[db-wg] RIPE DB development process: Numbered Work Items

Job,

This is a great initiative, I fully support this process. Thanks for putting this together.

Billy

> On Apr 25, 2016, at 1:35 PM, Job Snijders <job at instituut.net> wrote:
> 
> Dear team,
> 
> Reflecting back upon the last 18 months, the chairs feel that we as a
> group can do better to make it easier to track and discuss ideas in a
> structurered way. Therefore, we propose a process/vehicle which we call
> "Numbered Work Items (NWI)". The goal of this proces is to make it
> simpler to learn the current status of a proposal, and in which court
> the ball lays.
> 
> kickstart: To kickstart the proces, any db-wg participant can email the
>    chairs with a snippet of text (a rough problem statement) and
>    formally ask the chairs to make it a work item. The chairs then can
>    say "yes" and assign a number, or "no". If a number was assigned,
>    the work item will be routed through three phases.
> 
> phase 1: problem definition
>    In this phase as group we'll work on formulating an exact problem
>    definition: text goes back and forth in the working group, example
>    cases of the problem are provided. In a 2 or 3 weeks timeframe the
>    chairs declare consensus on the problem statement of NWI.
> 
>    phase 1 output: clearly defined problem statement, or a conclusion
>    we cannot agree upon a problem statement definition. If the latter
>    is true, the NWI cannot proceed to phase 2.
> 
> phase 2: solution definition
>    solution finding: people can propose solutions to a work item's
>    problem statement. Solutions can come from RIPE NCC staff, or any
>    working group member. RIPE NCC may offer an implementation analysis
>    on proposed solutions or aspects of solutions.
> 
>    For the NWI to move to phase 3, RIPE NCC has to provide the group
>    with a summary of their understanding of the solution, and the
>    chairs declare consensus on the group's acceptance of this summary.
> 
> phase 3: development & deployment phase
>    RIPE NCC writes the code, sets timelines what happens when,
>    documents the transitions/migration plan if applicable.
> 
> finish: when the change has been deployed in the production environment.
> 
> Every month, someone will email the group with an overview of all open
> Work Items, a brief summary of the NWI, the phase they are in and
> possibly in who's court the ball is and the next action.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Job
>