I apologize for not seeing this thread earlier!
Let me see if I can clarify the normal timeline and requirements for ZIPs in NU4, then let me describe how Dev Fund proposals are different.
First the table of dates on this page might be easier to follow than the infographic for the timeline: zips.z.cash. The first two deadlines there are:
| Deliverable | Date |
|---|---|
| ZIP draft submission deadline | Aug 31, 2019 |
| Feature selection done | October 31, 2019 |
What’s probably less clear is what is expected for the August 31st deadline, versus what happens by October 31. For “typical” ZIPs (not Dev Fund stuff), the August deliverable is a ZIP draft. A draft is an unfinished version that has enough information for the zcashd and zebra developers to have a fairly clear picture of what’s involved.
In order for “Feature Selection” to accept a ZIP by the October 31st deadline, a “typical” technical ZIP needs to be well specified enough that engineers, security auditors, product development people, etc… has a clear and specific understanding of what’s involved.
So for a typical technical ZIP, September and the beginning of October are intended to give the developers, the ZIP editors, and the ZIP authors time to refine, clarify, and improve proposals.
Now let’s talk about what this might look like for Dev Fund ZIPs: I expect some amount of refinement of a proposal between the ZIP Draft deadline and the “final proposal” for NU4. Probably during September we’ll need several iterations where proposals are refined or tweaked, then community members discuss the changes as well as ECC and Zfnd.
Later in this phase in October, it would be ideal in my opinion for all substantial changes to be complete because we need time for various kinds of community sentiment to be gathered.
Please also see the Foundation’s plans in the “How the Foundation will select a particular proposal” section of the “Zcash Foundation Guidance on Dev Fund Proposals” post.
Now in addition to that process, ECC separately will publish assessments on proposals before the draft deadline. See my post here about that.
Does this clarification help you understand the timeline and the fact that there is some time built-in for assessments, discussion, and refinement?