BIRD Expert Group and Steering Group

The BIRD Steering Group (BIRD-SG) acts as the governing body for the BIRD and assesses its objectives, resources and workflows.

The BIRD-SG consists of representatives of both the banking industry and the NCBs, who also report to their representatives in the Banking Industry Dialogue on ESCB statistics. The two co-chairs of the BIRD-SG, Mr Massimo Casa (representing the ESCB) and Ms Olivia Hauet (representing the banking industry), were appointed at the inaugural meeting on 23 April 2018.

The BIRD-SG oversees the Expert Group, an operational group composed of experts in data modelling and reporting frameworks from the banking industry, central banks and the ECB. The role of these experts is to develop and maintain the BIRD methodology, content and documentation.

Steering group

Introduction

As the BIRD’s governing body, the BIRD Steering Group (BIRD-SG) is responsible for setting the objectives of the BIRD project and providing the resources needed to meet these objectives.

More information about the responsibilities of the BIRD-SG can be found in the Charter of the Steering Group of the Banks’ Integrated Reporting Dictionary.

Minutes of the inaugural meeting in April 2018

Summary of the meeting in December 2018

Work plan

In its inaugural meeting the BIRD-SG agreed on a work plan, which includes incorporating new frameworks into the BIRD, reflecting on issues related to data modelling and setting up activities to test the BIRD documentation so as to guarantee a certain level of quality.

The work has been divided into a number of work streams, which include:

• the work stream on data modelling;
• the work stream on testing;
• work streams for each new reporting framework to be covered.

The BIRD-SG reviewed the work plan in December 2018 and agreed on the current plan for 2019-20.

BIRD work plan, December 2018

BIRD Steering Group Member Institutions

Expert Group

The BIRD Expert Group (BIRD-EG) is the operational body of the BIRD project and is responsible for fulfilling the objectives set by the BIRD-SG. The BIRD-EG comprises representatives of the banking industry and the ESCB who have expertise in reporting requirements and data modelling. The BIRD-EG currently has more than 130 active members from 30 commercial banks, five euro area national central banks and the ECB. The table below shows which institutions are currently actively involved in the BIRD project.

BIRD Expert Group Member Institutions

How does the Expert Group work?

Members of the BIRD-EG are allocated to sub-groups and work streams, in accordance with the work plan established by the BIRD-SG. Each sub-group and work stream has a clear mandate and helps to expand the content of the BIRD documentation. Sub-groups are normally temporary in nature and focus on integrating a specific reporting framework (or part thereof) into the BIRD. Their activity is therefore business-driven; it involves examining the business logic behind reporting requirements and determining how this should be integrated into the BIRD). Work streams, meanwhile, cover broader and more technical aspects of the BIRD project, such as building and maintaining an efficient data model and performing testing activities. Work streams can be either temporary or more stable in nature.

Meetings of the sub-groups usually take place in parallel. Close collaboration between the sub-groups is a key feature of the work of the BIRD-EG and joint sessions may be organised. Each meeting of the BIRD-EG usually includes a plenary session during which members are informed about the progress of the work in each sub-group and discuss possible improvements and challenges.

Meetings of the different work streams may take place independently of the BIRD-EG meetings. The frequency of the meetings depends on the availability of the members and the needs of the specific project. The coordinators of the work streams regularly inform the BIRD-EG about the progress of their work during the plenary meetings.

The work of the sub-groups culminates in a new release of the BIRD which incorporates a new reporting framework into the database. The activities of the work streams are reflected in quality assurance reports, guidelines, recommendations and consultations with the sub-groups on technical aspects.