Responsibilities and Tasks

Responsibilities

The Liaison Representatives provide information to The Open Group community in order to enable The Open Group to make decisions based on the best possible information regarding the work in the peer organization. In turn, information communicated by The Open Group liaison to the liaised organization must be based on the relevant consensus within The Open Group. The Liaison Representatives work with the liaised organization to ensure that communication is clear. As part of this, the liaison must clearly differentiate his or her own independent positions from those that represent consensus of The Open Group.

It is the responsibility of the liaison to ensure that the liaised organization communicates its requirements to The Open Group in a timely fashion and that The Open Group consensus is clearly understood. This is particularly important in situations where The Open Group and the liaised organization differ substantially in their positions. In this situation, the liaison needs to facilitate prompt communication so that The Open Group and the liaised organization can stay in close communication and avoid misunderstandings.

The Liaison Representatives are responsible for clearly and correctly communicating The Open Group consensus position to the liaised organization. This includes, when specifically instructed, carrying any messages from The Open Group to the peer organization. Generally, these communications “represent The Open Group”, and therefore due care and consensus must be applied in their construction.

The Liaison Representatives are responsible for ensuring that relevant information originating from the liaised organization, or other information coming to the attention of the liaison, reaches the correct destination within The Open Group, in a timely and effective way.

The Liaison Representatives do not have any executive authority to make commitments on behalf of The Open Group nor to direct its staff.

Tasks

Examples of tasks performed by the liaison are provided below. Depending on the nature of the liaised organization, the task may vary in frequency and relative importance.

  • Attend relevant meetings and participate in teleconferences and mailing lists within the liaised organization to gather information relevant to the liaison relationship

    Note developments of interest for onward communication to The Open Group. Communicate the point of view of The Open Group consensus to the peer organization.

  • Communicate information relevant to the liaison relationship to the relevant part of The Open Group either by written reports or verbally

  • Understand the concerns of both The Open Group and the peer organization, while ensuring that the interests of The Open Group are maintained; where there appear to be problems to solve or conflicts between approaches, work with both parties to encourage participants from both organizations to collaborate on solving the problem and facilitate the development of solutions in the appropriate organization

  • Prepare reports giving updates on developments in the peer organization as requested by The Open Group Governing Board or other interested parties in The Open Group

  • Oversee delivery of liaison statements addressed to The Open Group

    This includes ensuring that liaison statements are delivered to the appropriate destination within The Open Group, as well as shepherding the timely creation of responses by The Open Group.

  • Work with the liaised organization to ensure that The Open Group liaison statements are appropriately directed and responded to in a timely fashion

    To accomplish this, the liaison needs to build a contact network.

  • Communicate and coordinate with other Liaison Managers within The Open Group where the activities of two or more liaised organizations overlap

  • Assist with the preparation of The Open Group liaison statements based on The Open Group consensus

  • From time to time, Liaison Managers and Liaison Representatives will have to report to The Open Group on the status of the liaison relationship

    For this purpose, they will need to keep track of outstanding issues on behalf of The Open Group. The Open Group Governing Board or other parties within The Open Group may probe for liaison reports as needed or at regular intervals.