Auditing All 1892 Project Catalyst Proposals

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Cardano Watch Dog

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

Entity (Not Incorporated)

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

10

[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)

I will develop a web portal to review Catalyst proposals from Fund 1-13, analyzing deliverables, team reputation, fund misuse, and excessive submissions to integrate with Lidonation reputation scores

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

No

[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.”

No dependencies.

[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

The web portal and all reviews will be publicly accessible, with data shared openly with the Cardano community. Any information submitted by community members will remain anonymous

[METADATA] Horizons

Audit

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Context:

With over $100 million in total funds, 1892 funded proposals, and a community of over 69,000 members, Project Catalyst has grown rapidly. However, there is currently no decentralized system to audit and review completed projects. The lack of transparency regarding how funds are spent and whether promised deliverables are met leads to diminished trust in the voting process. Additionally, some proposers exploit loopholes, submitting multiple proposals under different names to secure more funding than permitted.

Our Approach:

Cardano Watch Dog will create a web portal to provide a comprehensive analysis of Catalyst projects, reviewing 7-8 proposals per day, and aiming to cover 1892 proposals. This portal will not only review completed projects but will also allow community members to report any irregularities they encounter. The main features of the platform include:

• Deliverables vs. Proposal: A thorough analysis of what was promised in the proposal and what was ultimately delivered.
• Quality of Work: Evaluating whether the quality of the project meets or exceeds the standards set in the proposal.
• Team Reputation: An analysis of the team members’ past work, focusing on the quality of previous proposals and their track record within the Catalyst ecosystem.
• Funding Duplication: Identifying whether a proposer has submitted multiple proposals with similar scopes, either under different project names or by failing to disclose co-proposers.
• Excessive Proposal Submissions: Highlighting individuals or teams who have submitted more proposals than allowed, bypassing Catalyst's regulations through loopholes.
• Community Reporting: A feature that allows Cardano community members to contribute information or report any concerns about specific proposals or teams.
• Integration with Lidonation: The findings will be shared with Lidonation’s reputation score system, providing more accurate and detailed information for voters to make informed decisions about future proposals.

Additional Features:

• Code of Ethics: I will draft and enforce a Code of Ethics to guide governance of DReps and become a DRep mhyself, using the delegation system to support this ethical approach to governance.
• Stake Pool for Funding: The creation of a Cardano Watcdog stake pool, where any funds generated will be reinvested into continuous auditing and analysis, making the initiative self-sustainable. This will allow for the creation of a team to continue reviewing proposals, even in the community review stage, for future funds to come.

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

This project will bring significant value by creating transparency and accountability within Project Catalyst. The web portal will provide comprehensive audits of past proposals, empowering the community with data-driven insights on how funds were used and if proposers delivered on their promises. This will lead to:

• Improved Trust in the Catalyst Process: With detailed reviews and analysis, voters will have confidence in the integrity of future proposals and their proposers.
• Stronger Governance: By implementing a Code of Ethics and collaborating with the delegation system, Cardano Watch Dog will enforce higher standards of accountability within Catalyst.
• Engaged Community Participation: Community members can report irregularities and contribute to the auditing process, further decentralizing accountability.
• Enhanced Voting Decisions: The integration with Lidonation’s reputation score system will help voters make more informed decisions based on accurate, in-depth reviews of past performance.

How Will You Measure This Impact?

1. Number of proposals reviewed: The goal is to review 7-8 proposals per day across 1892 funded projects.
2. Community engagement: By tracking the number of community contributions and reports submitted through the portal.
3. Reputation Score Integration: Measuring how the reputation score from Lidonation is used in voting processes, based on the new data provided.
4. Twitter views and website traffic: These will be tracked to measure the impact and reach of the project.
5. DRep delegation growth: Monitoring the number of active delegation to DRep ID.
6. Stakepool delegation growth: Tracking the growth in the number of delegators and the total stake delegated to the pool over time.

[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?

Cardano Watch Dog has been an active participant in the Cardano community since 2019, with a strong emphasis on ethical practices and uncovering misuse within the ecosystem. Watch dog brings significant technical experience in React and Node.js, allowing him to develop the web portal necessary for managing the review and analysis of Catalyst proposals. Additionally, Watch dog has a proven track record of reviewing and reporting on low-quality deliverables, with plans to scale up these efforts through this project.

