[SEP 53] Governance Amendments Season 4, Sprint 4

Please refer to the full proposal text on the SafeDAO forum. Some parts may have been removed to fit within the character limit on Snapshot.

Title:

Governance Amendments - Season 4, Sprint 4

Authors:

Aman (Safe, @amanwithwings), Andre Geest (Safe, @Andre)

Abstract

Considering the increasing maturity of Safe{DAO}, and the recent changes to OBRA, this proposal suggests the following amendments to the governance framework:

1. Remove the mandate that Sprint 4 is a "Review and governance amendment Sprint.”
2. Enable all 4 Sprints in a Season to process governance proposals of all types.

Proposal types

• [ ] SEP: Constitutional Proposals
• [x] SEP: Governance Proposals
• [ ] Other SEPs

Proposal details

Background

Currently, Safe{DAO}’s governance process runs the following split between constitutional proposals, governance proposals, and other SEPs, as outlined by SEP 7 and amended by SEP 8:

The same cycle also applied to the OBRA initiatives and review, which was amended by SEP 49.

The design above was proposed to reduce distractions from governance proposals for a predefined block of time (Sprints 1–3), enabling Safe{DAO} to focus on reviewing proposals aimed at fostering the Safe ecosystem. At the same time, it dedicates Sprint 4 of every Season for governance review, when no other proposals can be submitted. The governance framework also makes an exception for the Safe Ecosystem Foundation to deviate from these processes if necessary to ensure an efficient decision-making process.

With SEP 49 now accepted, introducing a committee and council structure within OBRA, Safe{DAO} will experience a reduced influx of proposals. As a result, a dedicated Sprint for reviewing the governance process, as per the existing rule, is no longer necessary. Additionally, removing this constraint allows the DAO to debate governance changes more frequently, as well as accept all SEPs in all four Sprints, which is essential as it approaches its next stage of maturity.

Framework Change Log Summary

Original

Governance cycles SafeDAO will change its decision-making process over a specified time frame and run several governance experiments (Seasons). Seasons will consist of the following 4 Sprints.

Sprints 1-3: The proposals of the first 3 Sprints shall address all proposal types except constitutional, and governance proposals, resource allocation strategy, initiative terminations and budget proposals (s. C.II. Proposal types). This design shall allow a focus on fostering the Safe ecosystem while avoiding distractions from governance -related, strategy and budget amendment proposals.

Sprint 4: Review and governance amendment Sprint:

As a counterpart to the restriction of governance proposals during the first 3 Sprints, the 4th Sprint is dedicated to governance and resource allocation review and governance and strategy and budget proposals. During this time, no other proposals shall be submitted. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, SEPs related to the implementation and execution of the milestones of SEP #3 are allowed to be voted on in any Sprint until their completion.

New

SafeDAO will change its decision-making process over a specified time frame and run several governance experiments (Seasons). Each Season will consist of 4 Sprints, with each Sprint lasting 4 weeks.

Any Sprint can accept any proposal types: including constitutional and governance proposals, resource allocation strategies and budgets, and other SEPs.

Effects and Impact Analysis

This proposal will enable Safe{DAO} to consider constitutional and governance proposals in all Sprints, as well as open up Sprint 4 for all proposal types. This proposal effectively removes any difference between Sprints in their ability to accept certain kinds of proposals.

Given the current level of activity at Safe{DAO}, this proposal is expected to have significant positive effects. It allows time-sensitive SEPs to proceed through the governance process without delay and opens the door to more frequent conversations on the governance process.

If governance activity at Safe{DAO} exponentially ramps up in the future, it may need to reconsider the original split mandated by SEP 7 and introduce processes to do retroactive evaluations and actively debate governance change backlogs.

Alternative Solutions

These alternatives were considered:

1. Option 1: Introduce a clear review process in Sprint 4 to further strengthen its stance as the “governance review Sprint.”
   Given the current frequency of governance-process changes, this does not feel necessary.

2. Option 2: Open up Sprint 4 for all proposal types but retain the mandate that governance proposals and constitutional proposals can only be submitted during Sprint 4.
   This option is feasible, but it limits Safe{DAO}’s ability to have governance-related discussions when needed. Additionally, this option would only increase the throughput of processing non-governance/constitutional proposals, making it less optimal than the proposed option.

3. Option 3: Keep Sprints as is.
   This option is suboptimal given the recent changes within Safe{DAO}.

Implementation

Does the implementation of the proposal require new code? How is the security of the code ensured? How is the implementation of the proposal carried out?

• [x] Own implementation possible
• [ ] Own implementation but with funding (how much % to implementation)
• [ ] Request for technical support through Safe matter experts