What Is a Team?

At Ktown Team, we use teams instead of traditional departments, committees, or ad-hoc groups. A team is a flexible unit built around a shared focus - housing, arts, public safety, digital tools, or anything the community needs. Think of it less like an org chart and more like gameplay: people join based on their skills, interests, and availability, and contribute in the way that makes sense for them.

The goal is to make participation as accessible as possible. Whether someone has five hours a week or five hours a month, there is a way to plug in and contribute meaningfully.

Types of Teams

  • Permanent teams address ongoing community needs - housing, health, education, public safety. These are the root structure of the organization.
  • Temporary teams form around specific projects, events, or time-limited initiatives. They spin up, do the work, and wind down when the goal is met.
  • The General Team serves as the coordination layer - triaging requests, facilitating cross-team work, and keeping the big picture in view.

Roles Within a Team

People contribute differently based on their skills, capacity, and interest. There are no rigid job titles - instead, roles are fluid:

  • Leads - guide direction, coordinate work, and represent the team in cross-team discussions.
  • Doers - execute on projects, tasks, and deliverables.
  • Specialists - contribute specific expertise (legal knowledge, design skills, language fluency, etc.) that the team draws on as needed.
  • Support - stay informed and step in when capacity allows.

One person might be a doer on one team and a specialist on another. Roles shift as needs change.

Team Structure

Every team maintains a minimum composition to stay active:

  • At least one lead to coordinate
  • At least three active members contributing regularly
  • At least ten supporters who stay informed and engage when capacity allows

Membership is open to anyone in the Ktown Team community. People join based on interest and commitment - there is no gatekeeping. Teams benefit from diverse representation across backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives.

Communication

Teams maintain open, consistent communication:

  • Internal - regular team updates and strategy discussions at a cadence that fits the team's pace.
  • External - community-facing updates through newsletters, social media, town halls, or other channels as appropriate.
  • Recurring - brief daily or weekly check-ins to keep momentum. Teams choose the rhythm that works for them.

Tools and Resources

Every team has access to the same set of platform tools:

  • Wiki - publish and maintain team knowledge and reference articles.
  • Blog - share updates, stories, and community-facing content.
  • Projects - track and manage team initiatives.
  • Docs - collaborate on documents, proposals, and reports.
  • Chat & Forum - real-time and asynchronous team discussion.
  • Members - view team roster, skills, and contributions.
  • Dashboard - monitor team metrics and progress.
  • Platform - access the full suite of community tools.

Documentation and Reporting

Teams document their work to keep things transparent and transferable:

  • Maintain records of decisions, meeting notes, and project outcomes.
  • Use shared templates for reports and proposals to keep things consistent.
  • Track progress against goals so the team and the broader community can see impact.
  • Keep documentation current - if a team winds down, its records remain accessible for future reference.

Proposals and Votes

Any team member can propose a new initiative, change, or improvement:

  1. Submit - write up the proposal and share it with the team.
  2. Discuss - a feedback period (typically two weeks) where all team members and relevant stakeholders can weigh in.
  3. Vote - a simple majority approves or rejects. A quorum of at least 70% of active members is needed, though this can flex if key members are present.

Meetings

Teams meet regularly to stay aligned:

  • Frequency - set by the team based on workload and pace. Weekly is common; lighter teams may meet less often.
  • Agenda - shared in advance so meetings stay focused and productive.
  • Minutes - documented and shared with the team after each meeting.
  • Action items - assigned with owners and tracked through to completion.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Teams don't operate in isolation. Cross-team work is expected and encouraged:

  • Any team can initiate a collaboration by reaching out to another team's lead.
  • The General Team helps coordinate when multiple teams need to align on a shared initiative.
  • Shared learnings and outcomes are documented so the whole organization benefits.
  • People who sit on multiple teams naturally serve as bridges between them.

Starting and Sunsetting Teams

Teams can be created when a community need emerges and enough people are ready to contribute. Similarly, temporary teams wind down when their goal is achieved. When a team sunsets:

  • Outcomes and learnings are documented.
  • Active projects are transitioned to relevant permanent teams or wrapped up.
  • Members are welcomed into other teams.