Steps or processes to ensure trust and accountability:

• Experience in ethical governance: Watch dog has consistently advocated for transparency and accountability, making him highly capable of responsibly managing project funds.
• Technical expertise: Watch Dog's experience with React and Node.js will ensure the development of a robust web portal to facilitate efficient proposal reviews.
• Proven track record: As an active member of the Cardano community, Watch Dog has already demonstrated his ability to provide critical audits and uncover misuse within the ecosystem.

Validation of Feasibility:

• Regular updates: We will publish updates on the number of proposals reviewed, audit findings, and community contributions.
• Independent verification: Community experts will be encouraged to review and validate the accuracy of the audits.
• Stake Pool Sustainability: The Cardano Watch Dog stake pool will provide a sustainable source of funding, ensuring continuous analysis of new proposals beyond the initial scope of this project.

These steps reflect a structured approach to delivering the project with high levels of trust, accountability, and transparency.

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

Milestone 1: Proposal Review + Fully Functional Web Portal

Duration: Months 1-3

Goal: Complete the review of 473 proposals and develop a fully functional web portal for proposal submission.

A. Milestone Outputs

• Review and publish 473 proposals.
• Develop and launch a fully functional web portal to allow for organized audit reports and community feedback.

B. Acceptance Criteria

• 473 proposal reviews completed and available on the platform.
• Web portal fully operational, with the ability to submit comments on audit reports and submit community based evidence/information.

C. Evidence of Completion

• Screenshots or links to the published proposal reviews.
• Demonstration of the functional web portal for proposal audit submissions, including user testing feedback.

Milestone 2: Continue Proposal Review + Stake Pool Operational

Duration: Months 4-7

Goal: Complete the review of an additional 473 proposals and ensure the Cardano Watch Dog stake pool is operational.

A. Milestone Outputs

• Review and publish 473 additional proposals.
• Ensure the Cardano Watch Dog stake pool is operational and generating sustainable funding.

B. Acceptance Criteria

• 473 additional proposal reviews completed and available on the platform.
• Stake pool fully operational with initial stake delegations.

C. Evidence of Completion

• Screenshots or links to the published additional proposal reviews.
• Documentation of the operational stake pool, including delegations and funding reports.

Milestone 3: Continue Proposal Review + DRep ID + DRep Code of Ethics

Duration: Months 8-9

Goal: Complete the review of an additional 473 proposals and create a DRep ID used for delegation, along with a DRep Code of Ethics.

A. Milestone Outputs

• Review and publish 473 additional proposals.
• Create a DRep ID for delegation.
• Draft and establish a DRep Code of Ethics for community use.

B. Acceptance Criteria

• 473 additional proposal reviews completed and available on the platform.
• DRep ID created for delegation
• DRep Code of Ethics established and publicly available.

C. Evidence of Completion

• Screenshots or links to the published additional proposal reviews.
• Documentation of the DRep ID with information on how Cardano Watch Dog will vote
• Publication of the DRep Code of Ethics for community review.

Final Milestone: Continue Proposal Review, Project Close-Out, and Reporting

Duration: Month 10

Goal: Complete the review of the final 473 proposals and provide a comprehensive project close-out report, including submission to Lidonation for reputation scoring.

A: Milestone Outputs

• Review and publish the final 473 proposals.
• Complete and submit the project close-out report.
• Submit project data to Lidonation for reputation scores creation

B: Acceptance Criteria

• Final 473 proposal reviews completed and available on the platform.
• Project close-out report finalized and distributed.
• Confirmation of submission to Lidonation for reputation scores creation

C: Evidence of Completion

• Screenshots or links to the final published proposal reviews.
• Copy of the project close-out report.
• Confirmation of submission to Lidonation for reputation scores creation

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

Cardano Watch Dog

Role: Project Lead, Web Developer, Auditor, and Stake Pool Manager

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the review process of Catalyst proposals, ensuring transparency, consistency, and accuracy.
• Enforce the Code of Ethics throughout the review process.
• Manage the Cardano Watch Dog stake pool, ensuring proper fund management and reinvestment into continuous reviews.
• Lead web development efforts to ensure all proposals are uploaded to the platform and accessible for review.
• Conduct audits of reviewed proposals to ensure they meet ethical and community standards.
• Provide regular updates and reporting on the status of proposal reviews, milestones, and audit results to the Cardano community.

