Toto

3          Operation of Industry Specification Groups (ISG)

3.1       Characteristics of an ISG

The need has been identified for ISGs to exist alongside the current ETSI Technical Organization supplementing the existing standards development process.

An ISG, supported by Working Groups where appropriate, is an activity organized around a set of ETSI Work Items addressing a specific technology area.

An ISG:

-       is established on the initiative of any group of, at least four (4), Full and/or Associate members (or applicants to Full or Associate membership) making a request to the Director-General;

-       has its own programme/project management for internal priority-setting, and agreed delivery dates for its results;

-       is responsible for defining, creating and stopping detailed Work Items (as defined in Clause 3.6 below), within its scope, that are required to fulfil its Terms of Reference;

-       is responsible for the validation of ETSI deliverables of type Group Report (GR) or Group Specification (GS) only (i.e. ensuring that the deliverable can be fully implemented, providing the intended level of functionality and performance at minimum cost, as defined in the scope of the related Work Item);

-       reports to the General Assembly and the Board on work progress upon request.

-       shall not deal with activities mandated by EC/EFTA;

-       should not deal with issues such as health, safety, environment, public interest and the basic legal/economic interests of consumer related issues.

The purpose of an ISG shall be clearly defined from the outset, including the expected impact of its results on the Work Programme of the ETSI Technical Organisation.

3.2       Lifecycle of an ISG

3.2.1    Creation of an ISG

The Director-General is responsible for creating an ISG, in consultation with the Board and OCG, and approving its Terms of Reference, based on written proposals in accordance with the criteria given in Annex D.3 below.

The duration of the ISG shall be fixed at the outset with an initial period of up to two (2) years starting on the first day of the ISG’s kick-off meeting.

The Director-General shall inform the ETSI members whenever an ISG is created.

3.2.2    Extension of an ISG

On request from an ISG, the Director-General may extend its duration for subsequent periods of up to two (2) years each, after a review taking into account the original objectives of the ISG and the advice of the Board.