New Attendee Orientation

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• New Attendee Orientation
• OBF 87

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Orientation Co-Leader

• John Pautlitz
• ATIS Director - Industry Forums, OBF

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Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions
• Overview
• OBF Committees
• Issue Process

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Introductions

• Name
• Company
• First OBF?
• Committee You Will Be Attending
• Have You Used ATIS/OBF Website?

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Alliance For Telecommunications Industry
Solutions - ATIS

• Sponsor of industry forums / committees - the OBF
  is one of several committees
• Addresses exchange access interconnection
  standards and other technical issues in
  post-divestiture competitive (TA96)
  telecommunications environment
• Conducts open meetings
• See the ATIS website for a list of other industry
  forums sponsored by ATIS
• http//www.atis.org

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OBF Background

• The Ordering and Billing Forum (OBF) was
  established in February 1985
• Based on a need for Carriers to discuss
  operational ordering, provisioning, billing and
  presubscription access service issues which had
  national impact
• Expanded to include CLEC issues in 1995

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OBF Mission Statement

• To provide a forum for representatives from the
  telecommunications industry to identify, discuss
  and resolve national Issues which affect
  ordering, billing, provisioning, and exchange of
  information about access service, other
  connectivity and related matters.
• Mission statement has been revised over the years
  to accommodate industry needs

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What is OBF About?

• OBF Participants define
• External exchange of information in a customer/
  provider scenario
• Data elements, data characteristics, paper
  formats, business rules, and in some cases,
  mechanized specifications
• OBF does not address
• Internal operations of a particular company,
  whether it be customer or provider
• Products pricing, costs and individual company
  implementation timelines

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OBF Participants

• Telecommunications Services Companies
• Customers
• Providers
• Consultants
• Vendors (e.g., software companies, service
  bureaus, consultants)
• Participants of other ATIS-sponsored forums
• Liaisons from other forums, committees
• Other individuals with a direct and material
  interest in the OBF process and activities

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OBF Meetings

• Quarterly meetings of entire OBF
• Interim Full Committee Meetings, as necessary
• Interim Task Force/Sub-Committee Meetings for a
  specific purpose
• Meeting Agendas posted on ATIS/OBF website

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OBF Funding Companies

• To become an OBF Funding Company, you must be an
  ATIS Funding Company
• OBF Funding Companies are critical to the success
  of the OBF
• Companies may observe one OBF before funding
  required
• Funding companies share in OBF costs
  (administrative, management, legal counsel,
  website, etc.)
• Funding scale tiered by company revenues

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OBF Primary Company Contacts (PCCs)

• Each Funding Company designates a Primary Company
  Contact (PCC) who is the single point of contact
  for your company
• Coordinate your company reps across all OBF
  committees
• Manage company availability to OBF documents and
  policies
• Work with OBF Leadership in resolving and
  correcting participant identified concerns
• If you are your companys only rep, you are the
  PCC!

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OBF Leadership Team

• OBF Co-Chairs
• Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) Co-Chairs
• Committee Co-Chairs
• Task Force and Subcommittee Leaders
• ATIS Staff
• OBF Director
• OBF Project Manager
• OBF LSOP SME
• OBF Team Manager
• Committee Administrators
• Administrative Assistant

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Ten OBF Committees
Billing Committee Addresses access billing
related issues and maintains the Multiple
Exchange Carrier Access Billing (MECAB) document,
Small Exchange Carrier Access Billing (SECAB)
document and the CABS Auxiliary Report
Specifications (CARS) document. EDI Service
Order Committee (ESOC) Develops Business Models
and ESOC Guidelines for the electronic ordering
of telecommunications goods and services via EDI.
EDI Telecommunications Billing (ETB) Committee
Develops telecommunications Business Models and
Implementation Guidelines standardized for
industry use of 811-Consolidated Service
Invoice/Statement 820-Payment Order/Remittance
Advice and 864-Text Message. Interconnection
Service Ordering and Provisioning Committee
Responsible for all business processes and
documentation management associated with the
Access Service Ordering Guidelines (ASOG).
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Ten OBF Committees
Local Service Ordering and Provisioning
Committee Responsible for all business processes
and documentation management associated with
services associated with the Local Service
Ordering Guidelines (LSOG). Message Processing
Committee Addresses non-access issues relative
to message processing and maintains the Exchange
Message Interface (EMI) document. Strategic
Advisory Group (SAG) Provides a focal point for
the development of operational standards for the
exchange of ordering, provisioning and billing
information between customers and
providers. SMS/800 Number Administration
Committee (SNAC) Identifies, develops and
implements the resolution of issues focused on
the support of the 800/Service Management System
(SMS/800) and toll free number administration,
including Customer to Responsible Organization
(Resp ORG) Requirements, Technical and
Operational Issues and SMS/800 Help Desk Resp ORG
Support Processes. The SNAC maintains the
Industry Guidelines for Toll Free Number
Administration.
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Ten OBF Committees

