- Layer: 5 — Operations & Coordination
- Status: Template — adapt for your community
- RCOS reference: §7.2, §7.6
Meeting templates declare the purpose, decision scope, quorum, and structure of each meeting type. A meeting without a declared template will, given enough time, accumulate authority it should not have. Adapt these templates and add or remove meeting types as your community needs.
Meeting Type: Operations
RCOS clauses: 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.2.4, 7.6.4
Why a regular Operations meeting?
Day-to-day coordination needs a regular beat, not ad-hoc improvisation. The Operations meeting is the community’s heartbeat — a predictable space to review active work, surface blockers, and make small operational decisions. Crucially, only Operational decisions happen here; Strategic and Constitutional ones go through the governance process, so the meeting can’t quietly accumulate authority it doesn’t have.
How to fill this in
Set purpose, decision scope, required and optional participants, cadence, duration, and facilitation rules. Keep decision scope to Operational only.
- Purpose:
- Decision scope: Operational decisions only — cannot make Strategic or Constitutional decisions.
- Required participants:
- Optional participants:
- Cadence:
- Duration limit:
- Facilitation:
Agenda Structure
- Check-in
- Review last actions
- Role and domain updates
- Active agenda items
- Operational decisions
- Next actions and owners
- Check-out
Notes and Records
- Date:
- Facilitator:
- Attendees:
- Notes:
Decision Record (if applicable)
- Decision type: Operational
- Authority:
- Mechanism / threshold: Delegated authority
- Outcome:
- Effective date:
- Filed to:
Meeting Type: Governance
RCOS clauses: 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.6.4
Why separate deliberation from the binding vote?
If a meeting can both discuss and decide, whoever is in the room that day gets to decide — regardless of quorum or authority rules. Keeping deliberation separate from the binding vote preserves the integrity of the Decision Matrix and ensures absent members still get a vote.
How to fill this in
This meeting deliberates on active proposals during their deliberation period. The binding decision is made via the governance process per the Decision Matrix.
- Purpose: Deliberate on an active proposal during its deliberation period.
- Decision scope: Deliberation only — the binding decision is made via the governance process per the Decision Matrix.
- Required participants:
- Optional participants:
- Cadence:
- Duration limit:
- Facilitation:
Agenda Structure
- Check-in
- Proposal summary
- Clarifying questions
- Open deliberation
- Summary of positions and next steps
Notes and Records
- Date:
- Facilitator:
- Attendees:
- Notes:
Decision Record
- Proposal reference:
- Decision type:
- Authority: Full Members (collective)
- Mechanism / threshold:
- Outcome:
- Effective date:
- Vote link:
Meeting Type: Coordination & Alignment
RCOS clauses: 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.6.4
Why a dedicated coordination meeting?
Some blockers span more than one role and can’t be resolved in the regular Operations rhythm. Coordination & Alignment gives cross-role work its own space — for dependencies, handoffs, and competing priorities — so the weekly meeting doesn’t balloon trying to absorb everything.
How to fill this in
Use this template when cross-role coordination is needed. Keep decision scope Operational only and limit required participants to those with active initiatives.
- Purpose: Synchronize work across roles and initiatives; surface dependencies and blockers; align priorities.
- Decision scope: Operational decisions only.
- Required participants:
- Optional participants:
- Cadence:
- Duration limit:
- Facilitation:
Agenda Structure
- Check-in
- Initiative status updates
- Blockers and dependencies
- Next steps
Notes and Records
- Date:
- Facilitator:
- Attendees:
- Notes:
Meeting Type: Reflection & Learning
RCOS clauses: 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.6.4
Why give reflection its own meeting type?
Reflection that happens only when time allows never happens. A named meeting type with a defined cadence makes space for looking back — and keeps retrospection from getting squeezed out by operational urgency. Without it, the Learning Log (Layer 6) stays empty and the framework stops evolving.
How to fill this in
This meeting reviews the most recent period and feeds insights to the Learning Log (Layer 6) and the Future Proposals queue.
- Purpose: Review experience, surface patterns, capture learnings, feed insights back into the framework.
- Decision scope: May produce proposals for change; no direct decision authority unless specified in the Decision Matrix.
- Required participants:
- Cadence:
- Duration limit:
- Facilitation:
Agenda Structure
- Check-in
- Review period highlights
- What worked well
- What didn’t work / what we’d do differently
- Learnings to carry forward
- Updates to learning log and future proposals
- Check-out
Notes and Records
- Date:
- Facilitator:
- Attendees:
- Notes:
- Learning Log entries triggered:
- Future proposals added:
Meeting Type: Conflict Handling
RCOS clauses: 7.2.1, 7.2.2, 7.2.3, 7.6.4; see also Layer 4 — Conflict Resolution Ladder
Why a distinct meeting type for conflict?
Conflict work has rules that other meetings don’t: confidentiality, Facilitator selection that bypasses party preference, anti-retaliation protections, and restricted records. Using the Operations template for a conflict session would quietly violate all of these. A dedicated template makes the different container visible from the first minute.
How to fill this in
Use this template only for facilitated sessions under Conflict Resolution Ladder Steps 2–4. Privacy and Facilitator-selection rules are governed by Layer 4, not by the meeting itself.
- Purpose: Facilitate resolution at a defined ladder step (Conflict Resolution Ladder Steps 2–4).
- Decision scope: Produces repair plans, agreements, or escalation decisions; binding outcomes require the authority defined in the Conflict Resolution Ladder and Decision Matrix.
- Required participants: Parties to the conflict; assigned Facilitator (per Conflict Resolution Ladder selection rules).
- Optional participants: A support person, by mutual written consent of all parties.
- Cadence: As needed; triggered by intake.
- Duration limit:
- Facilitation: Selected per Conflict Resolution Ladder (Layer 4) — not chosen by the parties themselves.
Privacy note: Records from this meeting type are subject to the privacy and information access boundaries defined in the Conflict Resolution Ladder (Layer 4). They are not published to the general member record by default.
Agenda Structure
- Opening and ground rules
- Each party shares their perspective
- Shared understanding check
- Needs and requests
- Repair or agreement options
- Decision or next step
- Documentation
Record Format
This record is confidential. Access is restricted per the Conflict Resolution Ladder (Layer 4).
- Date:
- Facilitator:
- Parties present:
- Ladder step:
- Conflict class:
- Outcome:
- Agreed actions (if any):
- Escalation destination (if applicable):
- Access: Parties and Facilitator only; disclosed to Full Members only if escalated to the governance step.
Ratification Record
- Adopted:
- Decision type: Strategic
- Version:
- Decision record: