IHE Board Document Change Request Process

The IHE Board Document Change Request (DCR) Process is used to make updates to documents approved by the IHE Board. Currently those documents include: IHE International Principles of Governance and Letter of Assurance for Necessary Patent Claims. This process involves submission of DCRs, management of DCRs by the Board Operations Committee and approval of DCRs by the IHE Board. The steps of processing DCRs are:

1. DCR submission: A request for change is submitted to the board operations committee using the DCR template. The request should include: date of request, requestor, sponsoring board member(s), identification of the document to be changed, description of the problem to be resolved, suggested solution, exact changes to be applied to the current document (expressed using IHE Change Proposal syntax of cross-out text for deletions and bold/underline for additions). The request has status "Submitted" before the Board Operations Committee reviews the request.

2. Board Operations Committee reviews the request and works with the requestor to ensure the problem, solution and recommended changes are clear and complete. Every request must be sponsored by at least one IHE Board Member. The Board Operations committee will facilitate the identification of a sponsoring IHE Board Member when needed by identifying appropriate Board Members for the submitter to solicit, based on involvement in development or regional domains and/or the list of at-large members. When the request is complete the Board Operations Committee adds the change request to the agenda for a near-term board meeting. The request status becomes Completed when the Board Operations Committee finishes its review.

3. Board reviews completed requests and votes to approve. Results of the review might be: approval, approval with editorial changes, reject, return to requestor with suggested change in direction. Any return to requestor will be delivered through the sponsoring board member. The status changes to "Approved" or "Rejected" based on the decision of the board

4. Board Operations Committee applies all Approved changes to the appropriate document. Rejected changes may be resubmitted by the requestor after updating to resolve Board concerns.

Republication of Revised Principles of Governance

1. Secretary to make changes described in approved DCRs.

2. Review by Board Operations Committee; min. 1 week.

3. Secretary to replace current version. Republication should take place as soon as reasonably possible. May delay publication if there is expectation of additional changes in near term to allow batching of changes.

4. Announce in regular (min. quarterly) communications to IHE Member Organizations.