Working Groups, Guilds, and other Communities of Practice
TTS has a collection of communities that connect employees based on shared interests.
These groups are a valued part of TTS (and in some cases, across government!). They:
- Foster belonging through relationship-building.
- Provide learning and training opportunities.
- Help employees apply best practices and solve thorny issues.
- Encourage exposure to new thoughts and ideas.
Working groups in TTS
A working group brings TTS employees together to investigate a particular problem and achieve specific goals. They are usually self-organized and spin up or down, depending on organizational needs. Some working groups are short-lived, because the group has solved a problem it was formed for.
Working groups typically create Slack channels to coordinate efforts, and the
channels have a wg- prefix. Feel free to jump into any of these channels to
participate or ask questions.
Current working groups
| Government careers | A place to share federal job and detail postings that may interest your colleagues. , external,TTS-only, #wg-gov-career |
|---|---|
| Hiring | Improving hiring practices and materials for all of TTS. , external,TTS-only, #wg-tts-hiring |
| Onboarding | Improving the first 7, 30 and 90 days for new TTS members. , external,TTS-only, #wg-onboarding |
| User Research Compensation | Operationalizing user research compensation at TTS. , external,TTS-only, #wg-user-research-compensation |
The , external,TTS Working Groups & Guilds Calendar can help you find working group meeting times.
Guilds in TTS
Guilds seek to implement long-term, positive change within TTS. They offer training and promotion of best practices in their subject area. Guilds are typically long-running.
Guild Slack channels have a g- before the name. Like working groups, you do
not need permission to participate: just jump right in.
Guild meeting times can also be found on the , external,TTS Working Groups & Guilds Calendar.
Current guilds
| Accessibility |
We help TTS develop good, accessible products from the start of production in order to provide an excellent user experience for everyone. • , external,TTS-only, #g-accessibility |
|
|---|---|---|
| Content |
We promote user-centered, sustainable content. • , external,TTS-only, #g-content |
|
| Engineering Practices |
We promote smart and scalable engineering practices across the frontend and backend. • , external,TTS-only, #dev |
|
| Research |
We support design research in TTS through learning, community building, and advocating for best practices. • , external,TTS-only, #g-research |
|
| Security & Compliance |
Our mission is to reduce the security and compliance barrier for all Federal and State government projects. • , external,TTS-only, #g-security-compliance |
Guild leadership
Guilds should be led by people from different parts of TTS. They should expect to spend a few hours per week on guild leadership, meetings, and preparation. Individual guilds can set their own leadership terms, with the most common being one year.
Guild leadership is recognized by a staff member’s supervisor as a responsibility and they should be reviewed on their performance. However, it is an informal role. There are no administrative supervisory duties attached and there is no GS-level or previous leadership requirement.
Typically guilds follow a lightweight leadership selection process:
- The guild asks for nominations via email and Slack posting. Guilds can choose to allow self-nomination only, or accept nominations by other people with confirmation of interest by the nominee. Nominees should have the verbal approval of their supervisor. Written nominations of no more than 400 words are recommended; guilds choose nomination questions.
- A panel of one-three people made up of guild leadership, other guild members and/or leadership from other guilds conduct brief (no more than 30 minute) interviews of candidates and make a selection.
- A current guild leader announces the new leader, who takes up the position immediately.
Communities of Practice across government
A Community of Practice (CoP) provides for government-wide knowledge-sharing. They attract members from across government agencies, and provide a good opportunity for Guilds to connect with others in government and influence best practices beyond TTS.
Digital.gov , external,hosts the Communities of Practice.
Organizing external (non-gov) speakers
At times, TTS groups may invite external speakers through their personal networks. When inviting non-government employees, the event organizer must be careful not to endorse any publication, product or service. This would give the appearance of preferential treatment, about which the government has strict policies. Speakers should also be kindly reminded not to endorse their product by saying where it can be purchased or by offering discounts to government employees.
Here is a correct versus incorrect way to announce a guest speaker for an upcoming event.
Do say:
This Friday, the Accessibility Guild welcomes Jane Doe, who will present how research frameworks can help implement universal design principles in our digital projects...
Don't say:
This Friday, the Accessibility Guild welcomes Jane Doe, author of my favorite book ABCD Framework for universal design. Everyone should read it!
We also avoid giving an unfair advantage to someone involved in a bid in progress with GSA. To avoid any ethical or legal conflict, please check with the Office of General Counsel before booking a speaker.
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