Re: RFC Series Editor (RSE) Statement of Work

[Michael StJohns <mstjohns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi - John's note makes a lot of different very good points, and he does note that some could be made on one of the other threads.  I've extracted a few points that are particularly germane to the SOW thread primarily for emphasis and added ellipsis to shrink some of those hopefully without changing meaning.  I recommend all of you read John's original post - but if you don't have the time, this at least attempts to pull out points that frame the role of the RSE and the depth of the problem we're going to have finding a new one.

Mike

On 7/16/2019 10:38 AM, John C Klensin wrote:

• Unless "we" are trying to make changes in how the RFC Editor
  Function works that go far beyond what is (or is not) in what is
  in the draft SOW, there have been several misconceptions in this
  thread and the related ones.    

• This is not a
  copy-editing role.  it is not even a technical editing role.
  

• Instead, this is a strategic leadership and management role.  In
  retrospect, maybe we would have less confusion about, e.g., copy
  editing, if we had called the position "RFC Series Publisher"
  when we made up the "RSE" title, but, given how few people seem
  to understand what a publisher actually does, maybe it would
  have made no difference.  
  
  

• If the RSOC and IAB are looking for someone who will quietly do
  the job, follow their lead about strategy directions, and not
  try to educate (and, if necessary, push back based on greater
  specialist expertise, then they are making a really fundamental
  change in the role.  

• Something Nevil didn't mention was that plausible candidates
  were not easy to find, even with no incumbent to compete
  against. 

• Unless we are making significant changes to the role, the RSE
  should probably be seen as less even responsible to the IAB and
  RSOC on day to day details than the IETF LLC Executive Director
  is to the LLC Board.

•  For a position like this, even describing the
  position search a and process as a "bid" is offensive and likely
  to convince some people we would like to have as candidates to
  say "they either don't understand what they are doing or are not
  interested in anyone like me" and then move on.   

• Olaf obviously had a great deal of IETF experience....However, he did not ... have the
  depth of technical and standards publishing,and publishing strategy, experience ... I think it was very important ... that he did have an RSOC that contained multiple people with at least significant pieces of those types of experience. That RSOC saw its mission much more in terms of supporting him and helping him succeed in the role -- including giving advise on the strategic publication issues to which he was happy to listen-- than as "oversight" or supervision or evaluation of contractual compliance.

• More generally, putting someone into the RSE role --either
  "acting" or semi-permanently -- who has good community
  experience and relationships, little or no strategic publication
  leadership perspective and experience, and without the support
  of in-depth expertise in the RSOC (or some other arrangement to
  which a supportive RSOC is prepared to defer in matters of
  expertise) is a recipe for disaster... or at least major changes
  in the character of the Series whether intentional or not and
  whether reflecting community consensus or not.