• Subscription Committee Provides a forum for
  customers and providers to develop common
  definitions and recommendations for resolution of
  national subscription issues and maintains the
  Equal Access Subscription, Customer Account
  Record Exchange (CARE) document.
• Wireless Committee is an ATIS sponsored
  Committee, which provides an open forum for the
  identification, presentation, discussion, and
  resolution of issues impacting wireless service
  providers. These issues include, but are not
  limited to, the functional wireless areas of
  provisioning, message processing, exchange of
  roamer usage, and billing. In addition, the
  Wireless Committee maintains the Wireless
  Inter-Carrier Communications Interface
  Specification for Local Number Portability.

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How Do I Identify An Industry Problem Or Need To
The OBF?
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OBF Is Driven by Issues Identified by Industry
Participants
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OBF Issue Process

• Issue Champion
• Identification of Issue
• Development of Issue
• Issue Identification Form
• Committee
• Issue Acceptance
• Work Issue
• Develop Resolution
• Closure Process
• Initial Closure
• Initial Pending,
• as required
• Final Closure

Final Closure
Initial Closure
Resolution
Work Issue
Acceptance
Development
Identification
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Issue Champion

• Person who identifies, develops and submits the
  issue to the OBF committee for consideration

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Issue Champion Responsibilities

• Socialize the proposed issue and resolution with
  other committee participants
• Fills in the Issue Identification Form from the
  ATIS Operating Procedures
• Provide to Committee Administrator at least 14
  days prior to meeting
• Be prepared to
• Present the issue to the committee
• Respond to the questions and concerns of
  committee
• Lead the discussion of the Issue in all committee
  meetings until resolved
• Ensure accuracy of ongoing documentation

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Committee Participants Responsibilities

• Download and review all agenda files
• Socialize all issues (including proposed new
  issues) with internal company Subject Matter
  Experts
• Contact issue champion for clarification on
  issues PRIOR to OBF committee meeting
• Be prepared to state your companys needs and
  position
• Bring meeting agenda files with you to the
  meeting
• Be prepared to discuss all issues

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Issue Identification Form

• Issue Title
• Committee/Forum
• Subcommittee Assigned
• Targeted Resolution Date
• Issue Statement/Business Need
• Suggested Solution
• Related work required for the solution to this
  issue to be implementable by the industry
• Issue Champion

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Issue Identification Form

• Issue Title
• Provide a succinct descriptive title for the
  proposed issue
• Committee/Forum
• Enter OBF followed by the Committee name using
  the following abbreviations
• Billing - OBF/BLG
• EDI Service Order Committee - OBF/ESOC
• EDI Telecommunications Billing - OBF/ETB
• Interconnection Services Ordering and
  Provisioning - OBF/ISOP
• Local Services Ordering and Provisioning -
  OBF/LSOP
• Message Processing - OBF/MPC
• SMS/800 Number Administration Committee -
  OBF/SNAC
• Subscription - OBF/SUB
• Wireless - OBF/WIR

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Issue Identification Form

• Subcommittee Assigned
• Enter any applicable subcommittee
• Targeted Resolution Date
• The suggested date for agreement to be reached on
  the issue resolution
• Issue Statement/Business Need
• Define the Issue (problem or need) as it relates
  specifically to the customer/provider
  relationship. Include background, if appropriate.
  Provide clarification on the "WHAT" that makes
  this a problem and the "HOW" this impacts the
  industry. Attach straw proposals and, when
  applicable, forms, and indicate the consequences
  if the Issue is not resolved.

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Issue Identification Form

• Suggested Solution
• Provide any suggestion or proposal that might
  help resolve the Issue, for example, generic
  methods or guidelines. Multiple solutions are
  acceptable. The Suggested Solution is required
  for issue acceptance but is only a suggestion and
  may not be consistent with the issue resolution.
• Issue Champion
• Provide the name, company, and e-mail address of
  the individual(s) submitting the Issue. The
  Champion should be prepared to present the Issue
  formally to the committee.

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Issue Identification Form

• Related work required for the solution to this
  issue to be implementable by the industry
• Specify any ordering, provisioning, and/or
  billing process(es) that are impacted. Indicate
  any similar issues that have been addressed by
  the OBF (USE Issue number when possible) or other
  industry forum, such as the Network
  Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NIIF).
  This may include industry groups outside the ATIS
  umbrella.

