Session Date/Time: 26 Jul 2023 18:45

WG Chairs Forum

Summary

The WG Chairs Forum at IETF 117 covered several important topics related to working group management. The key discussions centered around onboarding resources for new chairs, including better utilization of data tracker, visualizations to understand the IETF process, and updates on the RFC series. The meeting also touched on the importance of maintaining confidentiality related to the Ombudsman's team and potential next steps for the WG Chairs Forum itself.

Key Discussion Points

WG Chairs Onboarding Kit: Greg Wood led a discussion on developing a more comprehensive onboarding kit for new and experienced working group chairs, emphasizing the need for readily available resources.
- A key request was how to use the data tracker more effectively.
- The possibility of a mandatory onboarding session for new chairs was discussed, along with potential models such as mentorship and cohort-based learning.
- The need for "evergreen" training resources was highlighted.
Data Tracker Visualizations: Jeffrey Yasskin presented work on visualizing document state transitions in the data tracker using Mermaid diagrams to help newcomers understand the document lifecycle.
- The effort aims to automate the generation of these diagrams via the data tracker API.
- Concerns were raised regarding variations in state machines across different document streams (IETF, IRTF).
RFC Series Update: Pete Resnick provided a brief update on the RFC Series working group and its ongoing efforts related to RFC editor policies and structures.
Tools and Support: Several speakers mentioned the importance of tools, open office hours, monthly tools team call, sprint preceding an IETF meeting to ask Robert Sparks question.
Ombudsman's Team Reminder: A reminder was given by a member of the Ombudsman's team about the importance of confidentiality. Chairs were discouraged from making blanket statements about a working group being "problem-free," as this could be insensitive to individuals who may have had negative experiences.

Decisions and Action Items

Greg Wood: To summarize the input received during the forum on the working group chairs onboarding kit and send a follow-up note to the working group chairs mailing list.
Jeffrey Yasskin: To continue development of the data tracker visualization tool and share updates on the working group chairs mailing list.
Volunteer: Those interested in following up and helping to organize this group or to chair it or to come up with topics that would be really helpful to come forward.

Next Steps

Formalize the WG Chairs Forum.
Develop a plan for training.
Create a small charter for the group.