A governance framework is the operating manual for how decisions get made in your protocol. At minimum, it should define: who can create proposals (and the token threshold required), the lifecycle of a proposal (discussion period, voting period, execution delay), quorum requirements, the scope of governance authority (what token holders can and cannot change), and the role of any security council or multisig.

Publish it before governance goes live, not after. Ambiguity in governance rules creates the conditions for disputes, capture, and community fractures. Treat the framework as a constitution — it should be difficult to change and clearly understood by all participants.