Project team should socialise new specification ideas before creating a project proposal

Specification project proposals require a supermajority affirmative ballot of from the specification committee before we can create a project. It's implied throughout our process documents, but not explicitly stated that a specification project proposal should be socialised with the specification committee well in advance of any request to initiate a creation review ballot.

The specification committee wields some important power. If their ballot fails to get supermajority approval, we cannot create the specification project. It is in everyone's best interests that we have confidence that the ballot will pass well in advance of initiating it. This is not to suggest that we expect any kind of guarantee that a creation ballot will pass, but it will save a lot of time and effort, if early feedback suggests that we are unlikely to be successful.

By way of background, the operations guide states that all ballots are initiated by the specification committee chair.

The Specification Chair (or their delegate) is responsible for initiating ballots, tallying their results, disseminating them to the community, and (when appropriate; e.g., in the case a release review ballot) reporting them to the EMO.

While we may be able to argue that the need to socialise a proposal is reasonably implied, making socialisation an explicit requirement (or even present it as a best practice) would be a good addition to the operations guide.

My thinking is that the earlier, the better. Ideally, socialisation with the specification committee via public channels before a project proposal is created, or shortly after it is opened for community review. As a matter of practice, the EMO will inform a specification committee when a new specification project proposal going to community review, but it would be far better if the project team and specification committee have an existing relationship.

We may opt to add additional best practices regarding the sorts of discussion topics that should occur during socialisation. It would helpful to the EMO, for example, for the project team and specification committee to agree on the name of the project, the phrasing of the scope, project licence, patent license, etc.

/cc @mplagge @mdelgado624