Within the Java Community Process (JCP) Program, there has been a growing conviction that transparency is critical for success. The JCP Program requires that every Java Specification Request (JSR) be published as an Early Draft, Public Draft, Proposed Final Draft, and Final Release. However, a few Expert Groups are comfortable with a degree of transparency that allows them to publish drafts more regularly than is required, even though they might be incomplete or buggy.
The community can offer input as soon as a JSR's description is posted, but it's not until a draft of the specification is published that discussion really takes off. Moreover, having an entire draft to examine, and then multiple drafts to compare, enables contributors to make better-informed suggestions, corrections, and recommendations. Reviewers can also see how their contributions have influenced the Expert Group's effort.
Here are brief case studies of praise-worthy Expert Groups that are making drafts available to the community more often than required:
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