1. Introduction / Foreword
The Polaris community consists of all districts using the Polaris software, as well as the Polaris Team responsible for its development.
The collaboration is based on Rotary's core values:
Fairness
Respect
All districts are treated equally – regardless of:
geographic location
language
number of clubs or users
The association Rotary Communication Services Switzerland-Liechtenstein (RCS) is the legal owner of the Polaris software. The Polaris product manager is represented on and reports to the RCS board.
2. Polaris Representatives (Governance Structure)
2.1 Composition
Each district appoints a Polaris District Representative (PDR)
Rotaract clubs appoint a Polaris Rotaract Representative (PRR)
All representatives together form the Polaris Assembly
Districts can delegate their representation.
2.2 Duties of Representatives
The representatives:
represent their district or community (Rotary, Rotaract, Inner Wheel)
support clubs with sound Polaris knowledge
act as an interface to the Polaris team
collect feedback, ideas, and requirements
report issues via RedMine
actively participate in meetings
3. Polaris Team
3.1 Role
The Polaris team is led by the Polaris Product Manager and is responsible for the further development of the software.
3.2 Main Tasks
The team:
manages the entire software development (incl. resources & budget)
communicates with Polaris representatives
collects and consolidates ideas
organizes meetings and votes
defines implementation plans
3.3 Decision-Making Authority
The Polaris team can:
reject ideas
change priorities
Decisions are also based on economic factors (cost-benefit).
4. Contribution and Decision-Making Process
The process consists of three phases:
4.1 Phase 1: Topic Definition
Polaris representatives create ideas in Redmine
Topics have a strategic nature (no technical detail level)
The Polaris team:
collects and evaluates suggestions
creates a shortlist
publishes topics in advance
Goal: Identify relevant topics that have broad significance for the clubs.
4.2 Phase 2: Discussion
Takes place in a video conference
Participation of all representatives is planned
Only pre-defined topics will be discussed
Special features:
New solutions can be introduced
New topics must go through the process again
Moderation by the product manager
Language: English
Session is recorded
4.3 Phase 3: Decision (Voting)
The decision is made by electronic voting. The results are presented anonymously.
Rules:
Each representative receives an equal number of points for voting
For each district or community, one voting representative is designated
All representatives may vote – for the official voting result, only the votes of authorized representatives count
The point allocation is determined by the Polaris team per vote
Total points to be awarded = Number of topics × points per topic (multiplier)
Per topic:
Minimum points
Maximum points
Granularity
Uncast votes are not considered
Voting is anonymous
Polaris team members may vote, but their votes are not eligible and thus do not count towards the official voting result
Prioritization: More points = higher priority in implementation
Result:
Publication on the voting page or via email
Start of the next idea phase
5. Basic Principles of Collaboration
Transparency in the process
Inclusion of all districts and communities
Structured decision-making
Combination of democratic vote and economic evaluation