Am I right to think that the correct approach is the following:

1. Issue RTW ticket with as few dated segments as possible? (Just through the date of the first international segment, as required per fare rules (lines 65 to 71 in http://members.shaw.ca/fewmiles/oneworld/owe.html ).

2. Keep remaining segments OPEN.

3. Make reservations promptly for the OPEN segments, for some protection in case of unfavorable schedule changes.

Is it preferable to do step 3 through the issuing travel agent (for those of us using travel agents, as when advance-purchasing a ticket from a country other than where we reside)? Or directly with the airline?