> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://democracy-distributed.gitbook.io/democracy-distributed-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://democracy-distributed.gitbook.io/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/pod.md).

# POD

POD takes the same principles as WikiGov (open decisions, clear rules, traceable money) and puts them in your hands, for **your own** group.

**Status:** vision stage. POD is designed but not built yet. We're looking for people to help build it. → [Get involved](/democracy-distributed-docs/contribute/get-involved.md)

## Who it's for

Anyone who decides things together, spends money on what they decided, and wants everyone to see how:

* **Community groups:** neighbourhood associations, tenant groups, climate and food initiatives
* **Co-operatives and employee-owned businesses**, where members have a real say and a right to see where money goes
* **Small teams and partnerships:** a few people running something together who want to keep it fair, and keep their friendships intact
* **Group projects:** friends organizing a trip, an event, or a shared purchase
* **Just you:** personal finances, recorded with the same clear structure

The idea: **project management for everyone, with no project management knowledge required.**

## What you can do

| Do                          | How it works                                                                                                                                                   |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Raise an idea**           | Anyone can post a Suggestion, even a non-member.                                                                                                               |
| **Turn it into a proposal** | A member turns a Suggestion into a formal Item for the group to decide.                                                                                        |
| **Decide together**         | Members vote, and the result and record are visible to the group.                                                                                              |
| **Set your own rules**      | Your group's constitution lives in POD: how decisions are made, who can spend what, and how rules change.                                                      |
| **Get it done**             | A passed Item becomes a Project or a direct action, with tasks people can pick up.                                                                             |
| **Track the money**         | Every payment links back to the decision that approved it.                                                                                                     |
| **Find help**               | Post tasks to the [Contributor Network](/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/contributor-network.md) to find people outside your group who share your goals. |

## Simple rules to start

So groups can begin without designing a constitution from scratch, POD starts with sensible defaults:

* Anyone can make a Suggestion.
* Only members can create a formal Item.
* Any member can support an Item to move it to a vote.
* A simple majority of voting members passes an Item.
* A passed Item becomes a Project or a direct action.
* Votes are visible to members. It's an open ballot, not a secret one.

Groups will be able to amend these rules over time, through their own decisions, the same way a council amends a by-law.

## Use only what you need

Not every group needs everything. POD is meant to be modular, so a group can switch on only the parts it needs:

* **Just decisions:** suggestions, proposals, and votes
* **Just projects:** tasks, owners, and progress
* **Just money:** a shared budget and a clear record of who paid what
* **Or all of it**, connected into one chain

You can start small and add more as the group grows.

## A shared visual workspace

Alongside regular lists, each group will get a **canvas**: a whiteboard-style space where suggestions, proposals, tasks, and projects appear as colour-coded cards. You can see how ideas connect and where everything stands at a glance.

## Money together

Very little money is truly solo: couples, families, roommates, and side-project partners all share it. Yet most money tools assume it is, or only handle one slice, like splitting bills. POD treats shared money the way rotating savings circles (*committees*, *tandas*, *susus*) always have: as something a group decides on together, with a record of who proposed, who agreed, and where it went. People choose how much to share.

## The same model as government

POD isn't a separate system. It's the same data model WikiGov uses for cities. A tenant group and a city council are recorded the same way, so the skills, tools, and transparency carry over from one to the other.

In the web app, community groups already appear with their own layout: Suggestions and Rules tabs alongside the usual Items, Projects, Finances and People. → [How the web app tells them apart](/democracy-distributed-docs/build/architecture-overview.md#how-the-web-app-tells-them-apart)

DD itself is meant to be the first POD group, running its own teams and decisions this way. → [Get involved](/democracy-distributed-docs/contribute/get-involved.md)

**Next:** [The Contributor Network →](/democracy-distributed-docs/understand/contributor-network.md)