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• Sub-teams may be Council-specific (reporting to either TAC or UAC), or cross-Council (including members from and reporting to both Councils).

• In the 2022-2023 term, Chairs polled their councils to determine ideal team sizes. Both UAC and TAC reported that an ideal subteam consists of 4-5 people with twice that for cross-council teams (8-10). This means both councils should be between 18-23 people and avoid dipping below 18 members total.

• Council members will serve on at least 1 and no more than 2 sub-teams per term.

• Sub-teams should have a minimum of 4 members.

• Cross-council teams should have a minimum of 2 members from each Council. Council members will serve on at least 1 and no more than 2 sub-teams per termLeadership of those teams should ideally go back and forth between the Councils, with each year’s Chair and Vice Chair from opposite councils. This is an ideal and sometimes is not practical.

• To support continuity, sub-team members are encouraged to serve on the same sub-team(s) for the duration of their Council appointment. Exceptions to this can be made at the discretion of Sub-team and Council leadership.

• At the end of each term, requirements for staffing sub-teams for the subsequent term will be determined as Council members complete their appointments. New Council members will be assigned to sub-teams as required and according to members’ skills and interest.

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To define project work, start by defining the project itself, including its goals. Is this a one time project with a discrete ending, or a new routine and this is simply the first term trying it? If the work will be completed, will it need maintenance? Be aware of the difference between taking on a new routine task versus a stand-alone project with a discrete ending.

Consider core goals and stretch goals. Revisit your stretch goals halfway through term, to coincide with the cross-council meeting (usually February).

Terms

Council terms are three years beginning July 1 of the year a member joined and ending June 30th, three years later, i.e. July 2022-June 2025. Extensions of one year are permitted in cases where the extension will aid in leaderships transition (i.e. allow a Vice Lead in their last year of service to extend for one additional year in order to be Lead for that period).

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1. Announce the intention to form a group to your respective council leadership and open the idea for discussion at a dedicated or joint council meeting.

2. Have that idea approved by Council Leadership, beginning with your own council representatives.

   1. Upon approval, request a wiki space be created by your Council Chair or Vice-Chair.

3. Identify leadership for the group. Who will be the ad hoc group lead? Co-leads is an option.

4. Draft two statements, which should appear in the wiki space for the group:

   1. A Statement of Purpose, which should include what criteria you set for the group that you will then try and meet. Essentially write a statement that captures your goal and a way to test that goal so that once the goal is met, it is clear that the group’s mission is complete and the group should be dissolved.

   2. A Maintenance Plan, or an assessment of whether or not your end goal will require future maintenance and how that will take place, by whom, and on what timetable.

5. Recruit for members.

Once the group is formed, it is expected to adhere to the same guidelines as permanent sub-teams, including having regular monthly meetings. If the group desires a Google Drive folder for the use of the group, please contact your Chair to request this folder be created and permissions assigned.

Changing Charters or Sunsetting a Subteam

Subteams should feel empowered not only to suggest creating new teams, but also to suggest an established subteam should revisit either its mission or its very existence. This happened with the Integrations subteam beginning in 2022 and through 2024.

When considering whether to sunset, or shut down your team, do the following:

• Consider whether you are recommending a change in charter or a complete shut down of your subteam. In both cases, your first step is to bring your concerns to the attention of your council’s Chair or Vice Chair. Once that recommendation is received, Council leadership should share it with the Coordinating Committee.

  • If this is a change in charter, be sure and account for any responsibilities that will be shifted.

  • Otherwise, communicating with your Chair is likely the only step you’ll need to get your transition started.

  • Remember to update your public-facing Subteam Wiki page with your new charter: TAC Sub-Teams and/or the UAC Sub-teams and/or Cross-council teams.

• If you are recommending to sunset, or end a team, there is more to consider:

  • Allow for time to transition the team. If you feel your team’s work is becoming irrelevant, allow for at least one term of transition before shutting down activities.

  • Be sure you have enough members to complete your transition. You should spend your last term on a transition plan; be sure there will be members active during that period.

  • Write a Maintenance/Transition Plan, or what will happen to the extant resources and any remaining work for your team, how that will take place, by whom, and on what timetable. Teams should not be sunset without this plan in place.

  • Remove or at least revisit all spaces held by that team including Google Drive folders, Wiki pages, and/or GitHub pages. Leave public-facing messages to explain that whatever remains is a static resource and will not be updated, or, whatever is appropriate to communicate that a resource is no longer the responsibility of a particular team.