Cardano in a Nutshell: Guardrail Scripts

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Mike Hornan

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Individual

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

75000

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will make educational materials and run live workshops about the Guardrail Scripts so that DReps, SPOs and potential Constitutional Committee Members can gain expert knowledge in this domain.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

This project depends on the publication of CIP-1694 and the Cardano Constitution which are in open-source repositories managed by the Cardano Foundation and Intersect MBO, respectively.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All materials will be released under Creative Commons License: CC BY-SA

[METADATA] Horizons

Governance

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

This project will create educational materials, including an infographic, that breaks down and describes the Guardrail Scripts. The Infographic will show how a proposed Governance Action moves along a timeline from its submission point on chain to either enactment or expiration. Each guardrail will be described along the path as a limiting factor that could block the action if it does not meet requirements.

The project will also include six (6) live workshops held in the ABLE Discord Server for review and group discussion on the Guardrail Scripts. These workshops will follow a similar format to the previous community workshops that were essential for teaching Cardano users how to engage with SanchoNet and were even attended by Input-Output Engineers such as Sam Leathers.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

This project will educate members of the Cardano Community on the Guardrail Scripts so that they understand what Governance Actions are allowed to be proposed and enacted on chain. Having a large number of experts on Cardano Governance is essential to ensure proper governance of the blockchain network.

This project will be useful to all Ada Holders who may want to propose Governance Actions. As a part of the Cardano Constitution, the Guardrail Scripts will automatically prohibit some governance actions as unconstitutional. By understanding the Governance Scripts they will know what actions are allowed to be proposed and they can craft thoughtful proposals that are in line with the constitution which may be fully considered by the Cardano Community.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Mike Hornan has already delivered on a series of Infographics for the “Cardano in a Nutshell” series including: CIP-1694 in a Nutshell, “Cardano CLI in a Nutshell”, and the “Cardano Governance Parameters in a Nutshell.” He has also been running Cardano Governance Workshops on the ABLE Stakepool Discord server for over 18 months, providing a key community collaboration point for testing of the Cardano Sancho Testnet. Mike is part of the Governance Parameters Working Group of the Cardano Parameters Committee, which makes recommendations on the governance parameter thresholds.

Adam Rusch joined the “Cardano Governance Parameters in a Nutshell” project as a proofreader and project manager and will play the same role in this project. Adam has experience with Cardano Governance applications through his work with the Summon Platform and Intersect MBO where he is a member of the Civics Committee and head of the Governance Parameters Working Group of the Parameters Committee.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Title: Project Orientation

A: Milestone outputs

• Develop an outline of infographic and educational materials
• Create draft calendar of events for training sessions

B: Acceptance criteria

• Completed outline of infographic and educational materials
• Draft calendar of events for training sessions

C: Evidence of milestone completion

• Publish draft calendar of events and outline of infographic and educational materials on GitHub.

Title: Educational Materials

A: Milestone outputs

• Create an Infographic and educational materials.
• Finalize calendar of events for training sessions

B: Acceptance criteria

• Completed infographic and educational materials
• Finalized calendar of events for training sessions

C: Evidence of milestone completion

• Publish infographic and educational materials on GitHub and the ABLE Pool Website.
• Public advertisement that materials have been published and are available
• Publish finalized calendar of events on GitHub and in ABLE Discord

Title: Training Sessions

A: Milestone outputs

• Advertise availability of training sessions
• Hold training sessions with relevant stakeholders

B: Acceptance criteria

• Advertisement of training session availability
• Training sessions held and documented

C: Evidence of milestone completion

• Public posts on social media and Cardano related websites announcing training sessions.
• Effort made to appeal to Cardano stakeholders interested in Governance
• Document training sessions held and publish in Discord

Title: Final Milestone

A: Milestone outputs

• Create a final close-out report
• Create a final close-out video

B: Acceptance criteria

• Submit final close-out report
• Submit final close-out video

C: Evidence of milestone completion

• Publish final close-out report on GitHub
• Publish final close-out video on YouTube

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Lead Author & Educator: Mike Hornan

