What the RCOS Templates Are
The RCOS Templates turn the abstract RCOS Core specification into working documents a community can actually fill in. They are organized by layer (Layer 0 through Layer 6) and split into the concrete artifacts that each layer requires — for example a Purpose Charter, a Scope Declaration, an Invariants Register, or a Decision Matrix.
Every template:
- references the exact RCOS Core clauses it implements,
- explains the rationale behind each section — why it exists and what risk it mitigates,
- provides instructions on how to fill it in, and
- leaves clearly marked placeholders for your community’s own answers.
The templates do not prescribe values, culture, or beliefs. They prescribe what must be made explicit so that values, culture, and beliefs can be debated, recorded, and changed without breaking the system.
Who They Are For
- Communities founding themselves and wanting a durable, explicit structure from day one.
- Existing communities auditing their implicit norms against the RCOS spec.
- Facilitators running structural conversations with a group.
- Anyone using RCOS as a shared language for governance, conflict, or resource decisions.
How to Use Them
- Start with Layer 0 — Identity & Scope. It is the foundation everything else stands on.
- Work through the layers in order. Each one references and builds on the previous.
- Fill in the placeholders as a group, using the rationale and instructions to keep the conversation honest.
- Treat the result as a living constitution — versioned, reviewable, and amendable through the process you define.
Adoption can be incremental. Partial RCOS compliance is still meaningful, as long as the parts you adopt remain explicit and reviewable. Skipping a layer is allowed; pretending to have one when you don’t is not.
Languages and Downloads
The templates are available in English, German, Spanish, and French. You can browse each artifact online, or download the full bundle as a single package (Markdown, DOCX, or ODT) to edit offline with your group.