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Planning Assumptions v.1.0 - May 2019

Numbering Scheme NEEDs to be Mirrored (E&IT Pending)

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ICANN org has defined the following assumptions for use in its preliminary planning work:

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1. 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. 
2. Policy implementation, readiness activities and operational processes will be completed prior to the opening of the next round. 

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1. Guidance from the Board regarding assumptions for subsequent procedures is critical to ICANN org’s planning for the next and subsequent rounds. 
2. The application volume, in the next round, will be roughly the same number of applications as in the 2012 round: ~2,000 applications.
3. Ongoing application volume for subsequent procedures will be significantly lower.
4. Application prioritization will be required to effectively sequence application processing.
5. There will be no changes to the 1,000 TLDs/year maximum delegation rate. 
6. For ongoing subsequent procedures, ICANN org assumes an annual application window of one to three months in duration, with subsequent application windows opening during the same timeframe, once per calendar year.

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1. 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.
2. Policy implementation materials are anticipated to include significant documentation, and be detailed and comprehensive, which were not included in the scope of the 2012 Applicant Guidebook. 
3. Policy implementation materials will be developed with appropriate consideration of community input.
4. Policy implementation materials will be completed prior to the opening of the next round. 

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1. Operational infrastructure (people, processes, systems) will be established to support subsequent application rounds for the long-term introduction of new gTLDs, not just a single round.
2. Program readiness activities, including staffing, process design, systems development, and vendor procurement will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.

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1. Well-defined operational processes are critical to smooth program operations and satisfactory applicant experiences. 
2. Design and documentation of program processes will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.
3. Staff training on program processes and tools will be completed prior to the opening of the next round.

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1. Proactive resource planning will be completed in order to adequately staff the program team to meet deadlines.
2. Org staff will be utilized to perform program management, program operations and program administration functions.
3. Org will outsource critical application functions such as application evaluation and objection processing, to expert firms with requisite subject matter expertise.
4. Org currently lacks sufficient staff to implement new policy and prepare to operate the next application round.
5. Additional staff will be hired based on needed skills and experience.
6. ICANN org will augment staff with temporary resources as needed to address peak workload for activities which are not expected to be sustained for at least 24 months.

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