[GP-2] Addressing Urgency: Unveiling the Fast-Track Procedure

General
1

Author(s): @ras

Submission Date: 2024/02/12

Summary

This proposal aims to address procedural gaps by introducing a ‘fast-track procedure’ for the DAO to promptly respond to high priority items. These measures aim to enhance the DAO’s agility and security protocols.

Context and Motivation

The recently approved “Formalizing Governance Processes for Seamless Protocol” has been pivotal in addressing lacunae within our ordinary governance structure. However, it has become increasingly apparent that there are occasions when the DAO must react swiftly and cannot afford the luxury of spending 15+ days navigating the usual process.

A prime example that underscores this necessity is the Seamless Protocol Platform Rewards Refresh. It was evident that adhering strictly to the conventional process would jeopardize the sustainability of our protocol. Thus, the DAO found itself compelled to deviate from the norm in order to preserve the integrity and functionality of the platform.

During the approval process for this critical initiative, the DAO acknowledged the pressing need for a responsive mechanism capable of addressing urgent issues in real-time. As a result, the DAO is now committed to developing a clear, efficient, and transparent procedure specifically designed for handling emergency situations. This new approach, aptly termed the ‘fast-track procedure,’ seeks to streamline decision-making processes during times of urgency, ensuring the agility and adaptability of our governance framework.

In essence, the introduction of the fast-track procedure represents a proactive step towards fortifying our governance infrastructure and empowering the DAO to effectively navigate unforeseen challenges as they arise.

Specifications

We currently suggest two ways to initiate the fast track process:

Scenario 1: Initiating Fast Track at the beginning of the governance process

The fast-track proposal is slated for an on-chain vote just 24 hours after its publication on Discourse. For a proposal to qualify for this expedited on-chain vote, it must garner explicit support from a minimum of 10 out of the 30 most active DAO members. This support is required to be clearly expressed as a comment on the proposal in the Discourse forum, and a qualified majority is essential for the proposal to proceed.

It’s worth noting that the 30 most active DAO members are dynamically selected and regularly updated by the Discourse platform, ensuring a current and representative group."

Scenario 2: Initiating Fast Track AFTER the normal governance process has begun

A fast-track proposal (i.e. onchain governance proposal vote) can be initiated at anytime after the normal governance process has begun, if either of the following conditions have been met:

  • Condition 1: The conditions from Scenario 1 are met (10 of 30 most active members have expressed approval in Discourse); OR
  • Condition 2: >50% of total delegated voting power has voted “YES” on the snapshot labs temperate check AND the proposer notifies the community via Discourse and Discord that the condition is met and a fast track process is being engaged. This would mean the vote can already move to an onchain governance proposal, regardless of the remaining time of the Snapshot Labs vote, since a majority quorum was met. Delegated voting power can be viewed here.
6 Likes
2

Thanks for proposing this. I think as the protocol continues to grow, there will inevitably be high priority items that require this type of speed and attention. In terms of the two suggested approaches I would assume Scenario 1 would be most applicable being if the time window is short as-is, likely need to get something up to a vote ASAP.

I am in support of this procedure.

2 Likes
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I am very supportive of this procedure. We need not create undue process in cases where there is overwhelming community support for governance action. Thanks @Ras for proposing this!

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This is a great proposal that fixes one of my original concerns about the formal procedure (a formal procedure adds structure/organization, but adds time as well). With this Fast-Track procedure, it does not compromise speed, while maintaining structure.

I firmly support this proposal. As we all know in the space, speed is off the essence. I particularly like how there are 2 methods of enacting the Fast-Track, as outlined in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. Great job @Ras , you have my support!

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5

this seems to sound like a good idea. there should maybe be some emergency procedures in place as well for significant security events

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I fully support the fast-track idea because it’s vital for quickly addressing urgent issues and keeping the DAO agile.

I have one question though regarding the Scenario 1 -

It’s worth noting that the 30 most active DAO members are dynamically selected

How the activity is measured, as on the linked page there are multiple possible parameters to sort users by.

1 Like
7

I support this proposal as well; governance plays a crucial role not only in pressing the development of the protocol forward, but also as a safeguard in many cases.

Bearing in mind that the future products which will Governance will have similar influence over, it makes sense to be able to respond promptly to emergencies/proposal which have overwhelming support.

1 Like
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Hi @xnp ! That is a good question. By default users are sorted be likes received, that is probably not the most fair way of calculation. There are some options I have in mind.

Option 1.

Ideally, we shall count topics created+replies, but in this case we will need to manually calculate activity (maybe an activity calculation instrument is a good idea for an ongoing grants programme)

Option 2.

We can can count on people who reached Trust Level 2 . That is indeed the proof of activity. There is one disadvantage of this method is that currently we have only 5 members who have this badge. Maybe we could indicate that till the number of people having Trust Level 2 their unanimity is required. After their amount reaches 10. The absolute majority of the Trust Level 2 users is required (minimum 10 votes in favour), given that at least 50% of all badge holders casted their votes.

Option 3.

Vast majority of the public delegates (having at least 2k SEAM voting power) and core contributors, given that at least 50% of them expressed their opinion.

Let me know if u like any of them. Probably u have some more ideas that we could try to implement.

