9 Overview of Key Dates
FORRT’s decentralized and volunteer-based structure benefits from having a shared overview of important dates, deadlines, and milestones. While projects are generally not bound by external funders, coordinating timelines helps us support one another and maintain momentum across initiatives.
9.1 Community Calendar
A shared Community Calendar is maintained to provide visibility into: - Major project deliverable deadlines - Community-wide events (e.g., workshops, hackathons, onboarding calls) - Leadership and Steering Council meetings - Proposal submission dates for grants or partnerships - External events relevant to FORRT’s mission
[INSERT LINK TO CALENDAR — e.g., Google Calendar or Notion Database]
9.1.1 Who Updates It?
- Team Leads are encouraged to add relevant internal and external deadlines for their team’s initiatives.
- The Operations Coordinator (or equivalent) supports calendar maintenance and ensures recurring meetings are visible.
[OPEN QUESTION: Should we introduce reminders or Slack sync with key calendar dates?]
9.2 Planning Key Dates
Although projects may operate at different paces, all teams are encouraged to: - Set internal timelines for major outputs at project kickoff - Share target milestones with the wider FORRT community via Slack (#project-updates) - Revisit and update plans quarterly or after major deliverables
To support this, FORRT offers a simple [Timeline Planning Template – INSERT LINK] that teams can adapt for their needs.
9.2.1 Example Milestone Types
| Milestone Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Project launch | Kickoff of a new team or initiative |
| Draft completion | Initial draft of lesson plans, tool, or article |
| Internal review window | Period for peer review and revisions |
| Public release | OSF/GitHub upload, website announcement |
| Outreach event | Webinar, workshop, or community showcase |
| Strategic decision point | Steering Council discussion of next-phase goals |
[OPEN QUESTION: Should we keep a shared FORRT “project timeline board” summarizing key dates across teams? What tools would work best (e.g., Notion, Trello, GitHub Projects)?]
9.3 Coordination Across Teams
Because some contributors are involved in multiple initiatives, project leads should coordinate: - Around high-demand periods (e.g., conference deadlines, holidays) - Before cross-cutting meetings or public launches - When seeking reviewers or design support across teams
We encourage teams to signal important dates early in Slack or in the calendar to help others plan capacity.
9.4 Quarterly Planning
Each quarter, the Steering Council and team leads may collectively review: - What’s launching - What’s wrapping up - What teams need help with - Opportunities for collaboration or showcasing work
This supports strategic alignment without overburdening contributors.
9.5 Summary
| Tool / Practice | Purpose | Maintained By |
|---|---|---|
| Community Calendar | Centralized view of FORRT events/milestones | Operations Coordinator + Teams |
| Slack #project-updates channel | Informal tracking and updates | Project and team leads |
| Timeline Planning Template | Internal team planning support | Each team |
| Quarterly Coordination Meetings | Cross-team visibility and support | Steering Council |
[INSERT LINKS: Community calendar, planning template, shared event spreadsheet (if applicable)]