Procedures for IEEE Computer Society Design Automation Standards Committee

23 August 2007

1.0 Introduction

These Operating Procedures outline the orderly transaction of business of the Design Automation Standards Committee (DASC) of the IEEE Computer Society. For the development of standards, openness and due process must apply, which means that any individual with a direct and material interest has a right to participate by:

a) expressing a position and its basis,

b) having that position considered, and

c) appealing if adversely affected.

Due process allows for equity and fair play. In addition to openness, due process requires balance, i.e., the standards development process should strive for a balance of interests and not be dominated by any single interest category.

The Sponsor of the DASC is the IEEE Computer Society. The current active Sponsor procedures shall be located on the IEEE Standards Association web site. These procedures can be updated no more then once per year.

These Operating Procedures outline the orderly transaction of business for this committee. Several documents take precedence in the following order:

New York State Not-for-Profit Law

IEEE Certificate of Incorporation

IEEE Constitution

IEEE Bylaws

IEEE Policies

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

Policies/Procedures of the IEEE Computer Society

Policies/Procedures of the IEEE Computer Society Standards Activities Board

Policies/Procedures of the DASC (this document)

DASC Operations Manual

Robert’s Rules of Order (Revised) (On questions of parliamentary procedure not covered in these Procedures, Roberts Rules of Order (revised) may be used to expedite due process. )

It is recommended that these Operating Procedures be reviewed for consistency by the DASC whenever there are changes to any of the above documents, or at a minimum every two years. The Standards Staff Liaison shall be put on the agenda of DASC meetings to inform the DASC of changes in IEEE operations documents and provide updates on the activities of both the DASC and its Sponsor.

2.0 DASC Scope

The purpose of the DASC is to promote the development of standards in the Electronic Design Automation industry. Such standards are beneficial to the producers and users of tools in this industry since they provide a mechanism for defining common semantics for the operation of tools. The DASC Officers act as the administrators for the working groups under the DASC which develop and maintain standards. In this role the DASC Officers also provide liaison to the governing bodies of the IEEE and represent the interests of the DASC working groups in these bodies.

The DASC shall be responsible for the following:

1. Developing proposed IEEE standards within the scope of the DASC

2. Maintaining the standards developed by the DASC in accordance with the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual

3. Responding to requests for interpretations of the standards developed by the DASC

4. Acting on other matters requiring DASC effort as provided in these procedures

5. Cooperating with other appropriate standards development organizations

6. Protecting against actions taken in the name of the DASC without its authorization

3.0 Organization of the DASC

The DASC shall consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Members. When staff resources permit, the DASC shall be supported by a Standards Staff Liaison

3.1 Officers

There shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer of the DASC. The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer constitute the Officers of the DASC. These Officers shall be appointed/elected in accordance with the procedures of the IEEE-CS SAB..

The term of office is two years.

The Chair shall be a member of any grade of the IEEE, a member of the IEEE-SA, and a member of the DASC.

The Vice Chair shall be a member of any grade of the IEEE, a member of the IEEE-SA and a member of the DASC.

The Secretary shall be a member of the DASC.

The Treasurer shall be a member of the DASC.

3.1.1 Election of Officers

The Chair shall appoint a Returning Officer for the conduct of an election of Officers. The Returning Officer shall not be a nominee in the election and shall not vote in the election.

The Members shall nominate to the Returning Officer one or more Members for each office to be filled at the election. Nominees shall be eligible at the time of nomination to hold the office for which they are elected. A Member shall accept nomination for no more than one office. The response period for nominations shall be at least 14 days. If no nomination is received for an office, a temporary appointment shall be made in accordance with 3.2.

The Returning Officer shall conduct the election by electronic ballot. Voting shall be by “approval”, whereby each balloter may cast an approval vote for each of any number of nominees for an office. The Returning Officer shall acknowledge receipt of electronic ballots in a timely fashion. The nominee with the greatest number of approval votes shall win the election. Write-in candidates are permitted as specified in the IEEE Bylaws.

