[MPEG-OTSPEC] Consensus Protocol

[David Singer]

> On Aug 26, 2020, at 8:42 , Levantovsky, Vladimir <Vladimir.Levantovsky at monotype.com> wrote:
>  
> The long standing practice in MPEG and in this AHG group has been rooted in the simple principle that silence means approval, whatever the topic of a discussion might be. 
>  

back up: consensus is the result of asking a question, to determine consensus. Almost all groups I know use consensus for expert discussions; final approvals vary (e.g. in W3C, it’s the Director as advised by the AC, in ISO, it’s NBs, and so on).

Consensus decisions result when a clear consensus decision proposal is made, usually by the chair (e.g. “do we have consensus to eat sandwiches for lunch?”) and no-one ’sustains their objection’ (i.e. someone may say “I don’t agree, but I won’t stand in the way as I think a decision is needed”). Silence is usually taken as consent though most groups like at least some positive responses.

David Singer
Manager, Software Standards, Apple Inc.