The Guide Process

Within The Open Group, a Guide is formally defined as follows (taken from Section 2.3.9 of the Standards Process):

“A Guide is a supporting document. It is a mechanism for The Open Group to disseminate supporting information on a subject area to an interested audience. Guides have no formal status.”

Guides provide advice and best practice on using and/or adopting The Open Group Standards. They are not intended to document the shortcomings, gaps, or inconsistencies in The Open Group Standards. Guides can also provide informative guidance on a topic that is not standardized by The Open Group (often this can occur if a Forum/Work Group is developing materials in an emerging area for standardization).

Typically, Guides are developed by a Forum/Work Group to support its functional area. They go through a review process to determine their relevance, usefulness, and suitability for publication. Guides may also be developed outside of a Forum/Work Group.

They must be developed using the most applicable official template; refer to Resources. They can either be developed as a project deliverable within a Forum/Work Group or submitted independently.

Approval to Develop a Guide

If a Guide is being developed within a Forum/Work Group, approval to proceed occurs when the project is approved.

The Guide Review Process

The Open Group Manager decides the review process for a Guide.

The Open Group Manager may elect to follow the Company Review Process for a Guide if broader consensus than the specific Forum is needed. In this case, refer to the Standards Process and sections in this Handbook for the Company Review Process.

The following are guidelines for the review of a Guide developed by a Forum/Work Group.

Notice Period for Review (1 Week)

The Open Group Manager will send notice to the Forum/Work Group of the review at least one (1) week in advance of the review commencing. This should include a pointer to the materials, if available at the time of the announcement. The review materials should be loaded into The Open Group Document Review system. It is recommended that a PDF version also be provided for offline review.

Review Period (2 Weeks)

The review period should be at least two (2) weeks. Reviewers are asked to comment on the suitability of the Guide for publication and to submit comments in the form of detailed Change Requests.

Discussion Teleconference

In the week after the review a teleconference should be held if necessary to discuss comments received. The authors of the Guide may choose to accept or reject some or all Change Requests. At this stage the Guide will be updated if necessary to incorporate any changes agreed as a result of the review.

Decision on Approval

A vote is then held using the voting mechanism to approve or disapprove the final version of the Guide. This vote is a consensus vote and 75% approval is needed to publish.

Executive Approval

Prior to publication, all Guides must complete the Publications Process as defined in the Standards Process. This review is managed by the Technical Editor and requires The Open Group Vice-President approval for the Guide to be sent to the Executive Management. This includes consideration of proper usage of trademarks, brand positioning, correct application of the document template, suitable content, and the avoidance of any negative comments regarding other standards or organizations.

Publication

At the time of publication the Technical Editor will notify The Open Group Social Media team and The Open Group Manager so they can promote availability of the Guide.

Check Your Understanding

(For answers, please see Check Your Understanding – Answers.)

  1. Select the correct answer from the options below to complete the sentence. In advance of a Guide review, …​

    1. …​ notice of at least one week will be given to the Forum/Work Group.

    2. …​ no notice is required.

    3. …​ a notice period of two weeks is required.

  2. True or False? Read each statement below and decide if it is true or false:

    1. The Guide review process should last at least four weeks.

    2. Reviewers are asked to accept or reject any Change Requests.

    3. Once the agreed Change Requests have been applied, a vote is carried out and 75% approval is needed to publish.

    4. Before publication, all documents are reviewed by the Technical Editor and prepared for Vice-President approval before being sent to Executive Management.