[gnso-rapimpl-dt] Clarification of terminology

[Marika Konings <marika.konings@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear All,

It might be helpful to try and clarify some of the terminology that is being 
used as it might facilitate reaching a consensus on what the next step should 
be for each of the recommendations.


 *   Issues Report – the development of an Issues Report is one of the first 
steps in the policy development process (PDP). It is a report developed by 
staff which aims to describe the issue and includes amongst others a 
recommendation about whether the issue is deemed in scope for policy 
development. An Issues Report is normally not used outside of the context of a 
PDP, although there is nothing preventing the Council to request a 
report/opinion from Staff on a certain issue that is not intended for a policy 
development process. If the DT envisions requesting a report / opinion from 
staff that is outside the context of a PDP, it might be helpful to use a 
different term to avoid confusion (e.g. Staff opinion, staff report)
 *   Initial Report -  this report is typically produced by a Working Group, 
either in the context of a PDP or outside. The Initial Report normally outlines 
the WG deliberations, input received during public comment periods as well as 
from constituencies and stakeholder groups, and the draft conclusions or 
recommendations. In this context it might be more appropriate to state ‘form 
Working Group’ instead of ‘request Initial Report’ as a next step as the 
Initial Report is one of the outputs produced by a Working Group.
 *   Drafting Team – A drafting team has been used in the GNSO context to 
develop very specific products such as a WG charter or an implementation plan. 
A DT team typically has a relatively short life-span, especially compared to 
working groups, and normally does not use public comment periods or input from 
constituencies / stakeholder groups to complete its task, but provides its 
output directly to the requesting party, which is in most cases the GNSO 
Council.
 *   Working Group – Working Groups are used by the GNSO Council both in the 
context of a PDP as well as outside to develop recommendations for the GNSO 
Council’s consideration on a specific issue. Some of the characteristics of a 
WG are that they are open for any interested party to participate and an 
important part of their task is to review input received from constituencies / 
stakeholder groups as well as during public comment periods. A detailed set of 
guidelines is in the process of being developed and will be adopted in due time 
by the GNSO Council (see 
http://gnso.icann.org/improvements/working-group-guidelines-31may10-en.pdf for 
latest version).

Let me know if you have any questions or if you think there are any omissions 
in the descriptions above.

With best regards,

Marika