Help for NWS Comment Response (DRAFT)

The NENA WorkSpace (NWS) public comment function is not working and the "Click here to submit a comment about this page" link cannot be used. Please email comments to the Committee Resource Manager at crm.nena.org and mention this page's title: Help for NWS Comment Response (DRAFT)

This page includes proposed changes.

Comments: May be submitted until 5/17/2024. Click here to submit a comment about this page
Proposed By: References Working Group
Click here to see the changes. | Editing colors:This text (or section) was deleted. This text (or section) was added.
Note: The instructions for NWS comment processing were changed to conform with ANSI requirements that were received following the recent audit. Please review and comment if you encounter any errors or discrepancies.
Approval Policy: Changes that result from comments received by 5/17/2024 will be added to this page for another review period. If comments suggesting additional changes or corrections are not received by 5/17/2024, the changes will be considered approved and adopted. See NENA Knowledge Base Management Policies for details.

This page describes how to process NWS Comments

Every comment, no matter how it is submitted, must be entered into the NENA Workspace (NWS) "Comment Manager." The NWS Comment Manager tracks the process by which the comment is received, reviewed by the Working Group, and the resolution communicated back to the comment submitter. The NWS Comment Manager also captures the comment submitter's response to the Working Group's action.

Note: Comment submitters are required to respond to the comment response in NENA Workspace (if a WG member) or by email (if not a WG member), EVEN IF THEY PROVIDED THEIR RESPONSE ON A WORKING GROUP CALL.

Working Group leaders should train all Working Group members on how to accept, reject, or withdraw a comment they submitted. This should be done during a Working Group call, just before Comment Responses are sent out.

Add a Comment Response

Step 1 of 7. Open the Comment and select the green Update button. 1

Every comment response requires Respond to Comment text, a State, and a Resolution.

Step 2 of 7. Complete the Respond to Comment 2 section.

Responses to the comment submitter are recorded in the NWS Comment Manger. The Respond to Comment box should begin with one of the following choices to communicate the decision of the Working Group:

The Working Group accepts the comment and proposed solution as written.

The Working Group accepts the comment and proposed solution with modification.
<Insert explanation of the modification made, including any text changes, showing original text versus new text.>

The Working Group declines the comment.
<Insert explanation of why the comment is declined.> You have the right to appeal. The NENA Development Group Appeal Policy can be found in Section 3.7, Document Development Procedural Appeals, in the NENA Development Group Operational Procedures, NENA-ADM-001.5b-2022.

The Working Group defers the comment to a future version of this document. The comment has been added to the Recommendation for Additional Development Work section of the document with the following text: <insert text added to the document.>
<Insert explanation of why the comment is deferred.> You have the right to appeal. The NENA Development Group Appeal Policy can be found in Section 3.7, Document Development Procedural Appeals, in the NENA Development Group Operational Procedures, NENA-ADM-001.5b-2022.

The Working Group defers the comment to <identify the WG or other entity the comment was deferred to.> <Insert explanation of why the comment is deferred.> You have the right to appeal. The NENA Development Group Appeal Policy can be found in Section 3.7, Document Development Procedural Appeals, in the NENA Development Group Operational Procedures, NENA-ADM-001.5b-2022.

IMPORTANT: Copy/paste one of the following paragraphs at the end of the response as appropriate. When choosing the <date>, pick a date that is 10 business days from the date the response is sent to the commenter.

For commenters who are Working Group members:

As a Working Group Member, please click on View Comment Details below and Update to indicate your acceptance or rejection of the response, or withdrawal of your comment. Unless we hear from you otherwise by <date>, we will consider this resolution to be accepted. Acceptance of the response indicates that you consider your public review comment to be resolved. Rejection of the response indicates that you consider your public comment to be unresolved. Comment Submitters should respond to the comment response in NENA Workspace, even if one was provided during a working group meeting.

For commenters who are not Working Group members:

You must email your acceptance or rejection of the response, or withdrawal of your comment, to the Working Group Co-Chairs at <insert email addresses> who will then copy/paste your response into NENA Workspace and update the Status and Response. Unless we hear from you otherwise by <date>, we will consider this resolution to be accepted. Acceptance of the response indicates that you consider your public review comment to be resolved. Rejection of the response indicates that you consider your public comment to be unresolved. A response to this email is requested, even if one was provided during a working group meeting.

