The Interest Register in BoardPro allows organisations to manage and track conflicts of interest or affiliations effectively. Several tasks, including removing people, closing or deleting interests, and ensuring accurate records, may arise. This guide outlines step-by-step actions to handle these processes.
The Interests Register is located under the "People List" area, enabling board members to view and, when necessary, edit the information directly.
Removing People from the Interest Register
If you need to remove a person and their interests entirely from the Interest Register or simply revoke their access, follow these steps:
Close any Interests Associated: - Navigate to the Interests Register. - Close existing interests marked under their name to ensure no active records remain in the system. Recently closed interests will still appear on the Interest Register Report for 50 days before dropping off automatically. If you need them removed sooner, you can delete them directly from your interest register.- Add an end date to the interest to mark it as past. This action will automatically close the interest and move it into the "Past Interests" category.
Delete Interests from the Register: - Access the "Interests Register" section. - Locate and delete their interests by selecting the relevant entries. - Confirm the deletion action. This will remove the interests from appearing in future agendas and Board Packs. The manual deletion process involves selecting the "Past Interests" tab in the Interest Register, choosing the individual, and removing the specific interest using the trash icon, followed by confirmation.
Remove or Revoke Access via the People List: - Navigate to the 'People' section in the top navigation bar. - Find the board member's name and use the three dots next to their name to choose the appropriate action. - To revoke access, select "Revoke Access" to prevent the person from accessing the organisation's data while retaining their details. - Alternatively, to completely remove the board member, choose the "Remove" option to ensure they no longer appear as an active member in your People List.
Note that historical data such as meeting attendance or completed action items will be preserved, ensuring auditability. Any open actions may need to be reassigned. Additionally, preserved data includes participation in past meeting minutes and historical involvement that contributes to a complete governance record.
Updating Agendas and Board Packs Post-Changes
Changes in the Interests Register will automatically reflect in the next Board Pack. However, for already published agendas, republishing is required for updates to take effect.
Changes to an agenda in BoardPro reflect differently depending on the meeting's current status: If the meeting is in 'Draft Minutes' or 'Minutes in Review' stages, updates to the agenda will not affect the board pack or register unless the meeting is rolled back to the 'Published Agenda' stage. Once rolled back and republished, updates are propagated across all associated documents.
Whenever changes are made to the Interests Register, it is essential to validate their impact within your organization’s records:
To ensure updates to the interest register and agenda apply holistically, roll the meeting back to the 'Published Agenda' stage and republish before proceeding.
Review and update any meeting agendas affected by these changes.
Republish the agenda to ensure the edits are accurately reflected in the next Board Pack.
Frequently Asked Scenarios
How can I delete information or organisations from the Interests Register?
To delete organisational information or associated entries, perform this action directly within the "Interests Register" interface. This cannot be done via meeting agendas. For manual deletion, navigate to the "Past Interests" tab under the Interests Register, select the person's name, and remove the desired entry using the trash icon. Confirm the deletion to complete the process.Additionally, you can access past interests through meeting documents in BoardPro. Previous meeting agendas often include associated interest registers as separate attachments, which can provide additional routes for retrieving historical data.
Are recently closed interests automatically removed?
Recently closed interests appear on the Interest Register Report for 50 days before being excluded automatically. If you prefer immediate updates, follow the deletion process outlined above. In draft agendas, closed interests remain visible under the "Recently Closed" section during the 50-day period. The 50-day period ensures recent changes are transparent and accessible to board members, especially in organizations where meetings may not be held monthly. This practice represents good governance by maintaining a clear and accessible record of conflicts during this transition time. Beyond this 50-day period, historical data from past meeting agendas can be accessed, as they often include the interest register as an attachment. This ensures that vital records remain retrievable for governance purposes, even after the automatic exclusion timeline.
The "Recently Closed" subsection within an agenda item preserves such changes for visibility, providing clear accountability during the 50-day transition period.
Once the agenda is published, they still appear labeled as "Recently Closed" until the automatic 50 day exclusion date. You may need to republish an agenda for these updates to show in your Board pack. This ensures transparency for board members during transitions.
It's also important to note that a published meeting pack serves as a snapshot, meaning it will not dynamically update with subsequent changes from the Interests Register. This ensures the consistency and accuracy of records once published.
Alternatively, you can use the 'Meeting Documents' area in BoardPro to view all attachments from past meetings conveniently in one place. This provides an additional streamlined method to access historical interest records.
Governance Considerations
Transparency: Maintaining visibility for 50 days ensures all board members remain informed of changes, even in the absence of frequent meetings.
Record Integrity: The 50-day policy supports unbiased and systematic handling of closed interests.
Situational Adjustments: Consider documenting and communicating manual deletions, particularly when deviating from the standard policy. Before opting for manual deletion, consider the governance implications such as reducing visibility for recent changes, which might not align with best practices. Maintaining transparency for 50 days supports record integrity and promotes informed decision-making.