Escalations
Some requests need to be approved by the board, e.g. spending money that was not budgeted for, or that is exceptional in nature. Some requests might need to be approved by all members at an AGM, e.g. spending from the sinking fund.
Escalation is set from the Escalation & Approval panel on the request. Choose Edit to pick the channel whose meetings should discuss the request. You can also add it to meetings already scheduled, or schedule a new meeting just for it.
An escalated request is carried forward from one meeting to the next. Every new ballot in the channel lists it on the agenda until the request is accepted as complete, so nothing raised with the directors is forgotten between meetings.
Escalating a request to a channel
Section titled “Escalating a request to a channel”Use this when the directors need to know about a request, or approve it, but there is no rush. Pick the channel and the request is automatically added to the agenda of its next meeting. No meeting needs to be scheduled yet.
Here, the gate motor is failing and the contractor recommends replacing it, which the directors will need to approve.
- Open the request
- Click Edit on the Escalation & Approval panel
- Choose the channel whose meetings should discuss the request
- Click Finish to escalate the request to the channel
- The request is now escalated, and will be on the agenda of the channel's next meeting
Asking the directors to vote straight away
Section titled “Asking the directors to vote straight away”Use this when a request is too urgent to wait for the next meeting. Tick Schedule a new meeting just for this request, and when you choose Finish the new ballot opens with the channel already chosen and the request already on its agenda.
This scenario also demonstrates how the previous request, escalated to the Management Channel, is automatically added to the agenda of the next ballot.
- Open the urgent request
- Click Edit on the Escalation & Approval panel
- Choose the channel whose members should vote on the request
- Tick the checkbox to schedule a meeting just for this request
- Click Finish to escalate the request and open the new ballot
- Enter a title for the ballot
- Set the meeting to start now, so voting can begin straight away
- Set the meeting to end shortly afterwards
- Write the introduction the directors will read
- Click Next to see the summary of the meeting
- Click the add question button to add the question to vote on
- Enter the question
- Rename the Yes option to say what it approves
- Rename the No option to say what happens instead
- Click Next to return to the summary
- The urgent request is on the agenda, because the ballot is being raised for it
- The request escalated earlier is carried onto the agenda automatically
- Click Create ballot to raise the ballot for the directors
Requests linked to a ballot and request approval
Section titled “Requests linked to a ballot and request approval”Each meeting a request is on is listed in its Escalation & Approval panel. Click one to open the ballot. The ballot lists every request on its agenda, so the directors can see what they are being asked to decide and follow each request through to completion.
Click the status pill on any request in the ballot to open it. Once the directors have agreed, click Approve Now on its Escalation & Approval panel to record that the work can go ahead. The approval is recorded with your name and the date.
- Open the request that was escalated to the ballot
- Click the ballot under Escalation & Approval to open it
- The ballot lists the urgent request it was raised for
- and the request carried forward from the channel, so the directors see both
- Click the status pill on the urgent request to open it
- Click Approve Now once the directors have approved the work
- Confirm the approval - it is recorded with your name and the date
- The request now shows who approved it, so everyone knows the work can go ahead
Accepting a request on the agenda
Section titled “Accepting a request on the agenda”Closing a request does not take it off the agenda. A resolved request is still carried forward to every new meeting in the channel, so the directors can confirm the work was done to their satisfaction. Only once the request is accepted does it drop off future agendas.
Here, the gate motor has been replaced and the request is closed. The next ballot still lists it, and the request is accepted from the ballot. A further ballot no longer includes it, while the request that is still open carries forward as before.
- Open the urgent request once the new motor is fitted
- Click Close to record how the request was dealt with
- Choose Complete - the work has been done
- Confirm the topic the request belongs to
- Confirm the class within that topic
- Write what was done
- Click Close Request to resolve it
- Click [Voting & Meetings] on the main menu
- Click on the new button to show options
- Select [New Ballot] from the new options menu
- Enter a title for the ballot
- Choose the Management Channel, where the requests were escalated
- Set the meeting start
- Set the meeting end
- Write the introduction the directors will read
- Click Next to see the summary, with the requests on the agenda
- The resolved request is still on the agenda - it stays until it is accepted
- Click Create ballot to raise the ballot
- Click the status pill on the resolved request to open it
- Click Accept once the directors are satisfied the work is done
- Confirm - an accepted request is finished for good and cannot be reopened
- Close the request to return to the ballot
- Click [Voting & Meetings] on the main menu
- Click on the new button to show options
- Select [New Ballot] from the new options menu
- Enter a title for the ballot
- Choose the Management Channel, where the requests were escalated
- Set the meeting start
- Set the meeting end
- Write the introduction the directors will read
- Click Next to see the summary, with the requests on the agenda
- The accepted request is no longer on the agenda - only the request still open carries forward
- Close the new ballot without saving it