Election of the Chair and Vice Chair shall be confirmed by the IEEE-CS SAB. If the IEEE-CS SAB rejects election of the Chair or Vice Chair, the Returning Officer shall conduct a fresh election for the office not so confirmed.

3.2 Temporary Appointments to Vacancies

If an office becomes vacant due to resignation, removal, lack of nomination at an election or other reason, a temporary appointment shall be made for a period of up to six months. In the case of Chair or Vice Chair, the temporary appointment shall be made by the Chair of the IEEE-CS SAB. In the case of Secretary or Treasurer, the temporary appointment shall be made by the Chair of the DASC. An election for the vacated office shall be conducted at the earliest practical time.

3.3 Removal of Officers

An Officer may be removed by approval of two-thirds of the Voting Members of the DASC. Grounds for removal shall be included in any motion to remove an Officer of the DASC.

3.4 Responsibilities of DASC Officers

3.4.1 Chair

The Chair shall

1. Organize and operate the DASC

2. Create and distribute an agenda at least 14 calendar days before a meeting of the DASC

3. Lead the participants according to all of the relevant policies and procedures of the IEEE

4. Oversee the DASC’s compliance with these operating procedures

5. Submit proposed standards approved by the balloting group with supporting documentation for IEEE-SA Standards Board review and approval as IEEE standards

The Chair also shall

a) Be objective

b) Entertain motions, but not make motions

c) Remain neutral and facilitate the discussion

d) Delegate necessary functions

e) Ensure that all parties have the opportunity to express their views

f) Set goals and deadlines and adhere to them

g) Be knowledgeable in IEEE standards processes and parliamentary procedures and ensure that the processes and procedures are followed

h) Seek consensus of the Sponsor as a means of resolving all issues

i) Prioritize objectives to best serve the group and its goals

3.4.2 Vice Chair

The Vice Chair shall carry out the Chair's duties if the Chair is temporarily unable to do so or chooses to recuse him- or herself for example to advocate an opinion..

3.4.3 Secretary

The Secretary shall

1. Record and publish minutes of each meeting within 14 calendar days of the end of meeting

2. Create and maintain the roster and submit to the IEEE Standards Department annually

3. Schedule DASC meetings in coordination with the Chair with at least 21 calendar days notice

4. Be responsible for the management and distribution of Sponsor documentation

5. Maintain lists of unresolved issues, action items, and assignments

3.4.4 Treasurer

The Treasurer shall

1. Maintain a budget

2. Control all funds into and out of the DASC’s bank account

3. Provide the Secretary with the roster of paid up DASC Members

4. Follow IEEE policies concerning standards meetings and finances

5. Read the IEEE Finance Operations Manual

4.0 Membership

Members of the DASC are those individuals and entities that have their membership fees paid up in full and are in good standing with the DASC.

4.1 Voting Membership

Voting Members, in any election, shall vote as either Individual Expert or Organizational Entity members, as defined in the procedures of the IEEE-CS SAB. Voting Members are those Members who have attended 3 of the previous 4 DASC meetings. For the purpose of maintaining voting membership, votes conducted between meetings will be equivalent to meeting attendance.

4.2 Observers

Observers shall be permitted to participate in discussions at DASC meetings and in email discussions in accordance with the procedures of the IEEE-CS SAB.

4.3 Application

A request for membership shall be addressed to the Chair, indicating the applicant’s direct and material interest in the DASC’s work, qualifications and willingness to participate actively. All IEEE standards meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend.

4.4 DASC Membership Roster

The Secretary shall maintain a current and accurate DASC roster. All changes to the roster shall be forwarded to the Chair immediately. The roster shall include the following:

1. Title of the DASC

2. Scope of the DASC

3. Officers - Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Standards Staff Liaison

4. Members: for all, list name, email address[kb1] , 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

The Secretary shall maintain an email distribution list of current DASC Members and shall ensure that all DASC Members are permitted to post email messages to the list. The roster shall be available to members of the DASC,

4.5 Membership Fees

Members shall pay an annual Membership Fee. The amounts of the fees for Individual Expert and Organizational Entity memberships shall be determined by the DASC from time to time. The amounts shall be determined so as to cover the reasonable operating expenses of the DASC. The amounts of the fees for a given year shall be determined before August 15 of the preceding year.

