Draft Revised TSC Communication Plan

Communications plan

Who does the TSC communicate with?

This section of the plan describes how the TSC communicates with different groups, and the purpose and value of that communications. It may also include some examples of the sort of communications that are most valuable for each group.

The board

• Topics to report to the board
  • major product proposals
  • suggestions for new external relationships
  • standards currently in use, and under development
  • financial reporting on funded activities
  • proposals for funded activity
  • delivery plan against roadmap (and progress against that plan)
• Topics to hear from the board
  • roadmap and strategic direction
  • roles and responsibilities

Marketing Committee

• delivery plan against roadmap (and progress against that plan)
• Project status overview
• Product Status overview

The Steering Divisions

• delivery plan against roadmap (and progress against that plan)
• Project status overview
• Product Status overview
• Monthly report of TSC issues assigned to the steering division.

The co-chairs

• delivery plan against roadmap (and progress against that plan)

The HL7 membership

• delivery plan against roadmap (and progress against that plan)

The Advisory Council

The CTO, John Quinn, and the TSC Chair attend the meetings of the Advisory Board.

The Affiliates Council

For 2009, Ravi Natarajan and Helen Stevens Love will develop a communication strategy to be reviewed at the 2009MayWGM.

The wider community of HL7 users and stakeholders

For 2009, a project has been proposed for "TSC Visibility" to illuminate the activities and different roles and responsibilities of the TSC.

Communication to the TSC

Inward communications to the TSC should occur through several paths, including:

• PIC performs a useful communication path today for individuals and new volunteers and affords the added advantage of a forum for discussing procedural issues before they are added ot the PIC open issues list. This role should be continued with PIC as a TSC-appointed committee, and they should continue to maintain the PIC open issues list.
• The TSC will hold an "open mic" session for Co-chairs at each TSC Retreat (Plenary) Meeting with the issues written, logged and formally tracked
• Issues list- The TSC maintains and tracks a publicly available issues list for topics under TSC consideration. This list will require:
  • Submittal form - the TSC should develop a standard form for documenting issues. This form should allow the submitter to classify the type and severity of the problem, should identify the perspective from which the individual is submitting the issue, a description of the issue, and the submitters desired or recommended action to resolve the issue. This form would be used for both the "open mic" sessions and for e-mail submissions.
  • Issue posting Active issues should be posted and tracked on the TSC Wiki
  • Submissions Issues for the list would be received from:
    • the TSC "open mic" sessions,
    • e-mail submittal (below) or by
    • Referral from Ballot reconciliation (through SDs) to TSC
• Maintain a list server for internal TSC communications
• Establish, for those persons not wishing to escalate issues or questions through their Steering Division Representative, an online form for anonymous input mail address, like tscIssues@hl7.org through which new issues (using the form) and questions can be submitted. This will take the form of a service such as the new attendees suggestion form.

Communications from the TSC

Outward communications from the TSC should include:

• e-News - routine contributions from TSC
• Newsletter articles
• TSC Report at a WGM General Session
• Summary of TSC Plenary and copies of presentation posted on web site
• TSC Wiki (open for reading)
  • Maintain a "message" for TSC at the root of the Wiki
  • Minutes & Agendas
  • TSC issues list
  • TSC issue list
  • Search capability ' on TSC Wiki
• Status reports (central, easily found, well tracked) on:
  • Ballots
  • Projects (scope statements and status)
  • Normative content
  • Architecture/Methodology Issues, etc.
  • Search capability