SOP - CR process

Standard Operational Process - Parameter Change Request Procedure

This page is written on behalf of the Parameters Committee, the information contained is subject to change and amendment by the committee chairs at any time and should be used at your own risk

August 2023

Document owner and author: MBO - Joaquín López (Secretary)

Ver	Summary of Changes	Date
IR	Initial Release	September 12, 2023
V.001	Revised version (Kevin Hammond & Nigel Hemsley)
V.002

1. Purpose of this document

This document describes the Change Request process during the Interim Phase, while the Technical Steering Committee and/or other Intersect bodies are not fully operational. This document also includes a process with a fully operational Intersect before the Chang Hard-Fork. After the hard-fork, any parameter changes will follow the voting process described in CIP-1694.

2. Intersect Structure

2.1 Roles and Responsibilities

Governing Board Executive director: Silona Bonewald

Committee Chairs Technical Steering Committee: Duncan Soutar Parameter Committee: Kevin Hammond

Committee Secretaries Technical Steering Committee: Tayla Dix Parameter Committee: Joaquín López

2.2 Remit

Intersect is a member-based organization that empowers the Cardano community to take ownership of the platform's direction. Through committees and other collaborative mechanisms, Intersect ensures that Cardano's development and governance are driven by the collective insights and expertise of its community members.

3. Description of the process - Interim Phase

The Parameter Committee is in Interim Phasee until the TSC is fully operational. Assuming that no governance actions can be submitted and ratified on-chain, the Parameter Committee will act independently of Intersect.

Item	Responsibility	Action
1	Parameter Committee	Makes a recommendation and reaches consensus on change
2	Parameter Committee Secretary	Secretary uses template Change Request, details requested change, any supporting evidence and details of change execution.
3	Parameter Committee Secretary	Sends the Change Request to the Signing Authorities and asks for approval.
4	Signing Authorities (CF, Emurgo & IOG)	Review the change and either approve, reject or recycle.
5	Parameter Committee Secretary	Chase up signatures and resolve any questions as necessary. Unanimous decision required - 100% signatures must approve.
6	Parameter Committee Chair	Schedule appropriate competent technical authority to implement the change.

4. Description of the process - Fully operational

After the Interim Phase, the Parameter Committee can only make recommendations, not decisions. TSC becomes the ultimate authority to decide upon Mainnet Change Requests. However, it has the ability to scalate to the Intersect Governor's Board if the TSC feels it needs advice. The Intersect Governor's Board does not have the ability to overrule the TSC. It can request the Parameter Committee review any recommendation.

Item	Responsibility	Action
1	Parameter Committee	Makes recommendations on parameter changes (PCP) and communicates the results to the TSC.
2	Technical Steering Committee	Reviews Parameter Committee recommendations and votes to proceed with the Change Request. Formalizes a Change Request and presents it to the Signing Authorities with a petition to approve it.
3	Governors Board	The TSC has the ability to escalate to the Intersect Governor's Board if the TSC feels it needs advice.
4	Signing authorities	Review and approve the Change Request.

4.1 Recommendation

Item	Responsibility	Action
1.1	Parameter Committee	Receives a PCP request from any community member using the PCP request template on the Cardano Forum.
1.2	Parameter Committee	Reviews the PCP request and analyzes the effects of the proposed change with their Advisory Groups following the PCP process.
1.3	Parameter Committee	Makes a recommendation and publishes the results of their analysis on the Cardano Forum.
1.4	Parameter Committee	Communicates the results of their recommendation to the Technical Steering Committee using the PCP result template.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G7jEKef0n1-LU5LCuc5CJzQJIM6fRKygYBY88b-X-Hk/edit

4.2 Change Request

Item	Responsibility	Action
2.1	Technical Steering Committee	Receives a PCP recommendation from the Parameter Committee.
2.2	Technical Steering Committee	Reviews the PCP recommendation and votes to proceed with the Change Request.
2.3	TSC Secretary	Formalizes a Change Request using the CR template.
2.4	TSC Secretary	Presents the Change Request to the signing authorities.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G7jEKef0n1-LU5LCuc5CJzQJIM6fRKygYBY88b-X-Hk/editdocs.google.com

CR_template

4.3 Approval

Item	Responsibility	Action
3.1	Signing Authorities (CF, Emurgo & IOG)	Review the change and either approve, reject or recycle.
3.2	TSC secretary	Must chase up signatures, resolve any questions as necessary. Unanymous decision required - 100% signatures must approve.
3.3	TSC Chair	Schedule appropriate competent technical authority to implement the change.

Notes:

Whilst the Parameter Committee remains in an interim state it will act independently of Intersect. Intersect will perform all the administration but will not enact the recommendations until the TSC has the ability to make decisions.

After the Interim Phase, the Parameter Committee can only make recommendations, not decisions. TSC becomes the ultimate authority to decide upon Mainnet Change Requests. However, it has the ability to scalate to the Intersect Governor's Board if the TSC feels it needs advice. The Intersect Governor's Board does not have the ability to overrule the TSC. It can request the Parameter Committee review any recommendation.

After the hard-fork, protocol changes will follow the voting process as described in CIP-1694.