A Member granted membership after August 15 of a given year and before March 16 of the subsequent year shall pay the full Membership Fee and be granted membership up to December 31 of the subsequent year. A Member granted membership after March 15 and before August 16 of a given year shall pay one half the full Membership fee and be granted membership up to December 31 of that year.

A Member shall renew membership for a given year by paying the full Membership by December 31 of the preceding year. Where a Member is in default of this obligation, membership shall be terminated.

5.0 Subgroups of the DASC

When one or more subgroups (subcommittees, study groups, working groups, technical subcommittees, writing groups, etc.) are formed specifically to expedite the standards development work of the DASC, their formation (and later disbandment) shall be in accordance with the procedures of the IEEE-SA Operations Manual section 5.

Subgroup formation shall be approved by the DASC in a vote. The vote may be conducted in a meeting or by email.

5.1 Study Groups

The purpose of a Study Group is to explore the possibility of a standard and create a PAR should the standard be deemed worthwhile by the Study Group. The Study Group can create, review and approve a PAR in a single meeting as long as such was on the agenda for the meeting and the approval is unanimous. Otherwise, the Study Group must meet subsequently to consider any reasons for dissention and then submit the PAR for approval by the DASC. DASC SGs should follow the guidelines given in the document “DASC Study Group Guidelines”.

5.2 Lifecycle of Subgroups

In order to expedite the development of standards, the DASC forms subgroups. The primary type of subgroup of the DASC is the Working Group (WG). A working group has the specific responsibility to develop a standard based on a PAR that has been approved by IEEE-SA Standards Board. The WG is governed by the DASC P&Ps (this document).

In order to form a WG a request must be made to the DASC to form a Study Group (see 5.1). The request may come from the DASC Chair or any member of the DASC. This request to form an SG must be approved by a vote of the DASC. When an SG is approved, the DASC Chair will appoint an SG Chair to manage the SG’s work. The SG, after completing its exploration and finding the topic worthy of standardization will submit a report including a draft PAR to the DASC for approval. When the report and PAR are approved by the DASC, the PAR will be submitted to Nescom and the Standards Board for its approval which will mark the formal start of a WG.

A WG will remain in existence as long as it has an active PAR. Following the completion of work on a PAR or the expiration of a PAR, the WG will have six months to draft a new PAR for approval first by the DASC and then by NesCom and the Standards Board. If the WG fails to draft a new PAR, the DASC will consider disbanding the WG. This action will require a vote of the DASC. In this case, the WG Chair should present a recommendation to the DASC either explaining the delay or requesting that the WG be disbanded. The DASC will consider the recommendation in its vote.

A WG shall have a chair, vice or co chair, secretary and, if needed, a treasurer. These officers will be responsible for the operations of the WG in accordance with DASC P&Ps (this document). Officers shall be elected within the first six months of the formation of the WG and serve two year terms.

5.3 DASC Subgroup Membership Rosters

For each DASC subgroup, the Secretary of the subgroup shall maintain a current and accurate roster. The roster shall include the title of the subgroup, name and email address of the Chair, and names and email addresses of all members of the subgroup. The Chair of the subgroup shall maintain an email distribution list of current subgroup members and shall ensure that all subgroup members are permitted to post email messages to the list.

6.0 Meetings

DASC meetings shall be held monthly, and also can be held as decided by the DASC, the Chair, or by petition of 15% or more of the DASC Members, to conduct business such as: making assignments, forming subgroups, receiving reports of work, considering draft standards, resolving differences among subgroups, and considering views and objections from any source. A 21-day notice shall be distributed to all Members and observers. Meetings of subgroups may be held as decided upon by the members or Chair of the subgroup.

The DASC 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.

Meetings can be held in person or conducted via teleconference.

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 or electronic ballot, as detailed in Section 7.3. See Robert’s Rules of Order (revised). A quorum is considered to be 50% of the Voting Members of the DASC. If a quorum is not present at a meeting, including those present using teleconferencing facilities, the Chair may choose to conduct certain business of the meeting via email or electronic ballot as appropriate.

