My thoughts about the problems of the IETF

[Brian E Carpenter]

When I get around to writing up the SIRs proposal, I intend
to address these points.

   Brian

Keith Moore wrote:
> 
> from personal experience, adding outside reviewers can increase AD
> workload, because the AD needs to evaluate the reviews in addition to
> the documents under review.  (outside reviews can and do help
> increase document quality because they catch thing that the IESG and
> working group miss, but they don't generally reduce workload.)
> 
> or if you think that the reviewers should be part of the decision making
> process, consider that the more people involved in making a decision,
> the harder it is to get convergence.
> 
> IESG members are about the only people in IETF who are routinely
> expected to review documents within a short and bounded timeframe (say
> 2-4 weeks), that aren't necessarily in their area of personal or
> professional interest, and without compensation.  it would be difficult
> to impose these demands on outside reviewers, so the result of trying
> to rely on outside reviewers might mean more delay in getting documents
> reviewed.
> 
> two ways that outside reviewers might help reduce workload:
> 
> 1. require all documents to have N favorable outside reviews, each
> from an IESG-appointed reviewer pool, before going to IESG review
> 
> 2. provide that any document which has more than Z unfavorable
> reviews from the reviewer pool need not be considered by IESG
> 
> however, if we give outside reviewers any formal power we need to
> define ethics for such review - such as, reviewers should not accept
> compensation for reviews.  otherwise people will try to buy favorable
> reviews for their pet projects and unfavorable reviews for others.

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Brian E Carpenter 
Distinguished Engineer, Internet Standards & Technology, IBM 
On assignment at the IBM Zurich Laboratory, Switzerland