Join the 6 August GRC webinar on the ccNSO Continuous Improvement Framework

You are invited to join a webinar on the ccNSO proposed implementation of the ICANN Continuous Improvement Program (CIP).

 

Join Sean Copeland (ccNSO Guidelines Review Committee Chair) and Irina Danelia (GRC member) for a 1-hour webinar on Thursday, 6 August 2026 at 14:30 UTC.  This is an opportunity to gain insights about the ccNSO implementation, ask questions, and connect with the global ccTLD community.

 

The webinar will provide an overview of

• Why the ccNSO needs a Continuous Improvement Program,
• How the learning loop shapes the approach
• How the Criteria & Indicators, Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Protocols, and Engagement Plan work together to support continuous improvement.

 

When? Thursday, 6 August 2026 at 14:30 UTC

How to participate? Register in advance for this meeting.

https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/DsHhShQhTm66xgqnaLbYRg#/registration

 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Recordings will become available here: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/vxh2Bg

 

Background

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of identifying, analyzing, and making incremental improvements to systems, processes, products, or services. Its purpose is to drive efficiency, improve quality, and value delivery while minimizing waste, variation, and defects. The continuous improvement process is driven by ongoing feedback, collaboration, and data.

 

In July 2025, ICANN announced today that the Continuous Improvement Program Community Coordination Group (CIP-CCG) finalized and published the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) Framework. The framework provides a new model for community-led evaluation and enhancement of ICANN's structures and processes.

The CIP Framework was created in response to a recommendation from the Third Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT3), which called for evolving ICANN's Organizational Reviews into a more dynamic continuous improvement process. ATRT3 is the third ICANN-mandated review assessing ICANN's accountability and transparency, and the effectiveness of its Board governance, public input, and policy processes.

 

The ICANN Continuous Improvement Program follows a principles-based approach and is broken down into Principles, Criteria, and Indicators:

• Principles describe the objectives of the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) and define its fundamental goals. 
• Criteria are the conditions that must be met to comply with a principle. A criterion is an element or set of conditions or processes by which a system characteristic is judged. Criteria define how a principle will be achieved without themselves being a measure of performance. 
• Indicators define what the CIP will measure. Indicators are measurable states that allow assessing whether associated criteria are being met. Indicators are flexible, and they can include metrics, assessments, and or new processes put in place to meet criteria. 

 

Consistency is provided by having shared principles as the foundation for continuous improvement across SOs, ACs, and the NomCom. Flexibility is provided by the Principles, Criteria, and Indicators approach because each organizational structure can develop specific criteria for each principle and custom indicators, based on the chosen criteria, for its individual CIP framework. 

 

At ICANN84, held in October 2025, the GRC hosted a World Café session titled "Counting What Counts: Criteria & Indicators of Success for the ccNSO Volunteer Community." The session brought participants together in a dynamic discussion to co-design criteria and indicators that reflect what success means for the ccNSO. Participants shared their insights, exchanged ideas, and helped shape the proposed implementation by ccNSO.