2025 proposal selection process

2025/selection-process.md

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+# Interop 2025 proposal selection process
+
+Interop 2025 is an effort to increase interoperability across browsers
+in key technical areas that are of high priority to web developers and
+end users. This effort is part of the
+[web-platform-tests](https://github.com/web-platform-tests/wpt) (WPT)
+project — an automated test suite for web standards — and run by a
+team of representatives from companies that make substantial
+contributions to browser rendering engines (including Apple, Bocoup,
+Google, Igalia, Microsoft, and Mozilla).
+
+Please see the [Interop 2024 Dashboard](https://wpt.fyi/interop-2024)
+and [Interop 2024
+README](https://github.com/web-platform-tests/interop/blob/main/2024/README.md)
+for the current iteration of the project.
+
+Each iteration of the project starts with an open call for proposals,
+followed by a selection and prioritization process by each
+participating organization. Final decision on the inclusion of a
+proposal is made by
+[consensus](https://github.com/web-platform-tests/interop/blob/main/charter.md#:~:text=The%20team%20makes%20decisions%20based%20on%20consensus.%20A%20decision%20has%20consensus%20if%20it%20has%20support%20from%20at%20least%20two%20participating%20organizations%20and%20no%20opposition). For
+Interop 2025, the timeline and the selection process is as described
+below.
+
+## Timeline
+
+This is the general timeline for the Interop 2025 proposal selection 
+process. The dates are centered on the Interop team meeting (Thursdays).
+Please note that the timelines are subject to change.
+
+*   Proposal submission window (3 weeks): Sept 19th, 2024 to Oct 3rd, 2024
+*   Proposal selection: Before December 19th 2024
+*   Scope of the Interop 2025 project published: the first half of February, 2025.
+
+## Proposal selection process
+
+The aim of the proposal selection process is to generate a shared
+understanding of the merits of each proposal, and converge on a
+decision about the most impactful areas in which we can improve
+interop on the web over 2025.
+
+As in Interop 2023 and 2024, details of proposal selection and ranking
+remain participant confidential throughout the process. Final decisions
+will be published as the Interop team.
+
+### Prior to Proposal Submission
+
+**Timeline**: Before September 19th 2024
+
+The interop team will develop a non-exhaustive set of signals/criteria
+that are considered important when assessing proposals. These will be
+made available to proposal authors, and used later in the process when
+championing and assessing different proposals. However they are not
+binding on any specific participant i.e. participants are free to
+consider additional criteria (such as individual resource constraints)
+and weigh the shared criteria as they choose.
+
+### Proposal Submission
+
+**Timeline**: Before September 19th to October 3rd
+
+Members of the web community, including participants, will be invited
+to submit proposals for Interop 2025. These will take the form of
+issues on the Interop GitHub repository. Issue templates and
+documentation will be provided to guide proposers towards proposals
+that meet the formal criteria (e.g. around testability) and which can
+be assessed according to the agreed criteria.
+
+Items from Interop 2024 which have not yet reached full
+interoperability will be automatically resubmitted, and will go
+through the process as for any other proposal. In addition new
+proposals can be submitted that extend the scope of existing focus
+areas (whether or not they have reached full interoperability).
+
+As in previous years proposals can either be for focus areas or
+investigations. For simplicity the remainder of this document will
+only refer to focus area proposals, but this also covers proposals for
+investigation efforts.
+
+### Champion Selection
+
+**Timeline**: October 3rd, 10th, 17th
+
+Interop participants propose focus areas, consisting of one or more
+proposals, that they would like to champion. Proposals will initially
+be shared in time for the meeting on October 10th, and champions
+finalised on October 17th.
+
+Where more than one participant wants to champion the same focus area
+proposal a single champion must be nominated for the remainder of the
+process.
+
+Champions and seconds (i.e. organizations that would champion a focus
+area but were not the final selected champion) are recorded for each
+proposal.
+
+There is no assigned limit to the number of proposals one participant
+may champion.
+
+In case different focus areas are put forward with overlapping sets of
+proposals, the participants are encouraged to work out a way to divide
+the proposals into focus areas in a way that satisfies everyone. If
+this is impossible then carrying forward multiple competing focus area
+proposals is permitted, but final selections will only allow each
+proposal to appear in a single focus area.
+
+Any proposal without a champion will not be carried forward.
+
+### Focus Area Proposal Refinement
+
+**Timeline**: October 24th and 31st
+
+Champions gather evidence of the impact of their proposals, using the
+rubric developed earlier. Specific participants may also be asked
+to provide (publicly available) information for all proposals where
+that participant has ownership of the information (e.g. standards
+positions, use counter data).
+
+### Focus Area Proposal Presentation
+
+**Timeline**: November 7th (double-length meeting)
+
+Each participant gets 15 minutes of meeting time to present the
+proposals they are championing, and make the case that they should be
+considered a priority for inclusion in Interop 2025.
+
+### Focus Area Proposal Ranking
+
+**Timeline**: Before December 5th
+
+Participants rank each proposal as P1 (highest priority) to P3 (lowest
+priority), or veto.
+
+There is no preset limit on how many proposals each participant may
+assign each rank.
+
+Initial rankings are submitted in time for the December 5th meeting.
+
+### Focus Area Ranking and Selection
+
+**Timeline**: December 5th, 12th, 19th
+
+Focus areas with any vetoes are eliminated.
+
+Proposals that have strong positive consensus (e.g. majority P1
+rankings, no P3 rankings) are adopted. Proposals with a strong 
+consensus of low priority (e.g. many P3 ranking and no P1
+ranking, or many P3 and P1 only from the champion) are dropped.
+
+Proposals with mixed rankings are ordered according to the number of
+P1 rankings, followed by the number of P2 rankings, followed by the
+number of P3 rankings. Starting from the top of the ordered list
+participants who ranked the proposal lower are given an opportunity to
+explain their concerns, and suggest any adjustments that would change
+their perspective. Proposal champions get final say on whether to
+adjust their proposals in response to this feedback.
+
+Following each meeting participants may adjust their rankings for the
+remaining proposals up or down in response to discussions, any agreed
+changes to the proposals, or the overall composition of the project,
+and the process repeats in the following meeting.
+
+Before the end of the December 19th meeting there's a final decision
+on any proposals without a clear resolution, and formal call for
+consensus on the set of selected focus areas.
+
+### Communication and Publication
+
+**Timeline**: Jan 9th, Jan 16th, Jan 23rd, Jan 30th
+
+Launch date is finalized. Focus area tests are labeled. Feedback for
+proposal authors written.
+
+### Launch
+
+**Timeline**: February 6th 2025 (provisional)
+
+The Interop 2025 dashboard is published. Proposal authors are provided
+with feedback and the original GitHub issues are closed. Participants
+publish announcements of the launch.