procedures of entity standards working groups and ensure that they are not in conflict with IEEE and not-for-profit corporation laws
- Providing mentoring support at the standards initiation phase and throughout the standards development process, as needed
- Maintaining established policies and procedures that allow working groups to begin technical work rapidly
- Ensuring that entity-based working groups engage dedicated support services to expedite the standards development process
- Ensuring working groups are made up of at least three (3) entity participants
- Forming a balloting group for approval of proposed standards. This group may be the Sponsor, provided that it meets the criteria for composition given in sub clause 5.4.1 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.
ComSoc Standards Board shall have a Chair, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary as outlined in Individual projects P&Ps (5.14.1, section 3.0)
For the subgroup sponsor office of Treasurer is suggested if significant funds are involved in the operation of the sponsor.
For subgroup sponsor the following sections 5.1 – 5.3 shall apply.
The Chair shall be individually a member of IEEE/ComSoc.
The responsibilities of the Chair include
- Leading Sponsor activity according to all relevant policies and procedures
- Forming study groups, as necessary
- Appointing a subgroup with responsibility for interpreting of all approved standards
- Being objective
- Entertaining motions, but not making motions
- Not biasing discussions
- Delegating necessary functions
- Ensuring that all parties have the opportunity to express their views
- Setting goals and deadlines, and adhering to them
- Being knowledgeable in IEEE standards processes and parliamentary procedures, and ensuring that the processes and procedures are followed
- Seeking consensus of the Sponsor as a means of resolving issues
- Prioritizing work to best serve the Sponsor and its goals
- Complying with the Chair’s responsibility with respect to the IEEE-SA Intellectual Property Policies, including but not limited to the IEEE-SA Patent Policy (see IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual 6.3.2) and IEEE-SA Copyright Policy (see IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws 7)
- Submitting approved P&P to the IEEE-SA Standards Board Audit Committee (AudCom)
- Submitting the Sponsor’s annual report to the IEEE-SA Standards Board
- Submitting an Annual Financial Report (IEEE SA Form L50-S) to the Business Manager, Business Administration, or assignee, for the operation of the Sponsor and all of its subgroups.
The Vice-Chair shall be individually a member of IEEE/ComSoc. The Vice Chair shall carry out the Chair's duties if the Chair is temporarily unable to do so or chooses to recuse him- or herself (e.g., to speak for or against a motion).
The Secretary (excluding IEEE-SA staff) shall be individually a member of IEEE/ComSoc.
The responsibilities of the Secretary include:
- Scheduling meetings in coordination with the Chair and distributing a meeting notice at least 30 calendar days before face-to-face meetings and seven calendar days before telecons
- Distributing the agenda at least 14 calendar days before face-to-face meetings and seven calendar days before telecons—notification of the potential for action shall be included in any distributed agendas for meetings
- Conducting electronic voting
- Recording minutes of each meeting and publishing them within 60 calendar days of the end of the meeting
- Creating and maintaining the participant roster and submitting it to the IEEE Standards Department annually
- Being responsible for the management and distribution of Sponsor documentation
- Maintaining lists of unresolved issues, action items, and assignments
- Recording attendance of all attendees
- Maintaining a current list of the names of the voting members and distributing it to ComSoc Standards Board members upon request
- Forwarding all changes to the roster of voting members to the Chair
- Collecting Working Group financial reports (forms L50S) and creating a composite financial report per IEEE-SA requirements
Treasurer of the Sponsor Subgroups shall
- Maintain a budget
- Control all funds, including any into and out of the Committee’s bank account
- Follow IEEE policies concerning standards meetings and finances
- Adhere to the IEEE Finance Operations Manual
6. Sponsor membership
Each Sponsor member is expected to attend meetings in person or by teleconference. Attendance at a meeting via teleconferencing and/or electronic means (e.g., Internet conferencing) counts toward the attendance requirements.
For Working Groups electronic means of attending meetings is at the discretion of the Working Group. Members of the subgroup sponsor are eligible to vote during the meeting if they attended at least one of the immediate previous two meetings.
