Giving back to the community through transparency and a public handbook

Cynthia Ng
@TheRealArty
May 16, 2024

About me

  • Documentarian
  • Blogger
  • (Former) Web developer
  • Current GitLab handbook "owner"
Tambako The Jaguar. (2011). A couple of relaxed pigs. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/arqcdX CC BY-ND 2.0

Answer these questions

  • Do you have processes that need to be followed?
  • Do you have shared workflows with other teams?
  • Do you have information that you frequently share?
  • Do you have people from other organizations ask how you do things?

A handbook: What and why

What is a handbook?

A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference.

- Wikipedia

The handbook is the central repository for how we run the company.

- GitLab

Why a handbook?

Creating a handbook

What you need

  • Buy-in
  • Location / Version controlled tool
  • Easy (enough) to use
  • Reinforcement
  • Public by default (separate internal only)
  • Start small and iterate

GitLab handbook pages

graph showing increasing number of pages over recent years Source: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/about/#count-handbook-pages

Set expectations to encourage contributions

Encouraging contributions

  • Invite collaboration on changes
  • Have guidelines on what level of review is required
  • Have clear guidelines on internal-only information
  • Doesn't need to be perfect, Not "set in stone"

Why a public handbook?

For the same reasons!

Why a public handbook?

  • Efficiency
Source: Support Driven Slack: #leadership. Used with permission.

Why a public handbook?

when people see the work going on behind the scenes, they value the service more.

- Ryan Buell on Operational Transparency

Harvard Business Review, March-April 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/03/operational-transparency

Why a public handbook?

Source: LinkedIn post

Why a public handbook?

Take Away

A public handbook
is a way to give back

Other ways to share

  • Write publicly
    • Blog
    • Article
    • Newsletter
  • Make resources public
    • LibraryToolshed.ca

Thanks!