Contribute
There are 3 ways to get involved in developing Bitcoin SV technical standards:
- Submit a proposal to form a working group
Bitcoin SV technical standards programme
The Bitcoin SV technical standards programme is designed to promote the growth of the Bitcoin SV ecosystem, improve interoperability between systems and enhance the credibility of solutions built on Bitcoin SV from the perspective of auditors, regulators, insurers and clients. It encourages the development of certification schemes, fosters business growth, infers market signalling from proposals and has international reach.
The programme is governed by the Technical Standards Committee (TSC). The TSC serves as the facilitator for the standards development process, providing the platforms, rules, governance, methodologies and access to specialists such as technical writers to objectively contribute to the standards development process.
The technical standards are developed by working groups of experts in their subject matter who understand the needs of the sectors that they represent and of the wider ecosystem. A working group is formed of authors, reviewers and a TSC sponsor. The typical process involves the TSC meeting over a set period to share information, evidence and lessons learned, as well as ensure that the systems and tools that are being designed or implemented work together.
TSC four principles of standard development
Industry-driven
Experts and companies, in response to a perceived need in their industry, take the lead deciding which standards should be developed, not the TSC.
Created by experts
Industry experts are involved at all stages of the standard development process, from deciding whether a new standard is needed, to defining all the technical content and reviewing and monitoring industry adoption once published.
Collaborative and objective
An open process to ensure that all parties interested are offered the opportunity to be actively involved in the standard development. The recommended solution is a result of a consensus-based approach that fully considers comments gathered from stakeholders during both the internal and public review phases.
Accountable and open
TSC standard development follows transparent procedures. The implementation of standards is monitored and recorded internally with a summary of technical decisions and comments received made publicly available.
Get involved
Proposing a standard
The proposer is defined as an individual or group of industry stakeholders who collectively identify the need for a standard. They submit a proposal to form a working group to help to improve Bitcoin SV utility. The proposer is tasked with identifying both the need and scope for the proposed standard [at this stage, the solution overview should not be too detailed, as the solution will be defined by the parties involved in writing the standard once in development if the submission is successful].
The TSC will review the submission and if the proposal is successful, a working group will be formed to drive the standard to completion.
Authoring a standard
Authors are the specialists from the industry tasked with writing the technical standard. They actively develop a technical standard document and produce subsequent versions informed by reviewers’ comments and public reviews. Proposers are the preferred candidates for the role of author. However, the TSC will, on occasion, welcome expressions of interest to join a working group as an author from another source. These opportunities will be published in the standard catalogue under the in consideration section.
Reviewing a standard
Reviewers are individuals from the industry who will confidentially review drafts produced by authors prior to the public review phase. They help to shape the content of new standards and the impact they stand to have on affected businesses to ensure that any concerns or issues they consider important are taken into account during the drafting and development process.
When actively participating in the development of a technical standard, it is important that reviewers assist in the assessment of content in a timely manner and allocate sufficient time for meetings and discussions. For those who wish to participate into the standard development but have limited time to commit to the process, they can join as a public reviewer.
Participating in the public review
As part of the standardisation process, the draft standard developed by the working group will be published publicly for the first time as part of a two-month public review. Public review is an important stage that can influence the technical decisions made by the working group. It represents an opportunity for the public to submit their feedback on the draft, which can include the contributions of industry experts through to end users, to review and comment on the draft.
The feedback offered on the standard will help to shape its final outcome and ensure it solves the needs of the wider industry. Public reviewer comments on the standard published in the standard catalogue under public review and do not require to join the working group or take part in the writing process.
At the end of the public review stage, the authors will consider public comments and decide if a revision of the draft or a second public review is required. This offers participants a chance to provide feedback on a standard of interest with minimal time commitment.
Learn more
We invite you to watch our standards overview videos and read the processes document to learn about the stages of standard development and the roles you can play within the standard development process.
Our resources section host useful guides to learn about the support provided to working group by the TSC and the benefits in joining the process.
You can look for answers to common queries we receive in our FAQs.If there’s anything you’d like to know that is not covered, get in touch.
