Minutes | Meeting of the Organizational Effectiveness Committee of the Board (OEC) | 8 October 2024

OEC Attendees: Alan Barrett – Chair, Chris Buckridge, Chris Chapman, Edmon Chung and James Galvin

Executive and Staff Attendees: Xavier Calvez (SVP, Planning and Chief Financial Officer), Franco Carrasco (Board Operations Manager), Samantha Eisner (Deputy General Counsel), Larisa Gurnick (VP, Reviews Operations & Accountability), Alice Jansen (Implementation Operations Director – Reviews), Jason Kean (Manager, Review Support & Accountability), Laena Rahim (Associate General Counsel, APAC), Giovanni Seppia (VP, Implementation Operations), Theresa Swinehart (SVP, Global Domains and Strategy) and Mary Wong (VP, Strategy Policy Management)

The following is a summary of discussions, decisions, and actions identified:

The Meeting was called to order at 19:15 UTC.

1. Agenda – The Chair established the agenda for the meeting and gave an overview of items to be discussed.
2. Review of Open Action Items and the OEC Work Plan – The OEC reviewed the "Open Action Items" and the updated OEC work plan with ICANN organization. ICANN org provided a brief summary of the status of activities under the OEC's action items list. Several action items will be followed up in time for the next OEC meeting, and there are also other action items which will require more time to complete.

3. Discussion on the Thought Paper on the Fundamental Re-Evaluation of Reviews – ICANN org provided a brief overview of this topic, with the objective of seeking the OEC's input and alignment on opportunities to further the discussion with the community. The Thought Paper aims to explore options to re-evaluate the intent of Specific Reviews to better factor in ICANN's evolution, and effective use of the community, Board and ICANN org's time and resources. Community leaders have expressed their views that changes are needed in how Specific Reviews are conducted and their interest and support to work together with the Board and ICANN org, to find a better approach.

   Some observations and suggestions from the OEC:

   • Given that Reviews are costly and resource-intensive, it is timely to re-evaluate the purpose of Reviews, and to assess whether these Reviews continue to be the best way to hold ICANN accountable to commitments made that led to the creation of Specific Reviews; or whether such commitments could be evaluated via alternative methods.
   • The OEC noted that some of the most recent Specific Reviews have put ICANN in a place to be ready for significant evolution (i.e., evolution of Organizational Reviews into a Continuous Improvement Program and the creation of a Holistic Review to examine the overall effectiveness of ICANN structures (arising out of ATRT3 Recommendations).
   • The OEC provided some suggestions to refine the Thought Paper: to incorporate an Appendix section setting out supporting information, including a listing of all the past and future Reviews and how they fit together; Gantt charts of previous review cycles to the already existing quantitative information for each type of Review, and expanded ideas on the potential approaches to the future state of Reviews.
     • Action Items:
       • ICANN org to update the Thought Paper, incorporating the relevant suggestions from the OEC, and thereafter to circulate the revised Thought Paper to the OEC for its review, prior to sharing the same with the Board; and
       • ICANN org and the OEC to consider engagement with the SO/AC leaders prior to socializing the Thought Paper with the broader community, in response to questions from the SO/AC leaders during a previous Roundtable discussion.

   The OEC will continue its discussion on this topic at its future meetings.

4. Update on the Revised Operating Standards for Specific Reviews – ICANN org provided an update on this topic. The objective of this agenda item is to inform the OEC of the various process improvements in the revised Operating Standards, which are amended from time to time to reflect lessons learned and implement the necessary process changes. ICANN org noted that improvements which have been identified from the Lifecycle of Reviews work are now reflected in the revised Draft Operating Standards, targeted for Public Comment at the end of October 2024, in preparation for the initiation of ATRT4 in April 2025.

   ICANN org provided a high-level overview of the proposed changes to the Operating Standards:

   • Development of review focus areas before starting a Specific Review;
   • Review Team follows a standardized review process driven by the focus areas;
   • Creation of a line of accountability from the review team to the SO/ACs; and
   • Various process improvements approved by the Board as part of the special Pilot Holistic Review Operating Standards (e.g., virtual meetings, ICANN org support in lieu of third-party professional services, and SO/AC appointing team leadership).

   Next Steps/Tentative Timelines:

   • October 2024: Briefing ICANN Board and the SO/AC leadership about the proposed modifications.
   • October – December 2024: Public Comment proceeding on the Draft Operating Standards.
   • October – December 2024: Community engagement to support awareness and understanding of the proposed modifications.
   • February 2025: Board adoption of the community-supported Draft Operating Standards.

   The OEC will continue its discussion on this topic at its future meetings.

5. Decision reached via E-mail – The Chair noted the decision which the OEC has reached via e-mail. The OEC voted unanimously via e-mail to take the following action:

   • OEC approval to recommend to the Board to adopt the Pilot Holistic Review Operating Standards.

The Chair called the meeting to a close.