Before deciding to use Board Dimensions (or any other platform or partner), share the purpose and process chosen with your board. If all directors understand why you want to review the board and what the process entails, the responses will be more timely, accurate and rich in insight.

Once you’ve chosen your platform/partner, let your board know that they can expect an email from that partner.

Please give your directors enough (but not too much) time to respond to the survey. The ideal timespan for the survey to be open is between ten and twenty days. This gives your directors at least one weekend (if they need that flexibility) while ensuring that not too much time lapses between the first responses and the last.

We always recommend that all board directors are included in the board review. New directors provide valuable insights, and their fresh perspectives are often extra valuable. The survey is designed so that they can opt out of questions they may not be able to respond to.

If there are employee representatives on your board, they should of course also be included, as should their deputies (if they regularly attend board meetings).

If the CEO is a board director, s/he should of course be included along with the rest of the board. If the CEO is not a formal board director, we recommend that s/he is not included as a respondent.

The automated report will be available in your Board Dimensions portal once all the respondents have completed the survey. The report will typically include three sections.

Section 1 - Executive summary
An overview of the most important insights, compared to Alumni’s benchmark (where possible/relevant) and your previous reviews (when available).

Section 2 - Detailed results
Detailed results from the survey compiled per section with trend markers compared to previous years’ results (when available). All open-text responses are also included to provide nuance and additional insight.

Section 3 - CEO evaluation
The board’s evaluation of your CEO including open-text responses. If available, this section also includes the trend markers compared to previous years’ results. (The section is only available if you have chosen to include the CEO evaluation in your board review.)