The effectiveness of the board’s management aspect of the board assessment process examines the board’s processes for managing the board’s agenda meetings, as well as the distribution of written reports. It is crucial to ensure that each item on the agenda is clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and quantifiable outcomes.

Another key consideration is the ability of the board to understand and respond to business risks and challenges in a timely manner. Boards need to be flexible in their approach, whether it’s shareholder activism or cyber security.

The ability of the board to help and motivate the CEO and top management team is crucial in enabling them to fulfill their day-to- daily tasks. A thorough assessment of the board can assist in reestablishing specific roles and purposes of the C-Suite and the board of directors to ensure that everyone is working to achieve the same objective.

Board members’ knowledge of the business extends beyond what they are told by the management. It also includes their own research into trends in economic headwinds, customer, supplier and other key stakeholder behaviour. Board members also visit locations and engage with management in informal ways between meetings to gain firsthand information.

The board has yourboardroom.net an information management structure that is well-constructed, understood and offers the level of detail required to make informed decisions. This could include a matrices of board reporting and notices that clearly defines the issues that require oversight by the board (mission vital) and what does not (management issues). Similarly, it might be beneficial to have a governance matrix that sets out the appropriate role for the board in relation to each of these areas.