1. Implementer – this is the person who knows the impact that is to be achieved. They live and breathe the operating context, the politics of the situation, and the content or activities to be done. Effectively, they are the problem owner. They champion the why. And they don’t have to know everything, just need to know the people to ask.

2. Techie – this is the person who has a deep understanding of technology. The person who gets the nuances of code, architecture, security, data modelling, and so on. This is the person who also understands the operational context and therefore knows the constraints. They can write technical requirements. And they don’t have to know everything, just need to know the people to ask.

3. Governance – This is the person who thinks about how things fit together, the different layers. The person who thinks about data flows, about power, about access, about rights, privacy, protection, harms, and the long term. This is the person who likely will talk about frameworks, models, and criteria. And they don’t have to know everything, just need to know the people to ask.

Of course there are more people required in decision making around which digital solutions to use. Certainly, having a legal person in some situations is critical. Other times, other people. Pull them in when helpful. Ideally the group of decision makers has a strong facilitator and is large and diverse. The above is a suggestion of the minimum.

Oh and in case it is not self-evident, ideally the above 3 are not all the same gender or cultural background.

Photo by Aaron Burden