Team Practices Group/Team Norms/IRC Norms

The Team Practices Group (TPG) was dissolved in 2017.

Team Practices Group Norms for IRC

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Note that other teams (which TPG members work closely with) may have entirely different norms.

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  • Unessential chit-chat
    • Use the #wikimedia-teampractices channel
  • Trying to quickly get a hold of someone (not guaranteed to work)
    • If one person, favor direct messaging
    • If multiple people, use the #wikimedia-teampractices channel

Expected behavior

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  • TPG members should try to be available on IRC during work hours
  • Nobody is expected to read general channel scrollback
  • If any substantive discussions happen in IRC (which they generally shouldn’t), then any decisions or interesting notes should be archived in email, wiki, or Phab

Risks/Drawbacks/Limitations

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  • IRC statuses may not reflect reality
  • Not everyone will see offline alerts later (even if they have a bouncer)
  • If the recipient doesn’t respond, assume they didn’t see the message
  • The #wikimedia-teampractices channel is public and logged

Alternatives to IRC

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Consider using one of these communication channels instead:

  • email:
    • for longer form please consider adding a TL;DR
    • subject line should be tagged to help responder to prioritize the request
    • is asynchronous
    • is archived in a very accessible way
  • Phab:
    • for logging work to track, preferably with requirements and definitions of DONE
  • Video chat/telephone/in person for urgent matters
    • sensitive topics where visual/audio cues can help de-escalate issues, prevent misunderstandings, etc
    • for in-depth synchronous discussion

This document was created in response to T106711