Model Operating Procedures for an SCC Type 2

(Optional clauses or clauses to be specified further are indicated by [brackets].

Please note that these procedures were designed to assist you in developing your specific procedures and are a recommendation only.

Introduction

These Operating Procedures outline the orderly transaction of business of this SCC Type 2 committee, which shall act as sponsor for individual standards projects. Although these procedures are approved by the IEEE-SA Standards Board, several documents take precedence in the following order:

New York State Not-for-Profit Law
IEEE Certificate of Incorporation
IEEE Constitution
IEEE Bylaws (includes IEEE Standards Association Bylaws)
IEEE Policy & Procedures Manual
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 SCC Model Operating Procedures
Robert's Rules of Order (Revised)

IEEE Committee Scope

A type 2 SCC has all the responsibilities of a type 1 SCC and can also act as a Sponsor for individual standards projects. For further information, see the IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, subclause 4.3.1.

[Insert approved SCC scope here]

If the scope of this SCC changes, the rules in the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual concerning change of scope shall be followed.

(Reference : IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclause 4.3.1)

1.0 Organization of the Committee

The Committee shall consist of a Chair, [Vice-Chair,] Secretary, and members. When staff resources permit, the Committee shall be supported by a Standards Staff Liaison.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 5.4.1)

2.0 Responsibilities of the Committee

The Committee shall be responsible for the following:

Developing proposed IEEE standards within the scope of the Committee
Voting on approval of proposed IEEE standards within its scope
Maintaining the standards developed by the Committee in accordance with the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual
[Responding to requests for interpretations of the standards developed by the Committee]
Acting on other matters requiring Committee effort as provided in these procedures
[Cooperating with other appropriate standards development organizations]
Protecting against actions taken in the name of the committee without committee authorization
Reporting annually to the IEEE-SA Standards Board
Communicating with the IEEE-SA Standards Board on specific SCC activities as needed.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclauses 4.3.1 and 5.2.1 and IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclauses 4.3.2, 4.5, and 5.1)

3.0 Officers

There shall be a Chair, a [Vice-Chair], and a Secretary, each appointed by the IEEE-SA Standards Board Chair. The term of appointment of officers shall be one year, and this term can be renewed annually. The IEEE-SA Standards Board Chair has the authority to remove an officer.

The Chair shall be a member of any grade of the IEEE and a member of the IEEE-SA and shall organize the committee; oversee the committee's compliance with these procedures; [and submit proposed documents approved by the Committee, with supporting documentation, for appropriate review and approval by the IEEE-SA Standards Board].

[The Vice-Chair shall carry out the Chair's duties if the Chair is temporarily unable to do so. The Vice-Chair is encouraged to be a member of the IEEE-SA.]

The Secretary shall record and have published minutes of each meeting. The Secretary is encouraged to be a member of the IEEE-SA.

[The Standards Staff Liaison may perform administrative work including:

Secretarial services
Making meeting arrangements
Preparation and distribution of meeting notices, agendas, minutes, ballots, and draft standards
Maintenance of adequate records, including the Committee roster]

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 4.4.2)

4.0 Membership

The members and its subcommittees are appointed by one or more of the following:
1. The SCC Type 2 Chair,
2. An IEEE Society,
3. The IEEE-SA Standards Board
Members may be terminated at the request of the Chair.
An interested Society of the IEEE may designate voting members to the Committee, who will serve as the official representative of the Society upon approval of the Chair.
The IEEE-SA Standards Board may designate official representatives of outside organizations. A representative may have an alternate serve in his/her absence.
Membership in the IEEE-SA is encouraged for all SCC members.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclause 5.2.1 and 5.2.2.3 and IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 4.5)

[4.1 Application

A request for membership shall be addressed to the Chair, indicating the applicant's direct and material interest in the Committee's work, qualifications and willingness to participate actively.]

4.2 Review of Membership

The Chair shall review the membership list annually. Members are expected to fulfill the obligations of active participation. When a member is found in habitual default of these obligations, the Chair shall consider the matter for appropriate action, which may include termination of membership.

