Background Write-Up Template - NERC

Standard Processes Manual
Agenda Item 10c
Board of Trustees Meeting
February 7, 2013
Action
Approve the following documents and direct that the Revised Standard Processes Manual
(SPM) (Appendix 3A of the NERC Rules of Procedure) be filed with regulatory authorities.
[Standard Processes Manual-Clean] [Standard Processes Manual-Redline to Last Approved]
Background
Proposed revisions to NERC’s standards development processes were developed in response to
recommendations made to the Board of Trustees (Board) by the Member Representatives
Committee’s Standards Process Input Group in May 2012, specifically Recommendations 1, 4,
and 5. The revisions to the SPM resulted in a streamlined formal process and are consistent
with ANSI Essential Requirements. Specifically, the revisions are to:
• Memorialize the intent to revise drafting team compositions to ensure they are
appropriately equipped to meet reliability objectives (e.g., add legal and compliance
experts)
• Incorporate reference to compliance assessment tool development, such as Reliability
Standards Audit Worksheets (RSAWs), cooperatively and in parallel with standard
drafting
• Streamline commenting and balloting, including provisions for:
Summary responses to comments and elimination of the obligation to respond in
writing at every stage of the comment process
Eliminating negative votes without comments in the calculation of consensus
Quality reviews to be conducted in parallel with standard development
• Incorporate guidance for the appropriate role and scope of Interpretations, to be
consistent with guidance from the NERC Board
• Reduce the requirement for periodic review to be consistent with ANSI minimum
requirements
• Incorporate a waiver provision to allow for modifications to the standards development
process for good cause, with five days notice and reporting of the exercise of a waiver to
the Board’s Standards Oversight and Technology Committee.
The revisions were developed by the Standards Committee Process Subcommittee, and, since
June 2012, were posted for three stakeholder comment periods, an initial ballot, successive
ballot, and a recirculation ballot. The recirculation ballot concluded in January 2013. The results
of the recirculation ballot were not available at the time these materials were distributed and
will be reported at the meeting.

A small number of changes are needed to the Rules of Procedure to reflect the revisions to the
SPM. These changes will be brought to the Board for action at a later date. In addition, some
aspects of the SPIG’s recommendations, such as those related to the formation of drafting
teams, improved project management discipline for standards projects, and development of
results-based standards, do not require specific changes to the SPM, and work is ongoing to
implement those changes at the appropriate phase of each active and future standards project.