New Process for Affirmatively Joining a Working Group

Working Groups

New Process for Affirmatively Joining a Working Group

By Dan Berne, AgGateway Portfolio Manager

AgGateway is developing and testing a new process that enables AgGateway members to easily join a Working Group. Because Working Groups are the primary engine of value creation in AgGateway, it is important that members affirm their participation in a working group, in accordance with AgGateway’s policies and procedures.

In the past, Working Group chairs had to send an email to Member Services, asking them to add a member to a group and providing them access to the group’s wiki page. This often entailed a series of back and forth emails, resulting in delays in getting a new person registered as an active participant. Working Chairs had to create and maintain their own list of members, causing them unnecessary work.

The new process asks new Working Group participants to complete a simple form with their name, company name, email address and phone number. The form also asks them to check a box that the organization’s primary contact will be contacted to confirm their participation in alignment with AgGateway’s policies and procedures. If the Working Group’s charter has established that members need to pay fees to participate, members will be asked to check a box indicating that they acknowledge that as well.

Once the form is submitted, Member Services will confirm that the member company is in good standing and has affirmatively joined the Working Group. The participant can be granted access to the Working Group’s wiki, and an email will inform the Working Group lead and the Portfolio Manager of the addition.

A link for the Working Group form can be found here and on the Portfolio Management Center wiki page (AgGateway members will need to be logged in).