Actions
Ten actions record the method, apply diverse perspectives, identify both stakeholder types and their attributes, find protected attributes, test for bias, update clause 4, measure influence and feed clause 8.
What clause 6.4 asks
Ten tasks define the method. Write down the procedure and the reason for it, and the reason for each choice. Bring in different viewpoints and ask the people already found to name others. Find those who are affected and those who exert influence. Record the attributes each one has, both inherent and setting-specific. Identify the attributes with legal protection, the reason for it, and the steps taken to guard them. Look for bias in the attributes and send the result back to the first step. Measure how much influence each influential party has, record it and pass it to the risk work. Annex B offers a method for some of these tasks.
Why it matters
The ten actions are a research protocol, not a brainstorm. The rationale requirement is what makes the set defensible: a later reader can see why a group was included, why an attribute was called protected, and why an influence was weighted as it was. The action that tests the attributes for bias is the bridge to clause 4, because it can send the team back to change a requirement. The influence measurement is the bridge to clause 8, because it becomes an input to the internal risk inventory.
What good looks like
Write the procedure before the first session and keep a decision log. For each action, produce a named artefact. Use the diverse-perspective action to invite people who are not on the delivery team, and record what changed as a result. For protected attributes, cite the law or the cultural basis in the context of use. For influence, use a simple scale that the risk team can consume, and record the evidence behind each rating.
Evidence an assessor asks for
The assessor will sample a protected attribute and ask for its basis. An attribute labelled protected because it seemed sensitive, with no legal or cultural reference, will not survive the question.
- Procedure and rationale The identification method and the reason for each decision
- Diverse perspective record Who was invited, what they contributed and what changed
- Impacted and influencing sets The two sets, with the type recorded for each stakeholder
- Protected attribute record Each protected attribute, its basis and the protection steps
- Influence measure The measured influence of each influencing stakeholder and the evidence
Where it commonly fails
- The procedure is written after the set is complete
- Influencing stakeholders are omitted because they are internal
- Protected attributes are listed without a jurisdiction or basis
What to do before publication
Run the actions as a protocol with a decision log. The log is the evidence that the method was followed.