7.0 Voting

7.1 Vote Counting

Votes shall be counted by dividing the number of affirmative votes by the sum of the numbers of affirmative and negative votes. The question being voted upon shall be considered approved if the quotient is greater than 50% except for actions covered in section 7.4.

7.2 Balloting Positions

Each DASC Voting Member shall vote one of the following positions:

1. Affirmative

2. 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)

3. Do Not Approve (Negative Without Comments)

4. Abstain

7.3 Voting By Electronic Ballot

The DASC shall be allowed to conduct DASC business between meetings at the discretion of the Chair by use of electronic ballot. The response period for an electronic ballot shall be at least 14 days. Except as required by 7.4 , an electronic ballot shall require approval by a majority of the returned votes provided that a majority of all the voting members responded..

When sufficient ballots have been returned to determine the outcome of a vote the Chair may announce the result and declare the balloted issue either approved or disapproved as determined by the received ballots.

Within 7 days of the response period for an electronic ballot, the Chair shall publish to the DASC the outcome of the ballot, including the balloting position of each Voting Member who voted in the ballot.

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

The following actions require a formal recorded vote with approval by at least two-thirds of the DASC Voting Members.

1. Adoption of DASC operating procedures, or revisions thereof

2. Approval of change of the DASC scope

3. Approval of termination of the DASC

8. Balloting Group for a Standard

For approval of proposed standards, the Sponsor shall form a balloting group. This group shall be formed using the invitation process in accordance with the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.

9.0 Communications

All DASC Officers should use the DASC letterhead, if available, or email notification along with the Officer’s title, when corresponding on behalf of DASC activities.

9.1 Formal Internal Communication

If correspondence between subgroups involves issues or decisions (that is, non-routine matters) affecting other subgroups, copies shall be sent to all affected subgroup chairs, and the DASC Officers.

9.2 External Communication

Inquiries relating to the DASC 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.

9.3 Privacy Protection

Personal information about individuals participating in standards development activities is necessary for efficient administration of those activities. Reasonable efforts shall be made to protect the privacy of individuals participating in these activities. Participants should be aware that the names and affiliations of participants are part of the public record of the standards development process. This information shall only be used in conjunction with the official business of standards development. Use of this information for any other purpose shall not be permitted without the express permission of the individual to do so.

10.0 Appeals

The Sponsor recognizes the right of appeal. Technical and procedural appeals are acceptable for the Sponsor. Every effort should be made to ensure that impartial handling of complaints regarding any action or inaction on the part of the DASC is performed in an identifiable manner. If the Sponsor must conduct an appeal, it shall model its appeals process on the appeals processes of the IEEE-SA Standards Board.

11.0 Position Statements for Standards

All communications shall comply with subclause 5.1.3 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual. These procedures apply to communications with government and intergovernment bodies.

11.1 DASC Position Statements

DASC position statements shall not be released without prior approval by the DASC Officers. Such position statements may proceed unless blocked by a DASC vote at a DASC meeting. For position statements not presented for review at a DASC meeting, DASC 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.

11.2 Subgroup Position Statements

Subgroup position statements shall not be released without prior approval by a two-thirds vote of the subgroup. Such position statements may proceed unless blocked by a DASC vote at a DASC meeting. For position statements not presented for review at a DASC meeting, DASC 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 DASC Chair in the distribution. Such statements shall bear neither the IEEE nor the DASC logos.

11.3 Informal Communications

Informal communications shall not imply that they are a formal position of the DASC nor the subgroup.

11.4 Position Statements to be Issued by Other Entities

If the DASC 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. Therefore, 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.

12.0 Standards Publicity

The DASC 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.

13. DASC Awards Committee

The DASC shall have a standing Awards Committee.

The awards committee shall develop an awards program to recognize meritorious work by DASC members. The committee shall also vote to recommend DASC members for the IEEE SA Standards Medallion and other appropriate IEEE awards. The awards committee shall be comprised of the DASC officers plus up to three other members appointed by the chair. The Awards Committee shall be run by a chair elected by the committee. Decisions of the committee require confirmation by the DASC.