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I am in support of this proposal.

I think a frame work for fast tracking items with substantial merit, potential for positive impact and platform well being is critically important. The space is extremely dynamic and the platform is live, operating 24/7. As a result there needs to be ways to interact and work in a fast manner. There also needs to be a framework with predictable and repeatable steps in place to make it successful over time. This proposal takes big steps in that direction, thank you @Ras for putting this together.

1 Like
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I am in support of this proposal! As always, appreciate how well thought out these posts are from @Ras and how ras continues to push and refine governance to be more efficient.

In regards to @xnp 's good question, I agree, we should further define what is meant by “most active dao members”. Based on Ras’s analysis and options, I am in favor of (and propose) option 2 - utilize the ‘Trust Level 2’ member badge. Though this only has 5 members so far, it will grow in the future. Also, this can be a requirement that the DAO continues to vote on and refine in the future (maybe there is a higher trust level months down the road that we would prefer to reference instead of trust level 2).

As such, for now, I would propose we follow option 2 from Ras’s suggestions, we require 4 out of 5 of the current trust level 2 users to reply in favor in order to “fast track” a proposal (remember it’s only voting to fast tracking a vote, it is NOT voting to pass the proposal itself). If there are other suggestions or inputs from the community/xnp from on the options Ras outlined please do share!

Since this discussion has been live for ~7 days, I also propose if we do not receive any other further in-depth comments or feedback in the next 24-48 hours, we default to option 2 for a snapshot vote by the community. If the snapshot vote fails, we can re-open the topic and attempt to generate more options for considerations. let me know what others think!

cheers

2 Likes
11

This seems like a fine approach, does the criteria for level 2 trust follow this? Understanding Discourse Trust Levels

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Thats is right @nubi

Following that there have been no objections, the final version of the proposal (to be reposted below) will include the suggestion by @richyRNG. If there are no major objections, the updated proposal, in accordance with the governance rules, will put to the Snapshot vote in 48 hours

2 Likes
13

[GP-2] Addressing Urgency: Unveiling the Fast-Track Procedure

Author(s): @ras

Submission Date: 2024/02/20

Summary

This proposal aims to address procedural gaps by introducing a ‘fast-track procedure’ for the DAO to promptly respond to high priority items. These measures aim to enhance the DAO’s agility and security protocols.

Context and Motivation

The recently approved “Formalizing Governance Processes for Seamless Protocol” has been pivotal in addressing lacunae within our ordinary governance structure. However, it has become increasingly apparent that there are occasions when the DAO must react swiftly and cannot afford the luxury of spending 15+ days navigating the usual process.

A prime example that underscores this necessity is the Seamless Protocol Platform Rewards Refresh. It was evident that adhering strictly to the conventional process would jeopardize the sustainability of our protocol. Thus, the DAO found itself compelled to deviate from the norm in order to preserve the integrity and functionality of the platform.

During the approval process for this critical initiative, the DAO acknowledged the pressing need for a responsive mechanism capable of addressing urgent issues in real-time. As a result, the DAO is now committed to developing a clear, efficient, and transparent procedure specifically designed for handling emergency situations. This new approach, aptly termed the ‘fast-track procedure,’ seeks to streamline decision-making processes during times of urgency, ensuring the agility and adaptability of our governance framework.

In essence, the introduction of the fast-track procedure represents a proactive step towards fortifying our governance infrastructure and empowering the DAO to effectively navigate unforeseen challenges as they arise.

Specifications

We currently suggest two ways to initiate the fast track process:

Scenario 1: Initiating Fast Track at the beginning of the governance process

The fast-track proposal is slated for an on-chain vote just 24 hours after its publication on Discourse. For a proposal to qualify for this expedited on-chain vote, it must garner explicit support from a minimum of 4 out of 5 current Trust Level 2 users.
As the number of Discourse Trust Level 2 users continues to grow, the following majority schemes shall apply: 5 out of 6/7, and 6 out of 8/9. Once the count of Trust Level 2 users reaches 10+, an absolute majority among Trust Level 2 users becomes necessary, ensuring that at least 50% of all badge holders have participated in the voting process. This support is required to be clearly expressed as a comment on the proposal in the Discourse forum, and a qualified majority is essential for the proposal to proceed.

Scenario 2: Initiating Fast Track AFTER the normal governance process has begun

A fast-track proposal (i.e. onchain governance proposal vote) can be initiated at anytime after the normal governance process has begun, if either of the following conditions have been met:

  • Condition 1: The conditions from Scenario 1 are met; OR
  • Condition 2: >50% of total delegated voting power has voted “YES” on the snapshot labs temperate check AND the proposer notifies the community via Discourse and Discord that the condition is met and a fast track process is being engaged. This would mean the vote can already move to an onchain governance proposal, regardless of the remaining time of the Snapshot Labs vote, since a majority quorum was met. Delegated voting power can be viewed here.
1 Like
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Looks like the snapshot labs vote is live here, so please cast your votes to be heard!
https://snapshot.org/#/seamlessprotocol.eth/proposal/0x50bc31d25b5cee508ef40d0c3f116aa0d4001945cbde0cc98048815c6c7aa5ad

1 Like