ComSoc Standards Board governs entity projects by the same membership structure as proscribed in 5.14.1 section 4.
For subgroup sponsors formed by ComSoc Standards Board the following sections –6.2, 6.3, and 8.1 shall apply.
Voting membership in such entity subgroup sponsor shall be by individuals, by entities, or by both individuals and entities. If an entity participates in a sponsor body, the entity shall have one Designated Representative (DR) and may have more than one alternate (DRA) participating in the entity sponsoring group. The Corporate Member Representative of the entity determines the DR/DRA for the entity sponsoring group. The assignment of a DR/DRA can change throughout the life of the sponsor. It is the entity's responsibility to notify the Secretary of changes to the DR/DRA assignment. Only the DR is eligible to vote on behalf of the entity for all sponsor matters. If the DR is unable to vote at a meeting, one DRA will be recognized at the start of the meeting to vote on the DR's behalf. Membership shall give the DR the right to vote on all sponsor matters.
The Chair shall review the voting membership list annually and submit it to the IEEE Standards Department in electronic form. Voting members are expected to fulfill the obligations of active participation. Membership status is maintained through consistent participation at meetings and through sponsor votes.
6.2 Sponsor membership requirements
The member is expected to attend meetings as required by these procedures. The Secretary records attendance for members who attend at least 50% of a meeting's duration. Attendance at a meeting via teleconferencing and/or electronic means, e.g., Internet conferencing, shall count towards the attendance requirements.
Each member is expected to vote on at least 75% of the ballots.
Voting membership in the subgroup sponsor shall be granted automatically to those participants attending the first sponsor meeting and upon their request. Thereafter, membership shall be granted after the participant attends two consecutive meetings of an existing sponsor and also requests membership status.
If a subgroup member misses two consecutive meetings, its membership status shall be revoked. The Chair shall notify, in writing, a member who fails to attend two consecutive meetings and that has therefore lost its membership.
A subgroup member that has lost its voting privileges shall have its voting privileges reinstated by attendance at two consecutive meetings of the sponsor and upon request for member status. All voting privileges and rights shall be restored after attending the second consecutive meeting. If, for reasons of personal hardship, a member cannot attend two consecutive meetings (but that entity continues to vote in ballots taken between meetings), the Sponsor will be consulted on the status of that member.
6.3 Sponsor membership voting roster
The Secretary shall maintain a current and accurate Sponsor roster. ComSoc Standards Board roster shall be public as stated in individual P&Ps, section 4. The roster for subgroups sponsor shall not be distributed except to the IEEE-SA Board of Governors, IEEE-SA Standards Board, and IEEE-SA staff unless all Sponsor members have submitted their written approval for such distribution
The roster shall include the following:
- Title of the Sponsor and its designation
- Scope of the Sponsor
- Officers: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary
- Members: Name, e-mail address, and affiliation for each member
- For each subgroup: subgroup title, Chair, and names, e-mail addresses, and affiliations of all members
7.1.1 Actions requiring approval by a majority vote
The following actions require approval by a majority vote:
- Formation or modification of a subgroup, including its procedures, scope, and duties
- Disbandment of subgroups
- style="list-style-type:decimal;"Approval of minutes
- Delegation to a sub-group for Authorization of a Sponsor Ballot
7.1.2 Actions requiring approval by a two-thirds vote
The following actions require approval by a two-thirds vote:
- Adoption of new or revised Sponsor procedures, interest categories, or revisions thereof
- Approval of public statements
- Approval of change of the Sponsor scope
- Approval of termination of the Sponsor
- Removal of an officer, except the Chair
Following Sponsor approval, items (c) and (d) require approval by the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
7.2 Approval of moving a draft standard to Sponsor ballot
Approval for moving a draft standard to Sponsor ballot, or approval of any substantive change in the scope of a standard proposed by a subgroup, shall be referred to the Sponsor for approval. The Sponsor may delegate approval authority and form a subgroup for this purpose. Approval to move a standard to Sponsor ballot from a subgroup requires a majority vote. The ComSoc Standards Board may conduct an Expert Review of the PAR or Draft Standard. An Expert Team must be composed of industry and/or academia subject matter experts that have professed interest in the standard. Each Sponsor member shall vote one of the following positions:
- Approve
- Do Not Approve (the reasons for a negative vote should be given)
- Abstain
7.3 Proxy Voting
Proxy voting is not allowed for the operation of the ComSoc Standards Board, but may be practiced by the Sub-groups, e.g. Working Groups at the discretion of the Working Group.