This is an example of the response for a comment and proposed solution submitted by a commenter who is a Working Group member that was accepted with modification:

Screen print: WG's response explaining acceptance or declination of comment

This is an example of the response for a comment and proposed solution submitted by a commenter who is not a Working Group member that was accepted with modification:

Step 3 of 7. Assign the comment to the person who will be managing the comment response (typically one of the Working Group leaders) by selecting the drop-down arrow next to Assignee: Unassigned. 3

Screen print: Select person to assign comment resolution responsibility

Step 4 of 7. Update the State 4 , using the guidance provided here:

New – Assigned as the default State when a new comment is submitted.
Deferred – Use this when the Working Group has decided to put off the resolution of a comment to a subsequent revision or to refer the comment to another entity. The Resolution should be set as None since no decision has been made in regards to future changes to the document based on this comment.
Assigned – Use this when a comment has been assigned to an individual for managing the comment response (e.g., Working Group leader) but the comment still requires Working Group discussion. Alternatively, use this when a comment has been assigned to an individual (e.g., Working Group member) for further research needed by the Working Group in order to decide on the appropriate comment response.
Issue Addressed – Use this when a comment has been considered by a Working Group and the Working Group is providing the comment response (e.g., Resolution set as Fixed, Duplicate, Not An Issue, Not Germane, Not Fixable, or Will Not Fix).
Submitter Rejected Response – Comment submitter did not accept the Working Group's resolution of the comment.
Submitter Accepted Response – Comment submitter accepted the Working Group's resolution of the comment.
Submitter Withdrew Comment – Comment submitter indicated a desire to withdraw the comment.
Rejection Overridden – This option is not to be used.

Prior to the final Approval Ballot, all comments MUST have a State value of "Submitter Rejected Response," "Submitter Accepted Response," or "Submitter Withdrew Comment." This includes Deferred comments.

Step 5 of 7. Update the Resolution 5 , using the guidance provided here:

None – Assigned as the default Resolution when a new comment is submitted or use when a comment is deferred.
Fixed – Comment and proposed response (if provided), accepted by the Working Group or the comment and proposed response accepted by the Working Group with modification.
Withdrawn by Submitter – Comment submitter requested comment be withdrawn.
Duplicate – Duplicates another comment submitted by the same comment submitter during the review (in the response to comment submitter, indicate the comment number it duplicates).
Not An Issue – Comment and proposed response (if provided) not accepted. For example, the issue raised has already been addressed in the document due to the response to another comment.
Not Germane – Comment and proposed response (if provided) not accepted - irrelevant to the issue being worked.
Not Fixable – Comment and proposed response (if provided) not accepted. For example, the proposed solution exceeds NENA's authority or ability to fix the issue.
Will Not Fix – Comment and proposed response (if provided) not accepted. For example, the Working Group acknowledges the comment has merit, but the Working Group decides not to modify the document. This could also be a situation where there was no consensus within the Working Group on how to fix the issue.

Screen print: Assign WG's resolution to comment

Step 6 of 7. Update the Notification Options 6 so that only Notify the Comment Submitter and Notify the Comment Owner (Resolver/Assignee) are checked. Uncheck all others.

Note: The Comment Submitter must be notified of all comment responses and updates.

Screen print: Select people to notify about comment response

Step 7 of 7. Select the blue Submit button 7 to send the response to the comment submitter.

Screen print: Submit response to Comment Submitter

Record Comment Submitter’s Acceptance or Rejection of Comment Response

Comment submitters are asked to provide their acceptance or rejection of the Working Group’s response and resolution of their comment during the 10 business day response review period. The comment submitter’s acceptance or rejection of the response, a non-response, or their withdrawal of the comment, is to be recorded within each comment using the following instructions.

Note: Comment submitters are required to respond to the comment response in NENA Workspace (if a WG member) or by email (if not a WG member), EVEN IF THEY PROVIDED THEIR RESPONSE ON A WORKING GROUP CALL.

Working Group leaders should train all Working Group members on how to accept, reject, or withdraw a comment they submitted. This should be done during a Working Group call, just before Comment Responses are sent out.

Step 1 of 4. Open the comment and select the green Add a response or change state button. 1

Step 2 of 4. Update the Respond to Comment text box:

Comment Submitter's Acceptance by Inaction

If the comment submitter does not respond by the due date indicated in the Respond to Comment text box:

Enter this response into the Respond to Comment text box 2a : Comment submitter did not respond by due date – Comment response is considered Accepted.
Change State 2b to Submitter Accepted Response.

Comment Submitter's Acceptance by email.

If the comment submitter accepts the Working Group’s response by email, their acceptance email must be recorded with the comment. This can be done two different ways:

Option 1: Copy and paste the comment submitter's emailed acceptance response into the comment.

