Factory Certification RFC

text/0000-certification.md

@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+- Feature Name: Grid Supplier Certification
+- Start Date: 10/12/21
+- RFC PR: https://github.com/hyperledger/grid-rfcs/pull/29
+
+# Table of Contents
+
+- [Summary](0000-certification.md#summary)
+- [Motivation](0000-certification.md#motivation)
+- [Guide-level Explanation](0000-certification.md#guide-level-explanation)
+- [Reference-level 
+Explanation](0000-certification.md#reference-level-explanation)
+- [Drawbacks](0000-certification.md#drawbacks)
+- [Rationale and Alternatives](0000-certification.md#rationale-and-alternatives)
+- [Prior Art](0000-certification.md#prior-art)
+- [Unresolved Questions](0000-certification.md#unresolved-questions)
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+
+This RFC introduces certification workflows at a supplier level.
+It will primarily consist of translating the Sawtooth transactions defined in 
+https://github.com/target/consensource-processor into a Grid smart contract.
+
+[ConsenSource](https://github.com/target/consensource) is a blockchain platform 
+for verifying certified suppliers. It serves as a 
+transparent platform for displaying certifications and audit data 
+between parties such as standards bodies, certifying bodies, and suppliers.
+
+In order to utilize Grid workflows, a set of `PermissionAlias` objects needs to 
+be
+created to support the following persona-specific actions:
+- `Certification bodies`
+    - Issue certificates
+    - Update certificates
+- `Standards bodies`
+    - Create standards
+    - Update standard versions
+    - Accredit certifying bodies
+- `Suppliers`
+    - Manage profile information
+    - Create an audit request
+    - Update request statues
+
+For the purpose of this RFC, the supplier audit request system will be excluded.
+
+Communicating certification details via email, web portals, or traditional 
+methods create uncertainty for sourcing teams across the industry because 
+they lack a shared view of the validity of a certificate. 
+
+Siloed views of certificate data make it difficult to source and validate 
+the certifications of a supplier. Grid Supplier Certification aims to 
+address this challenge by providing a  mechanism for trade partners 
+to collaborate on the creation and modification of a purchase order 
+with a shared view into the state of the order.
+
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+Grid Supplier Certification is designed for sharing factory certification 
+data between industry participants. The discovery and validation of 
+factory-level certifications is a pain point that retailers share across the 
+industries. 
+
+The communication of certificate information occurs in various ways today: 
+  - Phone
+  - Email
+  - SMS
+  - Websites
+
+As a result, retailers need to independently verify these claims with the 
+certifying body that performed the original audit. This process is 
+time-consuming, expensive, and error-prone. Discrepancies between systems 
+result in costs related to administrative time, product recalls, and more.
+
+Grid Supplier Certification aims to address these pain points by
+offering a common industry solution for sharing factory certification 
+information between participants on Grid. Trade partners have the option to 
+integrate this Grid component with existing systems of record.
+
+Expected outcomes include: 
+
+- Improved cost efficiency. An organization’s financial results can benefit 
+  from a reduction in administrative time spent manually validating factories 
+  certifications authenticity.
+
+- Improved transaction accuracy. Automated sharing of factory certification 
+  data can reduce errors that stem from manual data entry.
+
+- Increased speed. Changes in a factories certification status can be quickly 
+  communicated between organizations, leading to faster response times, 
+improved 
+  sourcing decisions and production planning, greater customer satisfaction, 
+  and visibility into factory information.
+
+- Improved productivity. Less time spent comparing documents and resolving 
+  discrepancies means team members can focus on move value-add business 
+opportunities.
+
+
+The design will address the following use cases:
+
+- Sharing of supplier, certification, and standards data on Grid
+- Modeling of real-world certification issuance workflows
+
+It is also useful to use certification data as auxiliary data in other supply 
+chain solutions. 
+For example, in track and trace smart contract, the location of a particular 
+factory in a 
+supply chain can be extended to include the certificates the factory holds. 
+When presenting 
+this information later to a sourcing specialist, it makes its easier for them 
+to vet potential 
+factories. This workflow will introduce a certificate data model that could 
+also be extended 
+to include product level certifications.
+
+
+# Guide-Level Explanation
+[guide-level-explanation]: #guide-level-explanation
+
+A certification is a business transaction that specifies the details of a 
+supplier’s capabilities. The certification transaction contains information 
+such as issuance date, purpose, and expiration.
+
+A simplified certification sequence is as follows:
+  - Standards body creates standard `Foobar`
+  - Standards body accredits a certifying body to the `Foobar` standard
+  - The certifying body performs an audit
+  - Certifying body grants the `Foobar` certification to the factory
+
+## Entities
+
+A `PermissionAlias` is defined for standards bodies, certification bodies, and 
+suppliers.
+
+`Standards body`
+
+```rs
+let alias = PermissionAlias {
+   name: “certificate.standard_body”.to_string(),
+   permissions: vec![“create_standard”.to_string(), 
+“update_standard_version”.to_string(), “accredit_cert_body”.to_string() ],
+   transitions: vec![“confirmed”.to_string()]
+}
+```
+
+`Certification body`
+
+```rs
+let alias = PermissionAlias {
+   name: “certificate.cert_body”.to_string(),
+   permissions: vec![“issue_certification”.to_string(), 
+“update_certification”.to_string()],
+   transitions: vec![“confirmed”.to_string()]
+}
+```
+
+`Suppliers`
+
+```rs
+let alias = PermissionAlias {
+   name: “certificate.supplier”.to_string(),
+   permissions: vec![create_supplier.to_string(), update_supplier.to_string()],
+   transitions: vec![“confirmed”.to_string()]
+}
+```
+
+## Actions
+This design introduces six smart contract actions.
+
+- **Create supplier:** Create a new supplier 
+- **Update supplier:** Update an existing supplier
+- **Create standard:** Create a new standard
+- **Update standard:** Updates an existing standard by incrementing the version
+- **Accredit certifying body:** Accredit a certifying body to a standard
+- **Issue certificate:** Issue a certificate to a supplier from an accredited 
+certifying body
+
+## Transactions
+
+## Permissions
+
+# Reference-level explanation
+[reference-level-explanation]: #reference-level-explanation
+
+## State
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+
+# Rationale and alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+
+# Prior Art
+[prior-art]: #prior-art
+- [Grid Workflow RFC](https://github.com/hyperledger/grid-rfcs/pull/24)
+- [Grid Identity RFC](https://github.com/hyperledger/grid-rfcs/pull/23)
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved]: #unresolved-questions
+
+