Triage Squad GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ triage: Biweekly on Thursdays 07:00 UTC
Date: April 18, 2026 Time: 14:00–15:00 UTC Platform: Zoom Recording: Not recorded Moderator: Rico F. Lüthi (@rfluethi) Note-Taker: Rico F. Lüthi (@rfluethi)
This was the first meeting of the Training Team’s new Office Hours format. The format replaces the previous Coffee Hours, which generated more than 90 ideas over roughly eight sessions but resulted in very little concrete follow-through. The Office Hours are designed to close that gap: informal in tone, but clearly outcome-oriented, with actionable next steps from meeting to meeting.
As outlined in the proposal, the format initially runs as a three-month pilot phase. The goal of this kick-off was to establish the basic structure, success criteria and organizational approach together, so that future sessions can focus directly on substantive work.
Participants
Name
WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ Profile
The introductions highlighted the geographic and biographical breadth of the team. Paths into the WordPress community vary widely: from a developer whose first contribution grew out of frustration, to a manager of local language projects, to community supporters and digital skill facilitators. @sonaliprajapati shared her experience from the Indian WordPress community. This diversity is relevant to the direction of the Office Hours because it shows the range of needs and perspectives that contributors bring to the format.
Topics Discussed
1. 60-Minute Structure
Discussion:
On the question of meeting duration, @rjekic noted that while 60 minutes should be set as the frame, many meetings would likely end earlier in practice. This point mattered to the group because the format is intended to be distinct from the previous Coffee Hours, which were enjoyable but not outcome-oriented.
@sumitsingh argued that the real value of the Office Hours lies in the live connection. In SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/, international contributors do not get to know each other personally, which is essential for building trust and long-term commitment to the team. This argument was a key factor in the group’s conscious decision against a purely asynchronous format.
There was consensus that perfect English should not be a prerequisite. Open exchange with the broader community takes priority.
Outcome:
Duration: 60 minutes, flexible downward
Character: informal in tone, outcome-oriented in output
Linguistic openness as a deliberate principle
Open questions: None.
2. Recurring Agenda Items
Discussion:
The group developed an agenda structure that gives each meeting a reliable framework without losing the informal character. A central point of discussion was the advance announcement of the main topic: this was introduced specifically so that non-native English speakers can prepare both in terms of content and language. This addresses a real barrier for international contributors.
It was also agreed that moderation and note-taking will rotate among team members in order to distribute responsibility. In addition, at least one team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. should be present at each meeting to ensure overall coordination.
Outcome:
The following items will be a fixed part of every session:
Welcome & onboarding
Brief introductions
Topic presentation (5–10 minutes) on the main topic
Open discussion
Review of open action items from previous meetings
Definition of next steps including responsible persons
Setting the date, moderator and note-taker for the next meeting
Open questions: None.
3. Onboarding New Contributors
Discussion:
A major focus of the discussion was how to prevent new contributors from dropping off after their initial engagement — particularly after WordCamps. The team’s experience shows that motivation is often high at first but fades quickly without concrete, low-barrier tasks. Thumbnail creation and translations were cited as examples of suitable entry-level tasks.
This observation led to a broader point: the Training Team needs specialized groups so that both new and existing contributors can get involved and achieve results quickly. Three types were discussed: the existing Guides, topic-specific groups for developing new learning paths, and regional groups for localized learning resources.
Coordination of these groups is to run through the TT-Admins and the Office Hours. An important point raised by the group: transparency is essential so that it remains clear to everyone why particular decisions were made. Without this transparency, the group concluded, the team risks losing touch with the broader community.
Outcome:
Low-barrier entry tasks (thumbnails, translations) as first points of contact
Development of specialized groups: Guides, topic groups, regional groups
Active promotion of these groups within the Training Team
Transparency in coordination as a coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. principle
Open questions:
How will the specialized groups be promoted and coordinated in practice?
4. Success Criteria for the Pilot Phase
Discussion:
@andrewssanya proposed an iterative, agile approach: each meeting identifies concrete problems, and progress on their resolution is reviewed in the following meeting. The group adopted this proposal and expanded it into a definition of success criteria.
The decisive point in the discussion was the distinction from pure attendance numbers. The group agreed that even a small but active group justifies the format, as long as topics are demonstrably turned into issues and worked on. This definition is important for the later evaluation of the pilot phase and protects the format from being prematurely judged by quantitative metrics alone.
Outcome:
Success = combination of attendance and concrete project progress
Attendance numbers alone are not a criterion
Progress review from meeting to meeting
Open questions: None.
5. Organization via GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/
Discussion:
The decision to organize via GitHub was unanimous, since the Training Team already works with it and no additional tooling barrier should be introduced. Topic proposals are collected as issues at wpt-office-hours / issues; the respective moderator selects the agenda from these.
@rfluethi encouraged all participants to actively contribute to shaping the repository. Specifically, it was agreed that @andrewssanya and @rfluethi will review the existing repository templates and the Training Team’s issue templates for potential improvements.
After the pilot phase, the repository is to be transferred into the official Training Team structures. This temporary solution was chosen deliberately to allow the pilot to start quickly without waiting for formal processes.
Transfer to the official Training Team repository after the pilot phase
Open questions: None.
6. Tracking Open Action Items
Discussion:
For tracking action items, the group deliberately opted to use the Training Team’s existing issue system rather than building a parallel tracking structure in the pilot repository. The rationale: Office Hours tasks should not exist in isolation alongside the rest of the team’s work, but be part of it. To still distinguish them from the broader backlog, a dedicated label will be introduced.
A dedicated Office Hours issue label will be introduced
Yes
4
Moderation and note-taking rotate among team members
Yes
5
At least one team rep should be present at each meeting to ensure overall coordination
Yes
6
Pilot phase success = combination of attendance and project progress
Yes
7
Next Office Hours on May 23, 2026, 14:00 UTC, moderation: @rjekic
Yes
Rationale for Decision 4 (Rotation): Rotation was chosen deliberately as a countermodel to fixed moderation, in order to distribute responsibility and give different team members the opportunity to actively shape the format.
Rationale for Decision 6 (Success criteria): The proposal came from @andrewssanya as part of an iterative, agile approach. The group explicitly followed the reasoning that even small, active groups justify the format, as long as topics are demonstrably turned into issues.
Publish call for Training Table lead at WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe
Follow up with the MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. Team regarding the TT-Admins Slack channel
Additional topics discussed during the meeting that led to action items but are not listed as separate topics above: establishing an admin roster (TT-Admins), scheduling preferences via poll, Training Team representation at the WordCamp Europe Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/, and setting up a dedicated TT-Admins Slack channel.
