If you comprise the tools, the work of collaboration is more difficult.
Making law and regulation is undeniably complex, involving numerous factors and potential pitfalls. This complexity underscores the critical need for effective collaboration. While collaboration is not inherently complicated, it requires careful attention to various elements.
Collaboration is delicate. Personalities, tools, alignment, coordination, communication barriers, conflicting priorities, and of course trust are all variables which must align for real collaboration.
To facilitate this, we at Xcential propose that software can provide structure to reduce friction and enhance communication. The right software is highly beneficial for collaborative rule-making.
Let’s define this problem as collaborating with colleagues and experts to arrive at a great draft. We’ll leave public comment and passing of law for another day.
What are some key features of software that aides in collaborative rule drafting?
- Compare: If we are amending a law or rule, what is changing? We should be able to easily compare our draft to the existing document and see the changes.
- Comment: Commenting on a draft should be simple to provide perspective, advice, warning, etc. These comments should not alter the draft, but provide the drafter with knowledge. These comments should not be recorded into history by default, because collaboration requires trust and the freedom to be wrong.
- Amend In Context: Individual rules are usually in context of a larger document or framework. The ability to read proposed changes in the larger context of that document or framework help us make more effective changes. The goal is to make intelligent and relevant changes with a desired outcome, so drafting and collaborating in context is critical.
- Log Changes: When collaborating on a document, we want to know who made specific changes. Seeing who deleted or inserted tells us about their priorities and the status of alignment; this builds trust and furthers collaboration. Any tool for real collaborative rule making should track and display tracked changes by individuals.
- Format: Structure and format are like etiquette. Format reduces friction and allows individuals to focus on content. Formats can signal respect for others who will process our draft later. So we want a tool that provides the right structure and format used by our organizations. For example, if we leave a comment and start with “Question” or “Concern”, these can be standardized signals to the reader of the comment that provide context.
Collaborating on something as important as law or regulation deserves the right tools.
Structure and transparency are foundational to both trust and conflict resolution. Before we can resolve conflicts, the root of those conflicts must be exposed.
We believe if you comprise the tools, the work of collaboration is more difficult.
