Rules as Code Guild Charter (Draft Only)

tags: community-of-practice formation, resources, public-digital-infrastructure

1. Purpose and Objectives

The primary purpose of the Rules-as-Code (RaC) Guild is to openly and collaboratively develop, innovate, educate and promote all aspects of translating legal rules, such as legislative or regulatory provisions, into machine-executable code.

By doing so we aim to harness RaC's potential to ensure consistent and equitable rule application, bolster transparency and accountability, enhance the speed and accuracy of compliance and promote better policy formation, among many other benefits.

2. Domain - Computer-readable Legal Rules

The community would be focused on the principles, methodologies and tools related to translating legal text into machine-readable and executable code.

This might involve discussions about best practices, infrastructure, coding standards, and testing methods specific to RaC.

3. Community - Diverse Set of Stakeholders

End-users

People or organisations who will use or be affected by these coded rules, providing feedback and real-world perspectives.
Policy makers/representatives - Individuals involved in creating or guiding public policies, ensuring the purpose and intent of the rules are preserved.

Legal professionals

Lawyers, regulators, and legislative drafters who provide the legal expertise and ensure the accuracy of coded rules.

Business/Rules analysts

Analysts who can help convert written policy and regulations into structured rules statements.
Designers - Service, UI, UX and content designers who can develop user-centric frontend interfaces.

IT professionals

Solution architects, developers and platform engineers who can design systems, write code and set up and maintain platforms that can deliver Rules-as-Code applications and platforms.

##4. Practice - Collaborative Development and Refinement

Shared tools

The community may develop or adapt tools specifically designed for RaC, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

Workshops

Regular workshops could be held to collaboratively draft code, test implementations, or address challenges.

Case studies

The community could review and learn from real-world implementations of RaC.
Documentation - Create and maintain comprehensive documentation detailing best practices, methodologies, and lessons learned.

##5. Key Activities and Characteristics:

Training and upskilling

Training sessions could be organised that will upskill members in new tools or methodologies related to RaC.

A platform (e.g. Slack, Google docs) will be set up where members can ask questions, share experiences or discuss challenges.
Standardisation - Work towards establishing industry- or domain-specific standards for RaC to ensure consistency and interoperability.

Feedback loop

Develop mechanisms to get regular feedback from end-users and iterate on the coded rules accordingly.
Collaboration with institutions - Engage with academic institutions, government bodies and industry associations to gain insights, support and validation.

##6. Potential Challenges
Some of the challenges that the community needs to be mindful of include:
• Capturing the nuances and intricacies of legal texts in code.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration - Ensuring smooth communication between legal professionals and developers, given the distinct jargons and thought processes of both fields.
• A lack of examples/case studies to show RaC in action particularly as a public utility.
• Finding the best blend of technologies that will produce a user-focused outcome.

##7. Values and Principles / Code of Conduct

a. Transparency

All decisions, processes and discussions are open and accessible.

b. Respect

All members treat each other with kindness and respect, irrespective of their backgrounds or opinions

c. Meritocracy

Contributions are evaluated based on merit rather than the contributor's credentials

d. Give back

Learnings and technical developments are shared back with the community wherever possible

e. We are here for each other

We value the unique talents, backgrounds, identities and experiences of our members. It’s up to all of us to keep this community a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive place for everyone.

f. Technology agnostic

We are not dedicated to the promotion of any one RaC technology but are open to discussions and contributions on all and any RaC technologies.

8. Roles and Responsibilities

a. Steering Committee

Role - Oversees the policies, overall direction, strategy and objectives of the Guild. If relevant, recommend annual budget and reviews progress.

Members - Composed of Guild Members put forward by the community and voted in by members on a simple majority basis.   Elections for Steering Committee Membership will be held at a time chosen by the Committee with no longer than an 18-month period between elections.

b. Community Manager

Role - Day-to-day operation of the Guild. Acts as the primary point of contact, moderates discussions and ensures the community remains active and engaged.
The Community Manager is appointed by the Steering Committee.

c. Community Members

Active participants in the community.

d. Decision making

Decisions will be made collaboratively, with a focus on achieving consensus. We involve members in distributed decision processes, value diverse perspectives and promote equity (using loomio.io).

9. Conflict Resolution:

In case of conflicts:

a. Parties involved should first try to resolve the issue among themselves.

b. If unresolved, seek mediation from the Guild Committee or a neutral third party.

c. As a last resort, conflicts can be raised to the broader community for discussion and resolution.

10. Membership

Membership to the community is open to anyone with an interest in RaC.

Membership will be withdrawn in the event of serious breach of the Values and Principles / Code of Conduct as outlined in this Charter. The decision to withdraw membership can be taken by any individual RaC Guild steering committee member.

You are considered a member when you are invited into and have a RaC Guild Slack user account.

11. Changes to the Charter

This charter may be updated or modified. Proposed changes will be discussed in the community, and a majority consensus by the RaC Guild Steering Committee is needed for the adoption of significant changes.

##12. Contact and Communication
Chat platform: RaC Guild Slack