Considerations for the End of Term
- Christine Di Bella
- Suzanne Reller
- Rachel Searcy
This page brings together advice and recommendations for end of term activities. Council members should begin to review these considerations in May. Approach the end of term activities as either a gift to your future self or a gift to the subteam members carrying on your work. How can you make it easier on yourself next year?
Retrospectives
Every subteam is responsible for an annual retrospective to be presented at the last Council meeting of term (June). The most generalized advice is to consider what to keep going, what to stop doing, and what to start doing.
50+ Retrospective Questions for your Next Meeting
Here are examples of past Retrospectives:
Retrospectives are for everyone, not just the team lead! Please consider prompts as a group but also individually
Note which members of your rosters are leaving and be sure and invite them to participate in the Retrospective and record any insights they may have, especially the memory of why the subteam works the way it does.
See screenshots below for how to determine this information
Document ideas/potential plans for next term – even if a lot of the same people are still returning, you may have forgotten the intention or why you thought it was a good idea
Document pain points so that they can potentially be addressed next year (e.g., meetings were hard to facilitate without a note taker, so next year we want to designate one)
Take some time (individually, as a group) to identify what worked well, and make a plan to keep doing those things. Consider too what didn’t work well, or what doesn’t need to be done anymore (make sure to document why).
Are there any completed tasks/projects that will require maintenance by next term’s subteam? Document what needs to happen, how often it needs to happen, who should do it, and what that person needs to know in order to do it.
Do not stress if you didn’t finish tasks, but ask how you can set achievable goals? Consider making your goals smaller or increment them from term to term
Check in with your Vice Lead and subteam generally and ask: Are there things you don’t understand that we were doing? What you believe is obvious may not be and may require documentation.
Remember to distinguish between ongoing tasks (things that will always be true) and new projects. Both should be assessed.
Remember that leadership has been around for awhile, but every team has new members. Explore motivations anew.
Where to find contextual information you may wish to refer to during this time, according to the ArchivesSpace Councils Wiki Organization
End of Term Activities and Concerns
Be aware of Ownership: Tasks, Tickets, and Google Docs
Was someone in particular taking the lead on something this term? Are they here next term? Does it need to continue? Do they want to continue with that task? If they’re not here next term, who takes it on? What knowledge or resources can the old lead pass to the new lead?
Does someone who is rotating off own a Jira ticket that needs followup? A good solution here is to make sure someone else on your team is watching that ticket before you transition off.
Review and Appraise your Google Drive folders
Note: the repository of record for Council activities is the Wiki and not Google Drive. You are not under any obligation to keep every working document.
Review
Did you use your team’s Google Drive folder this term?
This is a good place for individuals to take action and not just leads. Ask yourself: did you create anything this term? Is it still relevant? Should you pass on ownership?
Transfer ownership of important files if they are owned by members who are rotating off
Appraise
Review existing files for relevance, leave comments in files if they need explanation, and organize the space for the next term
Assess whether or not things in Google Drive should be converted to a Wiki page. Anything that should be permanently retained and can/should be publicly visible should be moved to Confluence. Its originating file can be deleted.
If you find an ephemeral document in Google Drive, feel empowered to delete it.
Document your appraisal decisions “As a group we went through our Google Drive and deleted the following”
You can transfer ownership to archivesspacehome[at]gmail[dot]com if needed.
Term Transition Doldrums
Term transition is the period after your last official Council meeting (June) and before the next one (July or August). This is a period of transition when members rotate off, Vice Leads become Leads, and new members are assigned.
Council activities slow but do not stop during this period. Keep on the look out for emails to schedule meetings or contribute to any reports.
Another thing that happens in this period is the assignment of new members. Incoming subteam leads will receive word about these assignments; your immediate obligation is to make yourself available for any questions from those new members prior to the next Councils Orientation (July).
Next Term
It’s never too early to start thinking about next term! This is especially true for incoming leads.
Incoming Leads in particular may want to review Yearly Timeline of Council Activities and Guidelines for ArchivesSpace Council Sub-Teams
Consider keeping the same meeting times next term, since that slot is already taken up in your current schedule and it would only be new members that you’d need to poll for availability.