Form a Governance Team
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the importance of a governance team.
- Articulate what a governance team does.
- List the key roles involved in a governance team.
Get Started at a Governance Session
Imagine it’s been a year since your client launched Slack and completed their services project with you. Now, users are asking for new workspaces to modify their original grid design.
But who should decide whether to create a new workspace? What happens when Slack releases new settings that need to be managed? Without your guidance, does your client have the right people to handle these changes and requests?
Once your client wraps up their Slack services engagement with you, it’s crucial that they can manage the Slack user experience independently. That’s where a governance team comes in. These are the people who will make decisions and support their users so the organization can get the most out of Slack.
You start forming the team during your Governance Session, which is typically held at the end of the design phase and into the launch phase. The Governance Session helps you advise your clients on best practices, such as:
- Forming a team to own and manage Slack
- Establishing regular processes to manage and govern Slack over time
- Supporting end users with their Slack usage
- Developing admin processes to handle user requests efficiently
Three Components of a Governance Team
Employees from your client’s organization may fill multiple roles on the governance team, and rarely is a member of the team fully dedicated to Slack. No matter how the governance team is constructed, three subteams are vital to supporting the ongoing adoption and maturity of Slack.
A Slack governance team comprises:
- A core team
- A workspace-level team
- A range of supporting functions
Core Team
The core team is crucial for Slack ownership, oversight, and ongoing growth across the enterprise. They’re responsible for the overall Slack strategy, alignment with business goals, and decision-making. The core team often overlaps with the client’s project team that supported the launch. Key roles include:
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Executive sponsor: The executive sponsor is ultimately accountable for Slack’s success. They initiate the shared vision for Slack, determine key success metrics, and ensure the launch and continued maturity align with business goals.
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Product owner: The product owner ensures the organization gets the most out of Slack. They own the product roadmap, provide oversight of resources, policies, and processes, and help the organization make informed decisions about new features.
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Grid org owner and org admins: These roles manage org-level permissions, policies, approvals, and settings. They establish these during the launch and maintain them over time.
Workspace-Level Team
The workspace-level team handles workspace administration and supports user engagement. They play a vital role in driving Slack adoption. Key roles include:
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Workspace owners and workspace admins: These individuals manage members, settings, and processes at the workspace level. They ensure that policies and settings are understood and maintained, and they handle administrative tasks and approval processes.
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Champions (business unit representatives): Champions are passionate Slack users who help their colleagues adopt best practices. They rally teammates around the benefits of Slack, model best practices, and stay updated on new features to create value for their teams. While not all clients will invest in a champions program at launch, it’s a valuable consideration for driving maturity.
Supporting Team
The supporting team ensures a functional and secure Slack instance. They play a critical role in resolving issues and maintaining compliance. Key roles include:
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Helpdesk/IT support: The help desk or IT support team resolves end-user issues, such as gaining access to a workspace, and escalates issues to the Slack CSM or Customer Experience team when necessary.
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IT security: The IT security team ensures Slack meets the organization’s security requirements. They share security considerations for policies, settings, Slack Connect, and other processes.
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Learning/employee enablement: The employee enablement team educates users about Slack features and updates. They coordinate with the product owner to deliver educational materials and communicate changes to employees.
Next Steps
Now that you have your team in place, you need to advise them on when and how to revisit their governing decisions. This ensures that the governance model remains effective as Slack evolves and the organization’s needs change. You look at that next.