Cardano Watch Dog will handle all aspects of the project, ensuring the review process is conducted with integrity, transparency, and accountability.

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

Budget Breakdown

Total Funding Request: 100,000 ADA (one-time funding)

• Proposal Reviews (Analysis of 1892 Proposals)

1. Total Cost: 47,000 ADA
2. Description: This covers the in-depth analysis of 1892 proposals, including assessments of deliverables, team reputation checks, identification of potential misuse of funds, excessive submissions, and compliance with ethical standards.
3. Breakdown:

• Cost per proposal: Approximately 24.8 ADA
• Resources: Dedicated time for researching, reviewing, and documenting proposal analysis.
• Web Portal Development and Maintenance

1. Total Cost: 22,000 ADA
2. Description: Development of a user-friendly web portal to display proposal reviews, allow community contributions, and ensure real-time data access. This also covers ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
3. Breakdown:

• Initial development: 14,000 ADA
• Server hosting, security, and maintenance: 8,000 ADA
• Community Reporting Feature

1. Total Cost: 9,000 ADA
2. Description: Development and integration of a feature that allows community members to submit reports or feedback on specific proposals or project teams.
3. Breakdown:

• Development and integration into the web portal: 6,000 ADA
• Ongoing support for community submissions: 3,000 ADA
• Stake Pool Setup for Continuous Auditing

1. Total Cost: 12,000 ADA
2. Description: Set up a Cardano Watch Dog stake pool to generate ongoing funds for future proposal reviews and audits, ensuring the project remains self-sustaining.
3. Breakdown:

• Stake pool infrastructure setup and security: 9,000 ADA
• Marketing and outreach for delegators: 3,000 ADA
• Project Management and Community Engagement

1. Total Cost: 10,000 ADA
2. Description: Managing the project, overseeing proposal reviews, engaging with the community, and coordinating between development, auditing, and reporting. This includes community outreach and promotional efforts to encourage participation in the web portal and stake pool.
3. Breakdown:

• Project management: 6,000 ADA
• Community engagement and outreach (promotion and content creation): 4,000 ADA

Summary of Budget:

• Proposal Reviews: 47,000 ADA
• Web Portal Development and Maintenance: 22,000 ADA
• Community Reporting Feature: 9,000 ADA
• Stake Pool Setup: 12,000 ADA
• Project Management and Community Engagement: 10,000 ADA

Total: 100,000 ADA

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

The Cardano Watch Dog project offers significant value for money by tackling a critical need in Catalyst—transparency and accountability in funded proposals. With a one-time request of 100,000 ADA, the project aims to audit 1,892 proposals and establish a self-sustaining stake pool for ongoing reviews. Here’s how the costs reflect the value:

• Comprehensive Proposal Auditing

The 47,000 ADA allocated for reviews covers detailed analysis of each proposal, ensuring in-depth checks on deliverables, team reputation, and compliance. At around 24.8 ADA per proposal, this is highly efficient for such detailed work.

• Web Portal Development

The 22,000 ADA for web portal development includes hosting and maintenance, providing a long-term resource for transparent reporting. The focus is on community accessibility, delivering high functionality for a fraction of typical development costs.

• Community Engagement

9,000 ADA funds a feature allowing Cardano users to report on proposals, encouraging decentralized feedback and accountability, making this a low-cost way to enhance participation.

• Sustainability Through Stake Pool

With 12,000 ADA, the setup of a self-sustaining stake pool will fund ongoing audits, providing long-term value without additional funding needs.

• Project Management

10,000 ADA ensures effective project oversight and community outreach, supporting smooth execution and promoting engagement.

• Cost Efficiency and Long-term Value

With competitive rates below industry standards, this project delivers transparency, community empowerment, and sustained auditing for Catalyst—enhancing trust and efficiency across the ecosystem.

• In Summary

The Cardano Watch Dog project is a cost-effective, high-value solution, delivering long-term benefits for the entire Cardano community.