The board of directors must be able streamlining due diligence with data room software understand their responsibilities, identify and evaluate risk, and foster an environment that encourages value creation. To accomplish this, boards need to be efficient, but too many are evaluated only in the past tense--after something goes wrong.

The most effective boards do not focus on compliance and reports but rather collaborate with management to ensure performance and determine the direction for the future. In order to do this they are constantly evaluating their governance structures and processes. In order to do this they are conducting thorough tests to determine their current level of effectiveness.

These evaluations reveal a variety of challenges and issues. They can range from simple operational complaints, such as meeting length or agenda composition, or more complex problems like the effectiveness of the board in making strategic decisions or in assessing knowledge gaps and competencies, or director succession plans for executive and directors. These evaluations typically consist of composed of self-evaluations from directors and the whole board, and third-party facilitation.

Whether conducted by the board itself, or by independent consultants hired to provide neutral expertise and perspective, the best evaluations are holistic taking into account all aspects of a winning structure for the board, processes and individuals. They also include one-on-one interviews with directors to gather valuable, detailed honest and sensitive feedback that isn't captured by questionnaires alone. They also include recommendations that can be implemented that all directors are required to implement within a reasonable time.