agentic-govbot/templates/do-ocracy.md

Do-ocracy Constitution

This constitution establishes governance based on initiative and action: those who step up to do work have authority over how they do it.

Article 1: Core Principle

Section 1.1: The Do-ocracy Principle

"If you want to see something happen, make it happen."

• Members who take initiative have authority over their work
• Contributors decide how to accomplish their projects
• Action and contribution create legitimacy
• Community trusts those who do the work

Section 1.2: Autonomy and Responsibility

Those who do the work:

• Have freedom to choose their approach
• Are responsible for the outcomes
• Should communicate what they're doing
• Remain accountable to community values

Section 1.3: Low Barriers to Action

This constitution aims to:

• Minimize bureaucratic overhead
• Encourage experimentation and initiative
• Trust members to make good decisions
• Let results speak for themselves

Article 2: Membership

Section 2.1: Who Can Do?

All community members can take initiative:

• New members equally welcome to contribute
• No formal permission needed for most actions
• Contribution is the primary membership activity
• Bot tracks member participation and contributions

Section 2.2: Member Rights

All members have the right to:

• Propose and execute projects
• Make decisions within their work
• Request resources for their initiatives
• Collaborate with other members
• Discuss and advocate for approaches

Section 2.3: Joining the Community

New members join by:

• Expressing interest and introducing themselves
• Starting to participate and contribute
• Following the code of conduct
• Learning community norms through doing

Article 3: Taking Initiative

Section 3.1: Starting Something New

To launch an initiative:

1. Announce what you plan to do
2. Explain the goal and approach
3. Mention @govbot to log your initiative
4. Start working
5. Keep community informed of progress

Section 3.2: Authority Through Action

When you take initiative:

• You have authority over your project
• You decide on implementation details
• You set your own timeline and milestones
• Others can offer input but you make the calls
• Bot supports your work with necessary capabilities

Section 3.3: Collaboration Welcome

While doers have authority:

• Others can offer to help
• Collaboration is encouraged
• Contributors share decision-making
• Lead doer coordinates unless group decides otherwise

Article 4: Limits and Boundaries

Section 4.1: When You Need Permission

Some actions require community input via lobbying (Article 5):

• Spending significant community funds
• Making major platform configuration changes
• Establishing new official policies
• Actions that restrict other members
• Changes affecting everyone's experience

Section 4.2: Reversible Actions Preferred

Do-ocracy works best when:

• Actions can be undone if problematic
• Changes can be iterated on
• Experiments are low-risk
• Bot maintains reversibility logs

Section 4.3: Respect for Others' Work

Don't interfere with others' initiatives:

• Don't undo someone's work without discussion
• Don't take over projects without invitation
• Offer to help rather than criticize
• If you disagree, do it differently yourself

Article 5: Lobbying and Input

Section 5.1: Announcing Intentions

Before major initiatives:

• Post your plans to the community
• Explain what you want to do and why
• Mention @govbot to create discussion thread
• Give others time to respond (typically 2-3 days)

Section 5.2: Listening to Input

During lobbying period:

• Community members offer feedback
• You consider the input seriously
• You may adjust plans based on concerns
• You make the final call as the doer
• Bot facilitates discussion

Section 5.3: Proceeding Despite Concerns

You can proceed even if some disagree:

• If you've heard the concerns
• If you're willing to be responsible
• If you'll reverse if it doesn't work out
• But if strong opposition, consider pausing for more discussion

Article 6: When Things Go Wrong

Section 6.1: Reversing Actions

If an action causes problems:

• Community discusses the issue
• Original doer can reverse their action
• If unavailable, others can reverse with discussion
• Bot tracks reversals and reasons

Section 6.2: Learning from Mistakes

Mistakes are learning opportunities:

• No punishment for good-faith efforts
• Discuss what went wrong
• Adjust approach for next time
• Community supports experimentation

Section 6.3: Addressing Problematic Patterns

If a member repeatedly:

• Ignores community input
• Causes harm through their actions
• Acts in bad faith
• Violates community values

Then stronger intervention needed (see Article 7).

Article 7: Accountability and Boundaries

Section 7.1: Code of Conduct

All actions must align with:

• Community code of conduct
• Shared values and principles
• Legal requirements
• Platform terms of service

Section 7.2: Community Intervention

The community can stop or reverse actions that:

• Violate code of conduct
• Harm members or community
• Exceed reasonable authority
• Demonstrate bad faith

Process:

1. Member raises concern about action
2. Community discusses (minimum 2 days)
3. If rough consensus to stop/reverse, bot implements
4. Original doer can explain and defend their action

Section 7.3: Removing Harmful Members

For serious or repeated violations:

• Community discusses removal (minimum 5 days)
• Member in question can participate in discussion
• If rough consensus, member removed
• Bot implements removal decision

Article 8: Resources and Infrastructure

Section 8.1: Access to Tools

Members should have access to:

• Platform capabilities for their initiatives
• Bot functionality to support their work
• Information and documentation
• Collaboration tools

Section 8.2: Resource Allocation

For limited resources:

• Small amounts: just take what you need
• Larger amounts: lobby the community first
• Track usage so others know what's available
• Bot helps track resource allocation

Section 8.3: Infrastructure Changes

Platform configuration changes:

• Routine maintenance: do-ocracy applies
• Major changes: lobby community first
• Security updates: act immediately, announce after
• Bot logs all infrastructure changes

Article 9: Conflict Resolution

Section 9.1: Direct Communication

For conflicts between doers:

• Talk directly first
• Explain your perspectives
• Try to find mutually acceptable solution
• Assume good faith

Section 9.2: Community Mediation

If direct discussion doesn't resolve:

• Bring to community for input
• Each side explains their view
• Community helps find middle ground
• Bot facilitates mediation process

Section 9.3: Rough Consensus

For persistent conflicts:

• Community gauges rough consensus
• Not unanimous but general agreement
• Direction with most support prevails
• Minority can still do it differently if not disruptive

Article 10: Constitutional Matters

Section 10.1: Constitutional Interpretation

When constitutional meaning is unclear:

• Member requests interpretation from @govbot
• Bot provides interpretation with reasoning
• Community discusses if interpretation is contentious
• Rough consensus on interpretation guides future cases

Section 10.2: Constitutional Amendments

To amend this constitution:

1. Member proposes amendment
2. Community discusses (7 days minimum)
3. If rough consensus supports change, amendment adopted
4. Bot updates constitution

Section 10.3: Core Principles

Amendments should preserve:

• Low barriers to action
• Authority through contribution
• Individual initiative and autonomy
• Accountability to community
• Trust in members

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Implementation Notes

This constitution creates action-oriented governance:

1. Empowerment: Members can act without permission
2. Efficiency: Low overhead for getting things done
3. Flexibility: Doers choose their approach
4. Accountability: Community can intervene when needed
5. Trust: Assumes good faith and responsibility

The bot should support member initiatives, track what's happening, facilitate lobbying when needed, and help the community intervene only when actions become problematic. Err on the side of letting people do rather than blocking action.