Framework Metric Assignment

RICA solution frameworks create the initial metric set for a project. A protected cultivation project, a biochar project, and a wetland restoration project should share a common reporting discipline, but they should not all report the same operating and impact metrics.

Assignment Rule

When a project selects one or more RICA solution frameworks, Atlas can seed a default metric set from those frameworks. If more than one selected framework uses the same metric, the project receives the metric once.

After project creation, the metric set becomes project-owned. Changing the project’s framework labels should not silently add or remove project metric assignments. Additions, retirements, and changes should be explicit and traceable.

Why Framework Defaults Exist

Framework defaults reduce reporting burden and prevent sponsors from inventing a new metric vocabulary for each project. They also preserve comparability for investors by ensuring projects in the same solution framework start with similar evidence expectations.

Project-Owned Reporting Set

Action	Standard Treatment
Add metric	Record the metric, effective start date, target where relevant, and reason.
Retire metric	Stop future reporting while preserving historical submissions.
Change target	Record the new target and reason without rewriting prior approved values.
Change cadence	Treat as an explicit reporting agreement change. Monthly is the default.
Add project-specific metric	Label it clearly as project-specific so it is not confused with common RICA metrics.

Sponsor And Reviewer Responsibilities

Sponsors should confirm that each assigned metric is measurable with the project’s operating systems. Reviewers should test whether the assigned metric set matches the selected frameworks, the Project Information Model claims, the O&M plan, and the evidence available through the open project account.

Caution

A metric should not be assigned only because it sounds positive. It should be assigned because the project can report it consistently and because the value is relevant to the project’s impact or operating model.