Copy and paste emailed response from comment submitter into Respond to Comment text box 2c , including the email header information and email date.
Change State 2d to Submitter Accepted Response.

Option 2: Attach a PDF of the comment submitter's acceptance email to the comment.

Export the comment submitter's email into a PDF. How to do so varies by the email software but there usually is a Save to PDF option or a Microsoft Print to PDF option that can be selected for printing the email.

Attach the PDF to the comment by clicking on the green +Add Supporting File button. 2e
Add a note into the Respond to Comment text box 2f indicating there is an attachment so that it is not overlooked.
Change State 2g to Submitter Accepted Response.

Comment Submitter's Rejection by email.

If the comment submitter rejects the Working Group’s response by email, rejected responses will need to be reconsidered by the Working Group. First, the comment submitter's Rejection must be recorded in NENA Workspace. This can be done two different ways:

Option 1: Copy and paste the comment submitter's emailed rejection response into the comment.

Copy and paste emailed response from comment submitter into Respond to Comment text box 2h , including the email header information and email date.
Attach any emailed supporting documentation from the comment submitter by clicking on the green +Add Supporting File button. 2i
Add a note into the Respond to Comment text box 2j indicating there is an attachment so that it is not overlooked.
Change State 2k to Submitter Rejected Response.

NWS allows upload of only one supporting file during a comment update. If the comment submitter provided multiple supporting files, upload each as a separate comment update.

Option 2: Attach a PDF of the comment submitter's rejection email to the comment.

Export the comment submitter's email into a PDF. How to do so varies by the email software but there usually is a Save to PDF option or a Microsoft Print to PDF option that can be selected for printing the email.
Attach the PDF to the comment by clicking on the green +Add Supporting File button. 2l
Add a note into the Respond to Comment text box 2m indicating there is an attachment so that it is not overlooked.
Change State 2n to Submitter Rejected Response.

NWS allows upload of only one supporting file during a comment update. If the comment submitter provided any supporting files, upload each as a separate comment update.

Step 3 of 4. Update the Notification Options 3 so that only Notify the Comment Submitter and Notify the Comment Owner (Resolver/Assignee) are checked. Uncheck all others.

Note: The Comment Submitter must be notified of all comment responses and updates.

Step 4 of 4. Select the blue Submit button 4 to send the response confirmation to the comment submitter.

Screen print: Submit confirmation of Comment Submitter's response

Working Group Response to Comment Submitter's Rejection

If the comment submitter rejects the Working Group’s response by email, rejected responses will need to be reconsidered by the Working Group.

Note: For rejected responses, it is recommended that the comment submitter be invited to the Working Group meeting to further discuss their rejection of the Working Group’s response. This helps to avoid miscommunication and provides an opportunity for the comment submitter and the Working Group to better understand each other’s concerns.

After reconsideration, a Working Group leader will notify the comment submitter of the Working Group's response.

Step 1 of 4. Open the comment and select the green Add a response or change state button. 1

Screen print: Open comment to add Comment Submitter's response.

Step 2 of 4. Update the Respond to Comment text box 2a :

Enter the Working Group's response to the rejected comment, indicating that the comment was reconsidered by the Working Group.
If the Working Group still chooses to reject the comment, the CRM should be contacted for guidance on adding an explanation to the comment as to why the comment remains rejected. Enter the explanation and the following paragraph regarding the NENA’s Appeals Process into the Respond to Comment text box:
The Working Group will note your objection unresolved and will make no further attempts to reach resolution. You have the right to appeal. The NENA Development Group Appeal Policy can be found in Section 3.7, Document Development Procedural Appeals, in the NENA Development Group Operational Procedures, NENA-ADM-001.5b-2022.

Change State 2b to Issue Addressed only if the Working Group accepted the comment. Otherwise leave State 2b as Submitter Rejected Response.
Update the Resolution 2c only if appropriate.

Screen print: WG response to Comment Submitter rejection with appeals language

Step 3 of 4. Update the Notification Options 3 so that only Notify the Comment Submitter and Notify the Comment Owner (Resolver/Assignee) are checked. Uncheck all others.

Note: The Comment Submitter must be notified of all comment responses and updates.

Step 4 of 4. Select the blue Submit button 4 to send the response confirmation to the comment submitter.

Reminder: Prior to the final Approval Ballot, all comments MUST have a State value of "Submitter Rejected Response," "Submitter Accepted Response," or "Submitter Withdrew Comment." This includes Deferred comments.

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