7.4 Voting between meetings
The Sponsor shall be allowed to conduct Sponsor business between meetings (face-to-face or by teleconferencing or hybrid) at the discretion of the Chair by use of a letter or electronic ballot. If such actions are to be taken, they shall follow the rules of IEEE Bylaw I-300.4(4).
A sponsor quorum must be identified before the initiation of sponsor business. ComSoc Standards Board quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of its members. A subgroup sponsor quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of the sponsor membership (e.g., the Designated Representative or Alternate Designated Representative of each entity). If a quorum is not present, a sponsor vote cannot be taken. If a quorum is not present, actions may be taken subject to confirmation by a subsequent letter or electronic ballot.
The Sponsor authorizes assembly of the IEEE Standards Sponsor balloting group for the purpose of voting on standards; each member of the balloting group classifies itself relative to the scope of the standards activity. The entity and organizational members of the IEEE-SA will be engaged in the entity balloting process through offers to participate in the balloting pools for draft entity projects. Consequently, each entity and organizational member will be given the opportunity to join the balloting group of every entity ballot. The balloting group must have at least 5 members. The sponsor must ensure balance through the interest categories determined for each ballot group. The sa-ballot [at] ieee [dot] org (IEEE-SA Balloting Center) shall be used to ballot all entity standards projects.
Members of the balloting group shall meet the requirements of subclause 5.4.1.1 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual and may include:
- IEEE-SA entity members
- Any entities that have professed interest and are materially affected, as well as interested entities who pay the appropriate IEEE-SA defined fee
The following interest categories are recommended for use in entity ballots: user, producer, general and/or professed interest, academia, professional organization, service provider.
No classification may consist of 50% or more of the balloting group membership. Care shall be taken to assure all interest categories are represented to the extent possible. Refer to 5.4.1.1 in the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.
The policies of sub clause 5.5 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws and subclause 5.9 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manualshall be followed.
The Sponsor recognizes the right of appeal. Technical and procedural appeals are acceptable for the Sponsor. Every effort should be made to ensure that impartial handling of complaints regarding any action or inaction on the part of the Committee is performed in an identifiable manner. If the Sponsor must conduct an appeal, it shall model its appeals process on the appeals processes of the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
The Sponsor recognizes the right of appeal on procedural grounds. Technical appeals may employ help from independent expert groups formed with the help of appropriate ComSoc Technical Committees. Every effort should be made to ensure that impartial handling of complaints regarding any action or inaction on the part of the Sponsor is performed in an identifiable manner. The appeals process shall be substantially similar to the appeals processes of the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
Appellant File
The appeal brief shall state the nature of the objection(s) including any adverse effects, the clause(s) of the procedures or the standard(s) that are at issue, actions or inaction that are at issue, and the specific remedial action(s) that would satisfy the appellant's concerns.
If ComSoc Standards Board makes a decision to hear the appeal a copy of the appellant brief shall be sent to the appellee within 20 days.
Notice to appellant, and appellee indicating time and location of hearing (hearing announcement), must be decided within the 20-day clock.
Hearing Schedule Calculation – Add minimum 60 days to the decision date
Reply Brief
Within 45 days of receipt of the hearing notice, the appellee may send the appellant and Secretary a written reply brief, which specifically and explicitly addresses each allegation of fact in the appeal brief to the extent of the appellee's knowledge. If the appellee furnishes a reply brief, the brief shall include documentation supporting all statements contained in the reply brief.
