Skip to main content

Running the Secretariat

This page explains how to run the secretariat for the UK Tariff Data Standard and is intended to be a guide for current and future secretariats.

Context

The UK Tariff Data Standard is an open data standard that sets out how the UK exchanges data regarding trade tariffs. It is used by Government to publish data and by private enterprises to consume this data.

The current (24/10/2023) arrangements for governing the standard are:

  • There is a Stakeholder Group composed of data architects from government and industry
  • There is an open discussion forum at https://github.com/uktrade/tariff-data-manual/discussions where the Stakeholder Group can hold asynchronous discussions
  • Anyone can raise a proposal to the group but it must be unanimously agreed by the Stakeholder Group to be accepted
  • The Stakeholder Group does not need to meet synchronously (e.g. on a video call) to make decisions but this is an option
  • Video calls or meetups need to be publicly accessible with the joining information published well in advance

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Secretariat for the Standard to make sure the governance procedures are followed correctly AND that the standard is being effective at its goals.

To do this, the Secretariat must:

  1. Monitor the open discussion forum for activity and alert the members of the Stakeholder Group to new discussions, as many of them have not yet subscribed to the forum
  2. Moderate the forum, removing any off-topic posts or obvious spam
  3. Encourage the Stakeholder Group to leave comments and ultimately accept or reject proposals
  4. Organise a synchronous meeting if the Stakeholder Group cannot reach agreement or they do not engage with the proposal in a reasonable time frame (e.g. https://github.com/uktrade/tariff-data-manual/discussions/65)
  5. Take minutes at any synchronous meeting and ensure they are posted in a timely manner to the discussion forum
  6. Ensure any necessary changes to the standards documentation are made to reflect any accepted proposals
  7. Find any replacement people to take up all the posts in the Stakeholder Group should someone need to leave
  8. Find a replacement Secretariat should the current person in the role need to leave

Running the Forum

To run the Forum, you will need a free GitHub account. * Set up a GitHub account (or use an existing one if you have it already). * Be added as a member of the ‘uktrade’ GitHub organisation - https://github.com/uktrade * Ensure you have moderator access to the forum (e.g. do you have permissions to delete discussions?)

How to edit the Wiki

It is the secretariat’s responsibility to update the documentation repository once proposals put forward in the discussions are unanimously agreed.

Currently, there is a Change Log on the Wiki which should be updated with any changes to the standard.

If there are any updates to the repository that are more technical, then the secretariat is welcome to ask one of the Data Architects or other technical people to update the documentation instead.

To edit pages on the Wiki, simply go to the page you wish to edit, and click on the “edit” button at the top of the page. Once you have made a change, you can add an optional small message explaining the change before saving the page.

Evolving the Governance

It is the secretariat’s responsibility to ensure correct governance is followed and that it is fit for purpose.

The secretariat must regularly assess the effectiveness of existing governance structures against the needs of the group and wider organisation. The secretariat can seek feedback from the stakeholder group as part of this assessment and when implementing changes to the governance.

Practical Approach to Achieving Consensus

The secretariat must take a proactive approach towards ensuring the work moves forward in a timely manner.

Once an asynchronous discussion is raised on GitHub, the secretariat must encourage the group to participate. This can be done via email to remind and direct the group’s attention to the discussion.

  • If needed, the secretariat should organise a synchronous discussion on Microsoft Teams.
  • If there is no progress on a proposal that is referring to a small change, the secretariat can set a deadline and take silence as agreement.
  • The secretariat must ensure proposals are complete.

Replacing the Secretariat

For a smooth handover, the secretariat must ensure they are working in the open. All documentation must be kept up to date and remain in the public forum. The secretariat can also use a shared mailbox to receive and share emails from.

It is recommended that the secretariat talks widely about their role – e.g. at Show and Tells.

When identifying a suitable replacement, the secretariat can go to their SCS for help.