Colleagues,
In order to enhance institutional flexibility while maintaining consistent oversight, the University is pleased to introduce the Mandatory Adoption of Optional Compliance Procedures (MAOCP).
This initiative ensures that optionality itself is standardised, and that all staff have equal access to the freedom to comply in a structured and auditable manner.
1. Purpose
The MAOCP framework is designed to:
- Preserve optionality as a core institutional value
- Ensure that optional procedures are applied consistently
- Provide mandatory pathways for the exercise of discretion
- Harmonise divergent approaches to compliance flexibility
In short: to ensure that everyone is free to choose from the same set of approved choices, in the same approved way.
2. Scope of Optional Compliance
The following areas are now designated as Optionally Mandatory Domains (OMDs):
- Administrative reporting practices
- Meeting attendance modalities
- Teaching delivery adjustments
- Research output classification
- Emotional tone calibration in formal correspondence
Within these domains, compliance is optional—except where it is mandatory.
3. Implementation Framework
All staff are required to adopt the MAOCP through the following steps:
Step 1: Declaration of Optionality Awareness
Staff must acknowledge that optional procedures exist.
Step 2: Selection of Approved Optional Pathways
Staff may choose from the following options:
- Full compliance (mandatory optional route)
- Partial compliance (conditionally mandatory optional route)
- Deferred compliance (temporarily mandatory optional route)
- Non-compliance (requires mandatory justification)
Step 3: Submission of Optional Compliance Intent Form (OCIF)
This form confirms that the staff member understands that optional compliance is now mandatory.
4. Governance Structure
Oversight will be provided by:
The Central Authority for Optional Mandatory Alignment (CAOMA)
Supported by:
- The Optionality Assurance Working Group (OAWG)
- The Mandatory Discretion Advisory Panel (MDAP)
- The Committee for the Standardisation of Non-Standard Practices (CSNSP)
All groups will operate with full procedural autonomy under centrally defined constraints.
5. Reporting Requirements
All optional compliance activity must now be recorded in the:
Register of Mandatory Optional Actions (RMOA)
Entries must include:
- Which optional pathway was selected
- Whether the choice felt genuinely optional
- Any perceived deviation from mandatory expectations
- Retrospective confirmation of compliance status
Failure to submit reports on optional compliance will be treated as a mandatory compliance breach.
6. Staff Guidance
Staff are reminded that:
- Optionality is a structured institutional asset
- Freedom is best exercised within clearly defined boundaries
- Non-compliance with optional procedures may still be compliant, provided it is documented correctly
- Confusion is expected and therefore partially non-optional
Where uncertainty arises, staff should consult their local Optionality Liaison Officer (OLO), who will provide guidance on whether optional advice is mandatory.
7. Closing Statement
The University remains committed to fostering a culture of empowered discretion, supported by robust procedural scaffolding.
The MAOCP represents a significant advancement in ensuring that optionality is not left to chance, interpretation, or uncontrolled autonomy.
We look forward to your mandatory engagement with this optional framework.
Attachment: Optional Compliance Decision Tree (Version 1.0 – mandatory reading required)