Appeals Panel
The ComSoc Director of Standards (Sponsor Chair) shall appoint from the ComSoc Standards Board an Appeal Panel consisting of a chair and two other members who have not been directly involved in the matter in dispute, and who will not be materially or directly affected by any decisions made concerning the dispute ("Appeal Panel"). At least two members shall be acceptable to the appellant and at least two shall be acceptable to the appellee. If the parties to the appeal cannot agree on an Appeal Panel within a reasonable amount of time, the matter shall be referred to the ComSoc Standards Board, which shall appoint the members of the Appeal Panel. If an Appeal Panel member resigns or is removed from the Appeal Panel at any time before the appeal hearing, then the ComSoc Standards Board Chair shall appoint a replacement from the ComSoc Standards Board membership. The replacement shall be subject to the acceptability criteria described above.
A notice shall be sent to the two parties on the acceptability of the panel.
Conduct Of The Hearing
The number of participating (i.e., speaking) representatives for each of the parties to the appeal is limited to a maximum of three. Other individuals may attend the hearing, but will not be permitted to address, or be addressed by, the Appeal Panel or either of the parties to the appeal at any time (including during the question and answer period). No recordings or verbatim transcriptions of the hearing are allowed.
The Appeal Panel may call an Executive Session before, during the course of, or following an appeal hearing to consider its action on a specific appeal.
No party to an appeal may communicate with any member of the Appeal Panel regarding the appeal while the matter is pending (i.e., from the time of filing of the appeal brief to finalization of the Appeal Panel decision).
The appellant has the burden of demonstrating adverse effects, improper action(s) or inaction, and the efficacy of the requested remedial action. Each party may adduce other pertinent arguments, and members of the Appeal Panel may address questions to individuals. The Appeal Panel shall only consider documentation included in the appeal brief and reply brief, unless
- Significant new evidence has come to light; and
- Such evidence reasonably was not available to the appellant or appellee, as appropriate, at the time of filing; and
- Such evidence was provided by the appellant or appellee, as appropriate, to the other parties as soon as it became available.
Prior to the hearing, the members of the Appeal Panel may convene to review the ground rules before the participants appear.
Appeals Panel Decision
The Appeal Panel shall not consider making findings with respect to ethical rules, but shall limit its consideration to procedural and technical matters. The Appeal Panel shall render its decision, based upon majority vote of the Appeal Panel (Appeal Panel members shall vote to find in favor of the appellant or the appellee and shall not abstain), in writing within 30 days of the hearing, stating findings of fact and conclusions, with reasons therefore, based on a preponderance of the evidence. Consideration may be given to the following positions, among others, in formulating the decision:
- Finding for the appellant, remanding the action to the appellee, with a specific statement of the issues and facts in regard to which fair and equitable action was not taken;
- Finding against the appellant, with a specific statement of the facts that demonstrate that appellant failed to meet its burden to demonstrate that fair and equitable treatment of the appellant was not taken;
- Finding that new, substantive evidence has been introduced, and remanding the entire action to the appropriate committee for reconsideration.
The Appeal Panel Chair, through the ComSoc Standards Board, shall notify the appellant, the appellee, and members of the ComSoc Standards Board in writing of the decision of the Appeal Panel.
If an Appeal Panel member resigns or is removed after a hearing, then the remaining two members of the Appeal Panel may issue a decision if their decision is unanimous. If it is not unanimous, then the ComSoc Standards Board Chair shall appoint a replacement from the ComSoc Standards Board members and a re-hearing shall be conducted.
12. Statements to external bodies
Public position statements to external bodies shall comply with sub clause 5.1.4 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual. Statements to external bodies shall not be released without prior approval by the Sponsor, which requires a majority vote. All public position statements concerning the IEEE-SA corporate standards program must be approved by the CAG and the IEEE-SA BOG.
The Sponsor may prepare press releases and other forms of publicity to promote its activities. Guidance should be taken from sub clause 5.1.4 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual . Publicity concerning intellectual property protection regimes, including trademarks and conformance programs, may also be developed.
ComSoc Standards Board or Entity projects sponsoring sub-committees may prepare test and evaluation programs for industrial compliance to the entity standards they develop.