X Profile: https://x.com/Hornan7

GitHub: https://github.com/hornan7

Stake Pool: https://able-pool.io/

YouTube: @hancoeur

Mike Hornan is Stake Pool Operator of ABLE Stake Pool, a Canadian Mission-Driven Stake Pool that donates its SPO Rewards to help entrepreneurs in developing countries. He has been involved with Cardano Governance since the launch of SanchoNet and is responsible for collaborating the bulk of community testing done on that network in preparation for implementation of CIP-1694. He has been hailed by Samuel Leathers, Input-Ouput Engineering Head of Product, and others, as one of the most impactful contributors to Voltaire Governance implementation for the community.  

Mike is active in the IOG Technical Community Discord and the core Cardano repositories on GitHub. He also serves as a member of the Cardano Atlantic Council, which was elected to the Interim Constitutional Committee by the Cardano Community and was the first organization to register CC keys on chain. He is fluent in French and English and lives in Quebec with his wife and children.

Proofreader & Project Manager: Adam Rusch

X Profile: https://x.com/AdamRusch

GitHub: https://github.com/adamrusch

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamruschtech/

Faculty Profile: https://ischool.illinois.edu/people/adam-rusch 

Adam Rusch is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a member of the Summon Platform team. He has been involved with Cardano Governance since the CIP-1694 Longmont Workshop which started the community review process of Voltaire governance. He went on to participate in SanchoNet, host several workshops on Cardano Governance, and became involved with the Cardano Constitutional process.

Adam is active with Intersect MBO as a member of the Civics Committee, the Constitution Ratification Working Group, and is head of the Governance Parameters Working Group of the Parameters Committee. He is also a member of the Intersect Constitutional Council which has a seat on the Interim Constitutional Committee. He lives in the US, near Chicago, with his wife and children.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Budget: 75,000 ADA ($.35 USD/ADA = $26,250)

Planning & Scope: 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Mike & Adam will discuss the extent of scripts to be covered, create an outline of the work, and plan a schedule of live workshops for Cardano Community education.

Guardrail Script Research: 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Mike will collect all pertinent facts and figures related to the Guard Scripts from official Cardano software documentation and consultation with other subject matter experts.

Infographic Production: 20,000 ADA (26.7%)

Mike will produce Infographics that outline the Governance Guardrails, allowing Cardano users to easily visualize the governance process for a better understanding of the system. Adam will serve as collaborator and proofreader for quality assurance.

Live Workshops: 20,000 ADA (26.7%)

Mike will plan and execute six (6) live online workshops, each running approximately 2 hours, to educate the Cardano Community on the Guardrail Scripts. These workshops will be facilitated by Mike and open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Presentation Preparation: 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Mike and Adam will prepare the Guardrail Script materials for future presentations at Cardano Community events such as the Cardano Summit, Rare Evo, or other Cardano related workshops. All information related to the project will also be made available open access so that it can be used by anyone in the community who wants to add future developments.

Project Facilitation: 5,000 ADA (6.7%)

Adam and Mike will prepare updates, Milestone reports, and other materials for the Catalyst community to show that the project is on track.

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

In North America, the location where Mike and Adam are located, freelance consultants in the technical writing industry can demand rates of $50-150 per hour and technical educators can demand hourly rates of $100-200. Because of the highly specialized nature of this work, a rate of 420 ADA per hour ($150 per hour at $.35 USD/ADA) is reasonable.

Total Budget: 75,000 ADA ($.35 USD/ADA = $26,250)

Hourly Rate: 420 ADA/Hour

Expected Hours: 178.5

Planning & Scope: 23.8 Hours - 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Guardrail Script Research: 23.8 Hours - 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Infographic Production: 47.6 Hours - 20,000 ADA (26.7%)

Live Workshops: 47.6 Hours - 20,000 ADA (26.7%)

Presentation Preparation: 23.8 Hours - 10,000 ADA (13.3%)

Project Facilitation: 11.9 Hours 5,000 ADA (6.7%)

Mike and Adam will also be providing all resources to facilitate the project including design software, server subscriptions, testing infrastructure, and paying self-employment taxes.