TTS onboarding classes
Our onboarding program helps you transition into TTS and adapt to our TTS culture. To assist with this transition, we’ve put together a curriculum of classes to help you navigate your first two weeks at TTS.
These classes will expose you to a variety of aspects of our organization, introduce you to the people involved, and create opportunities for you to ask questions.
Most of these classes are required, some are recommended, and others are optional. If you have a conflicting team meeting or another commitment scheduled at the same time as a class, prioritize your project work first! Most classes recur on a two-week cycle so you can always join the class two weeks later or read the course materials at your convenience.
It may seem like A LOT to take in at first, but go at your own pace, ask questions, and feel free to follow up with the onboarding leads, your assigned onboarding buddy, or your supervisor at any point — we’re all happy to help.
Class formats
We have varied the class format in order to best suit the content and your schedule. The formats include:
- Video Conference – TTS leads will talk you through the content (sometimes with a presentation) and provide time for questions. Although not required, turning on your camera is strongly advised.
- Self-Guided Documentation / Video – You will be directed to a handbook page, which typically includes a transcript page, a document, deck, and/or video to review on your own. We set up calendar invites for these classes only as a reminder for you to take them — nothing more. You do not need to take the self-guided classes at the specific time they show up on your calendar.
Guidance to help you prioritize
- Required - Core classes that are critical to your onboarding and employment at TTS
- Recommended - Classes suggested for a better understanding of TTS
- Optional - Elective classes that are taken based on business need
Classes
This section provides an overview of each of the classes, broken out into topics.
Topics
- Our values and principles at TTS
- How we work
- TTS products and service offerings
- TTS resources and operations
- TTS leadership
- 18F courses
Our values and principles at TTS
These courses introduce you to the values and principles that guide our decisions in TTS.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Groups and Guilds | An introduction to TTS’ Working Groups and Guilds, how to join, and ways to get involved. | Self-guided | Required | Working Groups and Guilds Handbook page |
| Accessibility 101 | An introduction to the Accessibility Guild and accessibility as it relates to our work at TTS. | Video Conference | Required | , external,TTS-only, Accessibility 101 slidedeck , external,TTS-only, Accessibility Guild Slack channel |
| Intro to the Diversity Guild and DEIA&B @ TTS | An introduction to the Diversity Guild and our DEIA&B initiatives. | Video Conference | Required | , external,Diversity Guild Slack channel |
| Unconscious Bias | An overview of how to recognize bias, speak out about it, and respond when we make a mistake. | Video Conference | Required | , external,TTS-only, Unconscious Bias slidedeck |
How we work
These courses introduce you to TTS, compliance aspects of the government, and our business operations.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTS Overview | An overview of GSA, FAS, and TTS, as well as some additional resources and logistical info that will be helpful during your first few days. | Video Conference | Required | , external,TTS-only, TTS Overview slidedeck |
| Tock 101 | An overview of Tock and how we use it track work time. | Self-guided | Required for 18F, Centers of Excellence, and cloud.gov Recommended for Agreements and Finance |
Tock 101 Handbook page |
| Intro to Agreements | An overview of the Agreements team and the TTS Agreements process. | Video Conference | Recommended Note: this class is offered quarterly. |
, external,TTS-only, TTS Agreements Process Agreements Handbook page |
| Intro to Business/Finance Operations | An overview of the Finance team and the TTS Business/Finance process. | Video Conference | Recommended Note: this class is offered quarterly. |
N/A |
| Tech Operations | An introduction to the Tech Operations team, important compliance topics, and technology best practices at TTS. | Self-guided | Recommended | Tech Operations @ TTS Handbook page |
| Intro to Human-Centered Design (HCD) & Agile | A discussion of Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Agile, and how they impact our day-to-day work. | Video Conference | Recommended | , external,TTS-only, HCD & Agile slidedeck |
| Slack 101 | An overview of Slack and how we use it to communicate. | Self-guided | Recommended | Slack Handbook pages , external,TTS-only, TTS Slack Channels list , external,Slack Tutorials |
TTS products and service offerings
These courses introduce you to TTS products and services as well as website compliance tools.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTS Offerings (Offices) Overview | An overview of TTS’ current product offerings and business units. | Self-guided | Recommended | , external,TTS-only, TTS Offices Overview slidedeck , external,TTS-only, TTS Offerings: Products, Platforms, and Services List |
| Cloud.gov and Pages 101 (formerly known as Federalist) | An introduction to cloud.gov - a secure and compliant way to access cloud services - and cloud.gov Pages (formerly known as Federalist), a service that makes it easy to launch websites. | Video Conference | Recommended | , external,TTS-only, cloud.gov Pages (Federalist) 101 slidedeck , external,cloud.gov website |
TTS resources and operations
These courses are designed to provide information about employee support resources, compliance obligations, and our internal operations.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intro to PeopleOps | Overview of the PeopleOps team and how they support TTS | Video Conference | Required | , external,TTS-only, What is PeopleOps? slidedeck |
| HR Links Training: Setting Up Your Base Schedule | An overview of how to set up a base schedule in HR Links to ensure proper payment of wages. | Video Conference | Required | , external,TTS-only, How to Manage Your Timesheet in HR Links slidedeck TTS-only, Time & Leave Help Guides |
| Continuity of Operations (COOP) Emergency Management Responsibilities | A discussion on how to plan for and respond to emergency notifications from GSA/TTS. | Video Conference | Required | N/A |
| Travel 101 | An overview of how to set up a travel account, how to book travel and get reimbursed. | Self-guided | Recommended | Travel 101 page |
| GSA/TTS Tools and Equipment | An overview on how to work with GSA’s tools and your GSA-issued equipment. | Self-guided | Recommended | GSA Operational Tools page Equipment page TTS-only, GSA IT Training |
| Handbook 101 | An overview of how to navigate the TTS Handbook. | Video Conference | Recommended | TTS Handbook |
| Compliance | An overview of important compliance topics including The Hatch Act, FOIA, Ethics, and the OGE 450 form. | Self-guided | Recommended | , external,Hatch Act Overview doc |
TTS leadership
An introduction to the TTS leadership team.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTS New Hire Leadership Meet & Greet/Q&A | A meet and greet with the TTS Executive Director and other leaders. | Video Conference | Required | N/A |
18F courses
These courses are designed for 18F staff, though the materials are open to all. Please note, these classes are not listed on the main TTS Classes calendar.
| Name | Description | Format | Guidance | Resource(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition 101 | An overview of acquisition, including a historical context, a crash course, and why it matters to you. | Self-guided | Optional | , external,TTS-only, Acquisition 101 video |
| Staffing | An introduction to how 18F team members get staffed to projects. | Self-guided | Optional | , external,TTS-only, How Staffing Works Now video |
| Vendor transitions and sustainability | A sharing of lessons learned from vendor transitions and how to plan for sustainability throughout a project. | Self-guided | Optional | , external,TTS-only, Vendor Transition and Sustainability Planning video |
Online Learning University (OLU) mandatory training
See our Online Learning University handbook page for a list of mandatory annual training certifications.
We suggest logging in to OLU monthly to check whether you have any mandatory or suggested classes assigned to you. Please be aware that mandatory classes will have ‘due dates’ and must be completed on time.
Additional resources
If you have questions about the onboarding classes and/or training schedule, please reach out in your new hire cohort channel (which you will be added to on your first day) and/or you can reach out to the onboarding team via the , external,TTS-only, #onboarding Slack channel.
Questions?
- , external,tts-onboarding@gsa.gov
- , external,TTS-only, #onboarding
- Your new hire cohort channel