Active participation in the work of the Committee is a prerequisite to continuing membership. Failure to attend [one] meeting [or respond to communications] without specific written notification to the Secretary of the Committee shall be deemed grounds for termination from the Committee.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 4.5)

4.3 Interest Categories

All appropriate interests that might be directly and materially affected by the standards activity of the Committee shall have the opportunity for fair and equitable participation without dominance by a single interest. Members shall propose their own interest categories as appropriate. The interest categories shall be established or revised by a vote of the Committee. If the SCC is serving as the balloting body, the Chair shall address any issues of balance.

If the Committee constitutes the balloting group for the purpose of voting on standards, each member shall be classified relative to the scope of the standards activity. No classification may connsist of 50% or more of the balloting group membership. Care shall be taken to assure all interest categories are represented to the extent possible (see Clause 7).

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operating Manual, Subclause 5.4.1)

4.4 Membership Roster

The Secretary shall maintain a current and accurate Committee roster and shall distribute it to the members at least annually and upon request. All changes to the roster shall be forwarded to the Chair immediately. The roster shall include the following:

Title of the Committee and its designation
Scope of the Committee
Officers - Chair, [Vice-Chair,] Secretary [and Standards Staff Liaison]
Members: for all, list name, [address, IEEE Society(ies) and business affiliations; for society or organizational Designated Representatives (DR) and alternates (DRA), list as DR or DRA and the IEEE Society or organization (as applicable), together with organization address]
[Interest category of each member]
[Tally of interest categories - total of voting members and subtotals for each interest category]
[For each subgroup - title, chair, and names and addresses of all members]

5.0 Subgroups Created by the Committee

When one or more subcommittees are formed to expedite the work of the Committee, their formation (and later disbandment) requires recommendation by a majority of the voting members of the Committee and the approval by the IEEE-SA Standards Board. The formation and disbandment of other subgroups (working groups, technical subcommittees, writing groups, etc.) requires approval by a majority of the voting members of the Committee. The Chair of a subgroup shall be appointed by the Chair of the Committee.

The scope and duties delegated to the subgroup shall be approved at the time it is formed, and subsequent changes in scope or duties shall also require approval. The scope, duties, and membership of all subgroups shall be reviewed by the Committee annually. The charge to the subgroup shall clearly state which of the following complementary activities is appropriate:

The subgroup is responsible for the definitive content of one or more documents and for responding to views and objections thereon. Such subgroups shall maintain a membership roster and shall comply with the provisions for voting on the standard(s).
The subgroup is responsible for assisting the Committee (for example, drafting all or a portion of a document, drafting responses to comments, drafting positions on standards, or other purely advisory functions).

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclause 4.3.1 and IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 4.5)

(For information on the formation of a Type 2 SCC, see Subclause 4.3.2 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.)

(For information on the organization of a Type 2 SCC, see Subclause 4.4.2 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.)

5.1 Approval of Standards

Draft standards and any substantive change in the context of a standard proposed by a subgroup shall be referred to the Committee for approval. The Committee may form and delegate approval authority to a balloting group.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclause 4.3.1)

6.0 Meetings

Committee meetings shall be held, as decided by the Committee, the Chair, or by petition of [5 or more] members, to conduct business, such as making assignments, receiving reports of work, considering draft standards, resolving differences among subgroups, and considering views and objections from any source. A 30-day notice, including an agenda, shall be distributed to all members, observers, and experts. [Meetings of subgroups may be held as decided upon by the members or Chair of the subgroup.]

The Committee may charge a meeting fee to cover services needed for the conduct of the meeting. The fee shall not be used to restrict participation by any interested parties.

6.1 Quorum

There shall be a quorum for conducting business at a meeting. If a quorum is not present, actions may be taken subject to confirmation by letter ballot, as detailed in Section 7.2. See Robert's Rules of Order (revised). A quorum is considered to be [50%] of the voting members of the Committee. If a quorum is not present at a meeting, the chair may choose to conduct certain business of the meeting via email, fax, or letter vote as appropriate.

7.0 Vote

In order to vote on a document at the Sponsor level, each voting committee member shall have paid the appropriate fees associated with balloting privileges.

