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Ecosystem Roadmap

PTI governance MUST evolve as the implementer base, institutional adoption, and public scrutiny grow. This roadmap defines four phases from founding stewardship to a mature ecosystem. Timelines are indicative — phase transitions require published criteria, not calendar dates alone.

Phase overview​

PhaseFocusPrimary decision bodySuccess signal
1 — Founder StewardshipEstablish RFCs, tests, reference implAppointed WG + Stewardship Councilv1.0 Stable; Core certification path
2 — Partner ParticipationIndependent implementers, labsWG + expanding CPB≥2 certified non-steward implementations
3 — Community GovernanceElective leadership, public bylawsElected Maintainers + boardsAnnual elections; transparency report
4 — Mature EcosystemNeutral legal home, federation scaleFoundation board + WGFoundation operating; trademark transferred

Phase 1 — Founder Stewardship​

Objective: Publish a coherent, certifiable PTI v1.0 and prove implementability.

Characteristics​

  • Working Group convened with Maintainers appointed by founding steward
  • TumiTrust operates flagship reference implementation
  • RFCs RFC-001 through RFC-012 reach Stable or documented path thereto
  • Conformance Program publishes Core profile and tests
  • Governance documents in this section published and maintained

Governance rules​

  • Rough consensus with appointed Maintainers; appeals to Stewardship Council
  • Independent reviewer minimums SHOULD be met but may include steward affiliates with disclosure
  • Trademark administered by steward per Trademark and Branding

Exit criteria (all required)​

  1. Specification v1.0 bundle marked Current
  2. Self-assessment and pilot lab certification available
  3. Public RFC Process operating ≥6 months
  4. Phase 2 transition plan published

Indicative duration: 12–24 months from first public RFC bundle.

Phase 2 — Partner Participation​

Objective: Demonstrate vendor-neutral adoption beyond the founding steward.

Characteristics​

  • ≥2 organizations run independent pilots using Build Your Own PTI
  • Accredited labs certify implementations other than TumiTrust
  • Enterprise profile tests available; federation pilots per RFC-006
  • Partner institutions participate in WG plenary without fee

Governance rules​

  • Maintainers SHOULD include ≥1 non-steward affiliate
  • ARB MUST include ≥1 independent implementer representative
  • Stewardship Council publishes annual transparency report (funding, trademarks, WG appointments)
  • Certification registry public

Exit criteria​

  1. ≥2 active certificates held by non-steward implementers
  2. ≥12 months accredited certification operation
  3. Documented independent implementer council
  4. Supermajority WG vote to adopt Phase 3 election rules

Indicative duration: 18–36 months.

Phase 3 — Community Governance​

Objective: Transfer substantive governance authority to elected community leadership.

Characteristics​

  • Maintainers elected by contributor electorate per Decision Making
  • Board appointments include institutional user and public-interest seats
  • Draft Future Foundation Model charter circulated for comment
  • Major RFC work includes implementation reports from ≥2 vendors

Governance rules​

  • Steward MUST NOT hold majority of Maintainer seats
  • Governance document changes require 28-day public comment
  • Foundation formation exploratory committee chartered by WG

Exit criteria​

  1. Two consecutive elected Maintainer terms completed
  2. Foundation legal entity formed OR binding hosted-standards agreement signed
  3. Trademark transfer plan approved
  4. Multi-year funding committed for foundation runway

Indicative duration: 24–48 months.

Phase 4 — Mature Ecosystem​

Objective: Sustainable, neutral stewardship supporting global federation.

Characteristics​

  • Independent foundation (or equivalent) owns trademarks and test IP
  • Multiple certified implementations in production federation
  • Government and enterprise profiles widely certified
  • TumiTrust continues as one reference implementer among many

Governance rules​

Ongoing obligations​

  • Maintain Stable RFC cadence and security disclosure
  • Never reintroduce single-vendor specification capture
  • Publish conformance and transparency reports annually

Cross-phase invariants​

These MUST NOT regress across phases:

InvariantDocument
RFC 2119 normative process for breaking changesBreaking Changes Policy
Free RFC contributionContribution Process
Certification vendor neutralityConformance Program
Spec vs product separationSpecification vs Implementation
Subject-facing privacy and explainability in RFCsRFC-009, RFC-012

Current status​

As of publication: Phase 1 — Founder Stewardship.

The Working Group WILL update this page when exit criteria for Phase 2 are met, including links to transparency reports and certification registry snapshots.