Proposal Evaluation Canvas
A single-page canvas for working through a governance action: problem, evidence, cost, risk, accountability, and open questions.
The canvas exists to slow down the first reaction. It asks you to write what a proposal claims, what it evidences, and what it leaves unanswered before you form a position.
It is deliberately position-neutral. Completing the canvas does not produce a recommendation, a score, or a suggested vote - it produces a record of how you reasoned.
Preview
Canvas sections
- Problem statement in the proposer's own words
- Evidence supplied vs. evidence missing
- Cost breakdown and comparable benchmarks
- Delivery risk, dependency risk, concentration risk
- Accountability: who reports, how often, to whom
- Open questions to raise publicly before voting
How members use it
- Fill it in before reading community commentary
- Publish the filled canvas alongside a vote rationale
- Re-run it if the proposal is amended
Use these alongside it
Resources members commonly pair with this one.
Evidence and Source Quality Checklist
A short protocol for grading the sources behind a claim: provenance, independence, recency, and reproducibility.
Proposal Red Flags Library
A catalogue of recurring warning signs in proposals - vague scope, circular references, unverifiable claims - with worked examples.
Vote Rationale Template
A structured template covering context, evidence considered, tradeoffs, decision, and what would change your mind.