Initial thoughts on WG process

governance/working groups/index.md

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+# Working groups
+
+For the UK TRE Community, a Working Group (WG) is the main method through which community outputs are created.
+
+WGs can be set up by any member of the community, and are focused on producing specific, tangible outputs within a given time period, and are modelled off the pre-existing concept of Working Groups found in communities like [DARE UK](https://dareuk.org.uk/dare-uk-launches-dynamic-collaborative-communities-invites-proposals-for-new-groups/), the [Research Data Alliance (RDA)](https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/creating-and-managing-rda-groups/creating-or-joining-rda-working-group.html), the [W3C](https://www.w3.org/2017/Process-20170301/#GAGeneral) and more.
+
+There are two distinct processes for those considering creating WGs to consider:
+1. The establishment of the WG
+2. The community endorsement of the WG outputs
+
+As the UK TRE community's primary focus is to act as a signposting and convening body for the TRE space in the UK and beyond, we have made a conscious effort to separate out the questions of:
+- Work that is happening within the community (WG establishment)
+- Outputs/resources for which there is community consensus and endorsement (community endorsement)
+
+Therefore it is important to note that establishing a WG with the UK TRE community **does not** imply any outputs of the WG are endorsed by the UK TRE Community.
+
+
+## Process
+### Establishing a Working group
+
+1. Member(s) suggesting a working group fill in the [Working Group Charter](working-group-charter.md).
+2. The Charter is reviewed by the [Steering Group]() to ensure it:
+    - Aligns with [community principles]()
+    - Represents new work being undertaken in the community
+3. If the Charter is rejected by the [Steering Group](), feedback is provided to the submitting member(s) on why, and the Working Group returns to step 1.
+4. If the Charter is approved by the [Steering Group](), the Charter is made available for community review via an Issue on the [UK TRE GitHub](https://github.com/uk-tre/community-management) for a period of 2 weeks.
+5. If, after a period of 2 weeks, there are no unresolved objections to the Charter, the working group is established :tada: 
+6. If there are unresolved objections, these are reviewed by the [Steering Group](). Any outstanding objections requiring review after this are collated and shared with the Working Group proposers for updating the charter, and the Working Group returns to step 4.
+7. Once a Working Group is established, they are formally recognised on the [UK TRE Community website](https://www.uktre.org/), and the community is notified of its creation.
+
+### Endorsing Working Group outputs
+
+1. When a WG has outputs ready to share with the community, they notify the [Steering Group]()
+2. The draft outputs are reviewed by the [Steering Group]() to ensure it:
+    - Aligns with [community principles]()
+3. If approved by the [Steering Group](), the draft outputs are made available for community review via an Issue on the [UK TRE GitHub](https://github.com/uk-tre/community-management) for a period of 4 weeks.
+4. At the end of this 4 week period, 3 outcomes are possible:
+
+#### Rejection
+The community rejects the draft outputs of the WG.
+
+The [Steering Group]() will collate the reasons for rejection and share these with the WG.
+The WG can decide to either close out the working group, or amend the outputs to resolve any reasons for rejection.
+
+#### Approved for distribution
+The community approves the outputs for distribution. 
+
+The UK TRE community will signpost to the outputs, but will not specifically endorse them.
+The WG can decide to either close out the working group, or amend the outputs to work towards endorsement.
+
+#### Approved and endorsed
+The community approves the outputs for distribution, and explicitly endorses them.
+
+The UK TRE community will signpost to the outputs, and formally endorse them publicly.
+
+The WG outputs will be tagged with a version referencing this endorsement.
+If the WG wants to amend/update these outputs, they will have to go through the endorsement process above again. 
+No future versions beyond the tagged version are guaranteed to be endorsed by the community.
+
+
+### Closing a Working Group
+
+1. The Working group completes the [Working Groups closure form]() confirming its termination.
+2. The [Steering Group]() reviews this form, and when approved, lists this working group under `Historical Working Groups`.
+
+### Recommendations
+In order to maximise the chance of community endorsement for Working Group outputs, we recommend all working groups:
+- Share regular updates with the wider community, to ensure co-creation and allow amendments to happen live, rather than at the end
+- To carefully consider the scope, and target outputs, based on community feedback. If specific suggested outputs face pushback, are there higher level outputs that are more reflective of what the community needs?
+- To carry out informal reviews of outputs with the community regularly, before requesting formal review.

governance/working groups/working-group-charter.md

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+# Working group charter template
+
+## Overview
+
+This section should summarise in one or two paragraphs the Working group proposal, for any community member to read and quickly grasp the essence of the WG.
+
+## Background
+
+This section should dive into more detail on what the WG aims to address, why it is undertaking this work, and reference any background material/pre-existing work that this proposal builds on.
+
+## Target outputs
+This section should contain the target outputs of the WG
+
+## Meeting mechanisms
+This section should include details on how, where and when the WG intends to meet
+
+## Communication mechanisms
+This section should outline how the WG intends to communicate progress with its members, the UK TRE Community more widely, and any other interested stakeholders.
+
+## Working Group roles
+This section should outline the different roles within the Working Group. Examples include:
+- **Chairs**: Leaders of the WG
+- **Contact**: Primary contact for the WG
+- **Participating members**: Members who are undertaking work within the Working Group
+
+## Getting involved
+
+This section should detail how interested parties can get involved with joining the WG.
+
+It should also detail expected weekly time commitment for defined roles above
+
+## Agreement
+*Please submit this charter with all boxes checked below*
+
+By submitting this charter, this working group agrees to:
+- [ ] Share any outputs openly under a [CC BY 4.0 licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
+- [ ] Allow participation from any interested parties
+- [ ] Report on progress at each quarterly community meeting for the duration of the Working Group