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Greg Swindle edited this page Apr 14, 2018 · 4 revisions

info This document answers the questions:

  • What is (the purpose of) governance?
  • Why is governance necessary?
  • How much governance do we need?

Table of contents

Challenge: mainitaining common vision and purpose

democracy-ia is an organization of designers, engineers, and architects working on multiple "projects." These projects should align with democracy-ia's common vision of a citizenry that demands transparent and open federal, state, county, and local governments.

Definitions

Program

A program is:

A collection of projects with a common goal or success "vision" under integrated management. These projects consist of people, technology, and processes aimed at implementing significant...change. [1]

Governance

Governance is the Establishment of policies, and continuous monitoring of their proper implementation, by the members of the governing body of an organization. It includes the mechanisms required to balance the powers of the members (with the associated accountability), and their primary duty of enhancing the prosperity and viability of the organization. [2]

Goals

Program governance aims to:

  1. Define and implement a structure within which to execute program management and administration;

  2. Provide active direction, periodically review interim results, and identify and execute adjustments to ensure achievement of the planned outcome (which contributes to success of our overall strategy).

Purposes of governance frameworks

A governance framework articulates a governance program's

  1. Required components/elements;

  2. Roles and responsibilities of board members and management; and

  3. Relationships among governance, risk management, and organizational culture.

Measuring success

Orgnanizations also use governance frameworks to assess the effectiveness and maturity of their governance programs.

Governance operating models

quote A governance operating model is the mechanism used by the board and management to translate the elements of the governance framework and policies into practices, procedures, and job responsibilities within the corporate governance infrastructure. [3]

Operating model components

Governance operating models can be viewed as a collection of "components" that serve a purpose or function.
Structure
Organizational design and reporting structure   Committee(s) structure and charters
Oversight responsibilities
Board oversight and responsibilities Management accountability and authority Committee(s) authorities and responsibilities
Talent and culture
Performance management and incentives Business and operating principles Leadership development and talent programs
Infrastructure
Reporting and communication Policies and procedures Technology

Component definitions

Structure
Organizations designed to control and support functions.
Organizational design and reporting structure
DRAFT
Committee(s) structure and charters
DRAFT
Oversight responsibilities
Define board, committee, and management duties; accountability matrices; and hiring/firing authority.
Board oversight and responsibilities
DRAFT
Management accountability and authority
DRAFT
Committee(s) authorities and responsibilities
DRAFT
Talent and culture
Encourage activities and reward behaviors with (some form of) capital.
Performance management and incentives
DRAFT
Business and operating principles
DRAFT
Leadership development and talent programs
DRAFT
Infrastructure
Enables, enforces, supports, measures, and reports.
Reporting and communication
DRAFT
Policies and procedures
DRAFT
Technology
DRAFT

Summary

We've covered what governance is and why its important.

Next, we'll compare and contrast open source governance models.

References

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