How to create a clear structure in your board work - with the board portal
Today, board work is more complex than ever. New research suggests that digitalization, regulation and rising expectations mean that boards need more structure and better ways of working to keep up.
At the same time, studies show that the right digital governance tools deliver clear results:
- up to hundreds of hours saved each year in meeting preparation
- up to 30% less administration
- more boards experience better decision-making when working digitally - provided the tool is built for board work.
In other words: structure is not 'nice to have' - it is a strategic prerequisite. And this is exactly where the board portal from Reduca comes in.
Below you will find a concrete guide on how to set up your governance work in the portal - step by step - while leaning on research and best practices.
1. Start with the big picture - build your annual calendar & projects
The biggest structural gain comes when the board sees the whole year ahead. Research and best practice on board work suggest that a clear annual flow (annual cycle) makes boards more proactive and less "fire-fighting".
How to use the board portal
a) Create your annual wheel in the Calendar
- Enter all board meetings, annual general meetings, budget process, tenders, contract renegotiations, reporting events, etc.
- Use the year view to get an overview of the whole year.
- Link reminders to those responsible so that nothing gets lost.
b) Link key activities to projects
With the Project function, you can make the year wheel operational:
- create projects for e.g. "Annual Report", "Maintenance Plan", "Procurement Management", "Strategy Work 2026"
- assign tasks in the projects with responsible, deadline, cost, milestones and reminders
- follow up on what is ready, what is late and what is blocking decisions
This makes your work predictable - something that is repeatedly highlighted as a success factor in studies on effective boards.
2. Give each meeting a clear structure - from notice to signed minutes
A common problem in boards is that meetings take up unnecessary time and leave few decisions and unclear follow-up. Research shows that clear agendas and standardized meeting flows are crucial for effective meetings.
How to build your meeting flow in the portal
1. create the meeting in the Meetings function
Here you can:
- create agenda (from template or own structure)
- attach all supporting documents directly to each item
- send the invitation with attachments to the Board and any external participants
Tip: Have a recurring basic structure in the agenda, e.g.:
- Formalities
- Follow-up of decisions & projects
- Strategic issues
- Risk & compliance
- Other issues
This is in line with the recommendation that the majority of meeting time should be devoted to planned, strategic topics rather than ad hoc issues.
2. Hold the meeting - physically or digitally
You can conduct the meeting:
- physically, but with Meetings as the hub for the agenda, notes and annexes
- as a Video Meeting directly in the portal - with chat and presentation facilities
Video meetings in the same tool as agendas and documents reduce the risk of participants getting "lost" between different links, programs and email threads - something that is often pointed out as an inefficiency in digital board work.
3. write, approve and sign the minutes
In the Meetings function you can:
- write minutes based on the agenda or a template
- allow members to table amendments and approve the minutes
- send for E-signature by email or BankID
E-signing allows you to sign minutes, annual documents, receipts and contracts - even with external parties - without them having to access the portal. It provides security, control and traceability.
3. Get total control over contracts - without Excel chaos
Many boards still rely on Excel files, binders or individuals keeping track of contracts. Research on governance shows that a lack of oversight of contracts and commitments is a recurring risk factor.
How to use the Contracts feature
In the Contracts module you can:
- get a clear overview of all contracts (e.g. suppliers, loans, insurance)
- assign responsibility for each contract
- insert reminders for termination, renegotiation or extension
- attach all annexes and write comments (e.g. what you want to change in the next renegotiation)
The Appointments module is linked to the Calendar so important dates are automatically visible in the annual planning. This saves you time:
- unnecessary automatic extensions
- redundancies that are missed
- time-consuming detective work when you want to understand what you have actually agreed
4. Secure document management - without compromising GDPR and information security
A recurring challenge in modern governance research is information security and fragmented communication - files on emails, private cloud services and scattered chats increase risks.
How the Documents feature helps you
In Document you can:
- managing, editing, sharing, signing and storing Board documents
- set passwords on sensitive documents
- use automatic deletion for extra-sensitive documents (e.g. certain personal files)
That way you get:
- a secure channel for board documents (instead of scattered emails and cloud services)
- traceability - you see who has access to what
- better conditions to comply with GDPR and other regulatory requirements
5. Make responsibilities and follow-up crystal clear - with Projects, Registers and Calendar
Research shows that boards are more effective when it is clear who is responsible for what, and when monitoring is systematic - not ad hoc.
Projects - your operational hub
With Project you can:
- break down the board's decisions into concrete tasks
- set responsible, deadline, cost, milestones and comments
- receive reminders when something is about to be delayed
This makes it easy to review at each board meeting:
- what tasks are ready?
- what is delayed - and why?
- what needs to be decided to move forward?
Register - clear structure of your objects
With Registers, you can customize registers according to your organization type, for example:
- real estate, premises, facilities
- members, tenants, customers
- types of contracts or categories of suppliers
It will be a common fact bank that the Board can use to make decisions - instead of each person having their own information.
Calendar - responsibilities and dates in one place
All activities, meetings, deadlines and important dates are collected in the Calendar:
- annual and monthly view
- link to those responsible
- reminders in time
This is in line with recommendations to plan the board's work for a whole year at a time, rather than meeting by meeting.
6. Unify communication - internally and externally
When the Board spreads its communication across emails, SMS, Messenger, Teams and private chats, it becomes:
- difficult to get an overview
- difficult to find decisions and agreements
- unclear what actually applies
Modern research on governance highlights the importance of clear communication channels and traceability - not least to reduce personal dependence.
Messages - your single communication channel
With the Notifications feature you can:
- communicate internally within the board
- communicate externally with members, employees and suppliers
Advantages:
- all communication is gathered in the same portal as your decisions, minutes and documents
- you can easily go back and see what was said and decided
- new members can get to know the history faster
7. A simple start - checklist for your board
To conclude, here is a concrete start-up plan to create a clear structure in your board work with the board portal:
- Decide your annual cycle
- Draw the most important events of the year and add them to the Calendar.
- Standardize meetings
- Create a meeting template in the Meetings with recurring agenda feature.
- Enter all contracts
- Register contracts in the Contracts module, attach annexes, assign responsibility and reminders for termination/renegotiation.
- Making projects visible
- Break down ongoing major tasks (e.g. strategy work, procurement) into projects with clear milestones and assign responsibilities.
- Collecting documents & communication
- Move board documents to Documents, start using Messages instead of email threads and test a first Video Meeting directly in the portal.
When you do this, you make the leap from a boardroom approach based on people management, dispersed systems and firefighting - to an approach that:
- saves time
- provides a better basis for decision-making
- increases engagement in the board
- reduces risks and personal dependency
Most importantly, you'll have a clear, common structure that will hold up even when the world gets more complex.
