Governing with Core Documents

Core Documents provide a board with much of its accountability framework. Most organisations would be familiar with having an annual budget process and the board using that budget to monitor spending priorities. Other core documents include:

• Constitution,
• Strategic Plan,
• Risk Management Plan,
• Policy & Procedure Manual, and
• Quality Standards.

Core Documents assist in monitoring and supporting the day to day work of an organisation. There are some key questions to consider when looking at our core documents:

• Do any of the documents need updating?
• Is there an action plan to do this: for the staff, for the board members?
• Are the documents in a readily accessible place that everyone knows about?

Our core documents need to be living documents that support our work and help to drive our organisations. To do this we need to know what is in them, and how they contribute to our direction and priorities.

One of the ways that they contribute is by being current. A regular review of documents is a healthy thing and assists our board in having a greater capacity to provide strategic guidance and direction for the organisation. Most of these documents need approval by the board but may be redrafted by staff or a sub group of the board (depending on your size).

Most boards will have regular agenda item for checking the finances against the budget. However, it is also a good idea to have a regular agenda item to approve a policy & procedure, or to check the current work against the strategic plan. The board should also be aware of how the self assessment process is progressing and monitor the stage it is up to.

Our core documents can provide real guidance and direction if we “own” them as living documents and the board uses them to govern.


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