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- Timeline to Next Round
- 1.1. ICANN Board adoption of the policy recommendations from the Subsequent Procedures PDP Working Group’s final report is a dependency for the opening of the next application window.
- Policy implementation, readiness activities and operational processes will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- Application Planning
- Guidance from the Board regarding assumptions for subsequent procedures is critical to ICANN org’s planning for the next and subsequent rounds.
- The application volume, in the next round, will roughly be the same as in the 2012 round: 2,000 applications.
- For ongoing subsequent procedures, ICANN org expects a predictable application window schedule. Application volume for subsequent rounds is expected to be significantly lower.
- Changes will be made to the 1,000 top-level domains (TLDs)/year maximum delegation rate used in the prior round based on (1) study results, (2) community discussions, and (3) policy work.
- Policy Implementation
- There will be changes to the program implementation based on the preliminary recommendations of the three (3) initial reports published by the Subsequent Procedures PDP Working Group.
- Policy implementation materials are expected to provide detailed and comprehensive documentation to ensure that all application processes and procedures are included in the new Applicant Guidebook.
- Policy implementation materials will be developed with appropriate consideration of community input.
- Policy implementation materials will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- Readiness Activities
- Operational infrastructure (people, processes, systems) will be established to support subsequent application rounds for the long-term introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), not just a single round.
- Program readiness activities, including staffing, process design, systems development, and vendor procurement, will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- Systems and Tools
- Systems and tools planning and design should be based on a clear understanding of program processes and requirements.
- Systems and tools development will be completed prior to the opening of the next application round.
- Technology investments are planned to be limited to only those capabilities needed to ensure the security, stability and consistency of application submission, processing and communications.
- System testing, security testing and operational pilot testing to ensure systems and tools are fit for purpose will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- Development of process and workflow management tools will be focused on solving for data-intensive activities and critical program functions in order to balance automation versus manual tools.
- Existing materials, systems, and tools will be leveraged. Internal knowledge and expertise will be prioritized.
- All new systems and tools will be developed on one of the three (3) principal ICANN org platforms: Alfresco, Oracle or Salesforce.
- Operational Processes
- Well-defined operational processes are critical to smooth program operations and satisfactory applicant experiences.
- Design and documentation of program processes will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- Staff training on program processes and tools will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
- People
- Proactive resource planning will be completed in order to adequately staff the program team to meet deadlines.
- ICANN org staff will be utilized to perform program management, operations and administrative functions.
- ICANN org will outsource critical application functions, such as application evaluation and objection processing, to expert firms with requisite subject matter expertise.
- ICANN org currently lacks sufficient staff to implement new policy and to prepare operations for the next application round.
- Additional staff will be hired based on needed skills and experience.
- ICANN org will augment staff with temporary resources as needed to address peak workload for activities that are not expected to be sustained for at least 24 months.
- Costs
- The program will continue to operate on a cost-recovery basis and will be funded by application fees collected.
- Tracking of program readiness costs should begin as soon as possible in order to capture development costs prior to the launch of the next round.
- Comprehensive cost planning for program readiness and operations is critical to accurate reporting and management of costs.
New gTLD SUBSEQUENT PROCEDURES
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