👉 Getting Started: What is a Working Group?

[cuevasm]

A Working Group is a group of people convened to push forward an initiative within the Stacks ecosystem. The point of the group is to give responsibility to an identified group in order to create clear accountability for developing the scope and proposed implementation of an idea, thereby increasing the likelihood of success.

A Working Group does not have the authority to unilaterally make implementation decisions, especially in regards to how the Stacks Blockchain functions. Rather it is the Working Group’s job to fully develop an idea or proposal as defined in its specific scope and bring that completed proposal back to the community for review, approval, and implementation through existing governance structures.

Each Working Group has a “Lead” who is responsible for leading the group and ensuring it completes its missions. Other roles may be created by the working group as needed.

🟢 What Working Groups are there?

• 👉 Active Working Groups: Index & Links #505

🆕 Starting a Working Group

When creating a Working Group, key information about the purpose and goals of the Working Group must be communicated and documented. A standard 'Brief' is provided for starting new Working Groups. You may submit a new brief by starting a new 'Discussion' in the 'Start A New Working Group' category.
;

✅ Working Group Expectations for Leads

Working Group Mission:

• Create a Working Group Brief'. to communicate the mission statement for your Working Group to the community. This brief should follow the provided template covering key details about the proposed Working Group (1-hour)

Working Group Updates:

• Post Working Group Sprit Sync Update Bi-weekly (every other week) post a Sprint Sync update using this template to the Discussion Board area that was created for your Working Group (15 minutes)
• Post Working Group Meeting Minutes after each WG meeting (most WGs meet at least one time a week) using this template to the Discussion Board area that was created for your Working Group (15 minutes)

Working Group Evolution:

• Review materials (brief and updates) on a monthly basis. (15-25 minutes)
  • Reflect on the original WG brief, update only if needed. It is natural for WG goals and deliverables to shift as the group learns more and we want to be sure the most current intent of each WG is always being reflected publicly and the community is abreast of the changes (especially if changes may impact the work of others).
  • Review calendar information and ensure any changes to WG meeting schedule are reflected.
  • Review new applicants for the WG and communicate acceptance or denial, along with rationale.

Working Group Comms:

• Quarterly Communications (15-30 minutes):
  • Provide an update to the broader community via a Stacks Townhall
  • Work with the Stacks Foundation to compile a written progress update on the WG including what was accomplished, what is next, and what resources or support is needed going forward.

Working Group Visibility:

These expectations are in place to ensure that:

• Working Groups are easily discoverable so that potential contributors and collaborators can find them
• There is regular visibility on the progress of every Working Group
• The ecosystem maintains a culture of accountability within WGs

🏛️ How the Stacks Foundation supports Working Groups

In addition to leading and participating in many Working Groups directly, our team is here to support basic Working Group operations and provide a layer of support and accountability, including:

• Automated and personal reminders about commitments will be provided to WG Leads
• Templates and recommendations will be offered where there are expectations for written updates
• The Stacks Foundation team will flag to the community if/when a WG is not meeting the expectations in order to start a productive conversation about next steps
• The Stacks Foundation will compile updates from across WGs and package to post and amplify on channels from the forum to Twitter and everything in between
• Stacks Foundation teammates are happy to offer an initial feedback session on your WG idea or proposal if you would like it. This is not required, but we’re happy to offer tips based on what we’ve seen, help you best articulate the goals and work ahead for the community, suggest other potential members, and connect you with resources that may be helpful if your WG moves forward.

In short, you'll be guided where you are unsure and provided resources where you need them! Our goal is to make it easy for amazing contributors like you to have the maximum impact with the least friction possible.

💪 Let's do this!

The Stacks ecosystem is full of capable people across different organizational boundaries. We also have many exciting challenges ahead of us, that require some structure for individuals to loosely self-organize around problems they care about. Working Groups have been fantastic vehicles for impact and the community is looking forward to many more!