Dear Lise (cc ATRT2 members):

On behalf of ICANN Staff, thank you for your feedback. We understand the ATRT2 is under a tight deadline to publish its draft report, and Staff is doing its best to respond quickly. Unfortunately, with the press of other, previously scheduled business (including a three-day Board Workshop), Finance Staff has not been able to give the revised language (which was provided in the last three working days) the attention it requires. Larisa is off today, but allow me to elaborate.

While Staff is in alignment with the broad objectives in the text, we have not had enough time to consider the implications of the prescriptive measures proposed. As I believe Xavier noted in his last conversation with you, Staff is developing an approach that meets our shared objectives and helps ensure that the SOs and ACs have ample time to comment on the operating plan and budget, receive a response to their input, and understand the results. We will share the process with the ATRT2 as soon as it is completed and approved by the Board. At this point, given your deadlines, Staff would recommend that the ATRT2 include the overall objectives in its draft report, and note that the development of a corresponding process is imminent (rather than recommending the Team's own detailed process).

Upon first read of the proposed text, Staff had some concern that the new proposed process may not be the most effective, or feasible approach. For example, the prescribed process and periods for the review and feedback on the budget leads to an approximately 5-month validation process once the full detailed budget draft has been finalized and is made available. Since the final budget needs to be approved by the end of June, under the proposed process that means that the draft budget processes needs to be completed by the end of January every year, which I am not sure is feasible or advisable. Again, we would like to get Finance Staff together with you and Jorgen to work through this if possible. With a better understanding of what each step suggested in the proposed text is intending to achieve, I believe Staff could have a more constructive discussion on possible alternatives to achieve the objectives with an impact on timing that is different.

We look forward to working with you on the objectives of the recommendations and their suggested implementation actions in the near future.

Regards,

Denise

On Wed, Oct 2, 2013 at 8:01 AM, Lise Fuhr <lise.fuhr@difo.dk> wrote:

Dear Larisa and Xavier,

I am a bit surprised by your email, since the recommendations have been posted for quite a while and I thought that the conference call with Xavier was to sort this out.

I am a bit unsure of what it is that you want us to change – since we do not have any solid documentation from staff that content of the recommendations are implemented at the moment. We have some ideas that staff are considering to implement what is recommended, but in my opinion this is not enough – we have to ensure that recommendations are taken into account by the board and ICANN staff. The public comments regarding the budget support this.

If there are some of the more specific or prescriptive recommendations that needs to be looked at and maybe determine alternative approaches that would not divert from the intended objectives I am open to find a recommendation that is more operational for you.

Best,

Lise

Fra: atrt2-bounces@icann.org [mailto:atrt2-bounces@icann.org] På vegne af Larisa B. Gurnick
Sendt: 2. oktober 2013 16:09
Til: ATRT2 (atrt2@icann.org)
Cc: Xavier J. Calvez

Emne: Re: [atrt2] Finance template

Dear Lise and Jørgen,

Staff has been reviewing the proposed observations and recommendations considered by the ATRT 2 and would like to offer several clarifications. As you are the ATRT 2 members assigned to complete the analysis and the documentation on various items, staff would appreciate your consideration of the information summarized here.

The ATRT2 draft Finance recommendation communicated to staff includes guiding principles and needs that are generally consistent with those that staff takes into account to evolve the processes and publications towards increased accountability and transparency. Further consideration will be required, ideally in direct interaction with the relevant members of the ATRT2 team, to determine the possibility to implement or not those provisions of the recommendations that are more specific or prescriptive, and to determine alternative approaches that would not divert from the intended objectives.

Staff appreciates the significant work effort that you and the Review Team have committed to making ongoing improvements in ICANN’s accountability and transparency.

Larisa B. Gurnick
Consultant/Senior Director, Organizational Reviews
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

larisa.gurnick@icann.org
310 383-8995

From: atrt2-bounces@icann.org [mailto:atrt2-bounces@icann.org] On Behalf Of Lise Fuhr
Sent: Friday, September 27, 2013 8:57 AM
To: atrt2@icann.org
Subject: [atrt2] Finance template

Dear ATRT2,

Jørgen and I hereby send a revised version of the Finance template with the remarks from our meeting in Washington incorporated.

I have more templates to come during the weekend.

Enjoy your Friday

Best,
Lise

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