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Issue Process Note
Some committees may have additional information
requirements that would normally be submitted
with any proposed new issue - check with the
Committee Co-Chairs!
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Issue Acceptance Criteria

• Once an Issue is submitted, the appropriate Forum
  or Committee must determine whether to accept the
  issue based on the following criteria
• The Issue is clearly defined via the ATIS Issue
  Identification Form (Appendix F)
• The Issue is within the scope of the Forum or
  Committee and
• There is no existing solution or the existing
  solution can be enhanced to gain efficiencies,
  i.e., operational, functionality, etc.

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Working the Issue

• After acceptance, issue is prioritized by
  committee and added to agenda
• Co-Chairs facilitate issue process
• Issue champion leads discussion/ participants
  actively contribute to discussion
• Participants may provide contributions to help
  move issue towards resolution
• Issue resolutions are developed by consensus

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What is Consensus?

• The method used by the OBF committees to reach
  resolution of issues
• Established when substantial agreement has been
  reached among interest groups participating in
  the issue at hand
• Interest groups are those groups materially
  affected by the outcome of the result

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What is Consensus?

• Substantial agreement means more than a simple
  majority, but not necessarily unanimous agreement
• Remember
• A PARTICIPANTS SILENCE WILL BE PERCEIVED AS
  CONSENSUS!

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Issue Closure

• A time-sensitive acceptance process for issue
  resolutions that ensures due process
• Initial Closure/Final Closure Time Frames
• Issues automatically move to Final Closure 21
  days after Initial Closure notification
• An Issue in Initial Closure may be moved into the
  Initial Pending category following 21 days after
  Initial Closure, if one of the following occurs
• New and substantive information that directly
  impacts the resolution is submitted
• Anticipation of the output of another industry
  group, regulatory body or similar organization.

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Walk-In Issues

• Should be the RARE exception
• Not preferred method of issue introduction
• Meets issue preparation and introduction criteria
  with the following exceptions
• Not submitted to Committee Administrator 14 days
  prior to start of meeting
• Does not appear on the Committee agenda
• Issue champion brings paper copies as required by
  the committee (and an electronic version for
  Committee Administrator)
• Might not be worked in the meeting in which they
  are accepted

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Process Concerns

• You Have The Right To Be Heard
• Know How To Escalate to
• Committee Co-Chairs
• Your PCC
• OBF Co-Chairs

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Meeting Etiquette

• As Participants
• Prepare for the meeting
• Be on time and ready to fully participate
• Exhibit professionalism and respect for other
  participants
• Contribute constructive ideas to the discussion
• Listen openly to the ideas of others
• Consider the issues objectively
• Contribute to the orderly conduct of the meeting
• Provide feedback to the Co-Chairs
• Carry out agreed upon actions
• Actively engage in issue discussion, even when
  you are in agreement with the issue
• Ask questions

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Process/Resolution Inhibitors

• New participant insecurity
• Attendees who dominate the meeting
• Attendees who do not actively participate
• Lack of openness to new ideas
• Lack of preparation

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Want To Know More?

• Ask about Committee Mentors
• Ask questions
• Check out the ATIS web-site
• Network during breaks and at the OBF reception on
  Tuesday evening
• Visit OBF Support Office
• Talk with OBF Leadership

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ATIS/OBF Website

• OBF Website http//www.atis.org/obf contains
  information available to the public
• General information regarding the OBF
• OBF calendar and agendas

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ATIS/OBF Website

• OBF Website http//www.atis.org/obf password
  protected information for ATIS and OBF
  participants
• Meeting attendee lists
• OBF Documents (working and final)
• Meeting notes and attachments
• OBF Issues and attachments
• OBF Leadership and Administrator contact
  information
• Correspondence sent by/to the OBF
• Presentations given by OBF Leadership
• OBF membership information

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Meeting Calendar/Agendas
General SessionMeetings
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Meeting Calendar/Agendas
Interim Activities
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Issue Index
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Meeting Notes/Attachments
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Meeting Notes/Attachments
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OBF Documents
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OBF Documents
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OBF Exploder Lists

• Notification of OBF activities are sent via
  e-mail through the use of Exploder
  distribution lists
• Information on subscribing unsubscribing
  at
• http//www.atis.org/obf/_mem/lists.asp
• OBF exploders are limited to ATIS members and OBF
  participants

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Contact Information
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Why You Are Here

• You are the industry experts
• You are the best representative to address your
  individual companys business requirements
• OBF process works best with broader industry
  representation

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Questions

• Open Discussion