Each voting committee member shall vote one of the following positions:

Affirmative
Do Not Approve (Negative With Comments - the reasons for a negative vote shall be given and should include specific wording or actions that would resolve the objection)
Do Not Approve (Negative Without Comments)
Abstain

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 5.4 and Subclause 5.4.3.1)

7.1 Vote of Alternate

An alternate's vote is counted only if the designated representative fails to vote.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 4.5)

7.2 Ballot of the Committee Membership

The Committee shall be allowed to conduct Committee business between meetings at the discretion of the Chair by use of a ballot.

7.3 Actions Requiring Approval by a Majority of the Committee Membership

The following actions require approval by a majority of the membership of the Committee either at a meeting or by letter or by electronic ballot:

Formation of a subgroup, including its procedures, scope, and duties
Disbandment of subgroup
Approval of minutes
Authorization of a letter ballot

7.4 Actions Requiring Approval by Two-Thirds of Those Voting of the Committee Membership

The following actions require a letter ballot or an equivalent(1) formal recorded vote with approval by at least two-thirds of the voting members of the Committee, excluding abstentions:

Adoption of Committee procedures, interest categories, or revisions thereof
Position Statements for Standards
Approval of change of the Committee scope
Approval of termination of the Committee

7.5 Actions Requiring Approval by Seventy-five Percent of Those Voting of the Committee Membership

Approval of a new or revised standard project or a reaffirmation of an existing standard shall require a 75% return of ballot and approval by 75% of those voting affirmative or negative. All negatives must be recorded and an attempt made to resolve them.

8.0 Communications

All Committee officers should use their Committee letterhead if available, or email notification, when corresponding on behalf of Committee activities.

8.1 Formal Internal Communication

If correspondence between subcommittees or between working groups of different subcommittees involves issues or decisions (that is, non-routine matters) affecting other subcommittees, copies shall be sent to all affected subcommittee chairs, the Secretary, and the Committee officers.

8.2 External Communication

Inquiries relating to the Committee should be directed to the Chair, and members should so inform individuals who raise such questions. All replies to inquiries shall be made through the Chair.

9.0 Interpretations

Written inquiries requesting interpretations of the Committee's IEEE approved standards shall be responded to by the Interpretations Subgroup, if any. The policies of subclause 5.9 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual shall be followed. Revisions to the standard resulting from requests for interpretations shall be processed in accordance with the procedures of the IEEE-SA Standards Board and this Committee. Copies of all requests for interpretations and subsequent responses shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the IEEE-SA Standards Board.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 5.9)

10.0. Appeals

The Committee recognizes the right of appeal. Technical appeals are referred back to 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.

(Reference: IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, Subclause 5.4 and IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual, Subclause 5.8)

11.0 Position Statements for Standards

All communications shall comply with subclause 5.1.4 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual. These procedures apply to communications with government and intergovernment bodies.

11.1 Committee Position Statements

Committee position statements shall not be released without prior approval by the Committee which requires two-thirds vote per Section 7.4 of these procedures.

11.2 Subgroup Position Statements

Subgroup position statements shall not be released without prior approval by a three-fourths vote of the subgroup. Such position statements may proceed unless blocked by a Committee vote at a Committee meeting. For position statements not presented for review at a Committee meeting, members shall be provided a review period of at least five (5) days. If, during that time, a motion to block the position statement is made, release of the position statement will be withheld [pending failure of the blocking motion].

Subgroup position statements shall be identified in the first paragraph of the position statement as being specifically the position of the subgroup. These statements shall be issued by the Subgroup Chair and shall include the Sponsor Chair in the distribution. Such statements shall bear neither the IEEE nor the IEEE Sponsor logos.

11.3 Informal Communications

Informal communications shall not imply that they are a formal position of the Committee, subcommittee, nor the working group.

11.4 Position Statements to be Issued by Other Entities

If the Committee wishes to go to another IEEE entity (as defined in Section 15 of the IEEE Policy and Procedures) to have that entity offer a position statement on a standards matter, they shall do so after agreement from the IEEE-SA Standards Board and after informing the IEEE-SA BOG. Upon Committee approval, proposed position statements that need to be issued by other IEEE entities shall be forwarded to the IEEE-SA Standards Board Secretary for further action.

12. Standards Publicity

The Committee is encouraged to prepare press releases and other forms of publicity to promote their activities. Please see subclause 5.1.4 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual for further instructions.

(1) "Equivalent" refers to some identifiable method of tallying the votes and addressing the comments.