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Working Group Lifecycle

This page adds an action-oriented layer to the working group lifecycle. It is guidance, not a rigid checklist. Use it to decide what to do next, what to document, and what should be visible in the repository or website.

Kickoff

At kickoff, participants should make the group understandable to itself.

Useful actions:

  • identify the central question or problem
  • define roles and communication norms
  • identify key datasets and access requirements
  • decide what belongs in GitHub versus persistent storage
  • create initial meeting notes
  • create a first project inventory

Good kickoff documentation answers: What are we trying to understand, who is involved, what do we need access to, and where will the shared work live?

Related landmarks: WG-A People and roles, WG-B Question and scope, WG-C Data and access.

First In-Person Meeting Or First Major Working Session

The first major working session turns the initial idea into something testable.

Useful actions:

  • refine the question and scope
  • test data access
  • create first reproducible scripts or notebooks
  • document assumptions and unresolved decisions
  • identify likely outputs
  • decide which website sections need early draft text

The goal is not to finish the science. The goal is to leave enough structure that collaborators can keep working after the session ends.

Related landmarks: WG-B Question and scope, WG-C Data and access, WG-D Methods and workflows.

Between Meetings

Between meetings, the group keeps the work moving and readable.

Useful actions:

  • keep code and documentation moving through GitHub
  • use persistent storage for large data and outputs
  • update meeting notes and work logs
  • capture decisions, blockers, and analysis results
  • make handoffs readable for collaborators
  • link large files from small notes in GitHub

Start each work session by pulling the latest changes. End each work session by pushing useful code or notes and saving large outputs to persistent storage.

Related landmarks: WG-C Data and access, WG-D Methods and workflows, WG-E Results and synthesis.

Second In-Person Meeting Or Synthesis Session

The synthesis session compares evidence and decides what the group can responsibly say.

Useful actions:

  • compare evidence across subteams
  • identify what is robust, uncertain, or unresolved
  • draft figures, results, and interpretation
  • decide what outputs are realistic
  • prepare reuse and citation guidance
  • identify which materials are preliminary and which are ready to share

The strongest synthesis notes separate observations, interpretation, uncertainty, and next steps.

Related landmarks: WG-E Results and synthesis, WG-F Outputs and handoff.

Wrap-Up And Handoff

Wrap-up makes the work understandable to someone new.

Useful actions:

  • finalize outputs
  • clean and document reusable code
  • archive data products in persistent storage
  • update public-facing website sections
  • add citation and reuse instructions
  • leave the repo understandable to someone new
  • mark preliminary materials clearly

Before wrap-up, check that the repository explains what was done, where the data lives, how outputs were produced, and how others should cite or reuse the work.

Related landmarks: WG-F Outputs and handoff.