Working within Microsoft Teams
In 2021, HI leadership decided to migrate committee collaboration to Microsoft Teams. Committee meetings and file sharing will be conducted through this platform. Below are guidance and expectations on working within the platform at Hydraulic Institute in addition to common questions. If you have any additional questions please contact us at HITechnical@pumps.org
Guidance and Expectations
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Standardized File Folder Structure
Hydraulic Institute staff have created a standardized structure to the folders found within a Team’s “Files” tab. Each folder has a specific purpose. The sections below are designed to instruct where documents are to be found and set expectations for the content of each folder.
Agendas Folder
Purpose: Agendas are used to plan for and run in-person meetings. The second page of the agenda includes the committee’s purpose, scope and deliverables. Altering the purpose and scope of a committee should be discussed and balloted on in a committee meeting with quorum present. This document should not be edited or checked out by committee members.
Ballots Folder
Purpose: All ANSI/HI documents go through a series of ballots. The number and type of ballots is specific to the document type. Balloting is conducted via email. The contents of the ballots folder are the merged PDF files that contain all comments from casted ballots.
Drafts Folder
Purpose: This folder is a central location for all draft material (Word documents/ PowerPoint decks) of a publication, webinar or course. All written material from committee members belongs in the “Proposed Revisions”. When the content has been reviewed it can be placed in the “Reviewed and Considered” folder within “Proposed Revisions”
HI Staff is responsible for lifting the content from Teams folders and copying it to HI’s W:Drive (under the appropriate committee).
Meeting Minutes Folder
Purpose: Following in-person committee meetings, HI staff drafts and uploads meeting minutes. The minutes outline specific action items and deadlines in addition to noting edits to the purpose and scope.
Resources and References Folder
Purpose: This folder is a central location for all material related to the topic of the publication including white papers, case studies, other technical standards, and/or previous versions of the publication. This folder also contains a subfolder called “Images-Graphics”. This subfolder is a central location for all material for figures and graphs of a publication, webinar or course. File types are often Excel files, JPG, PNG, and EPS. Also found in this folder is the HI permission form. This form is to be used by committee members when using copyrighted images and graphs. Signing the form grants HI permission to use specific images/graphs within a specific project without copyright infringement.
Workgroups
Purpose: Some committees will break out assignments into smaller workgroups of volunteers. All content developed by these workgroups will be located in the Workgroups subfolders (see screenshot below). When a workgroup has completed their work their content can be moved to the “Proposed Revisions” under the drafts. Not every committee will need a workgroups folder.
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Task Management Guidance
HI Staff is responsible for maintaining an orderly working environment within folders. Periodically, HI Staff will go through and organize content. Migration of content from Teams to the W:Drive should happen quarterly at a minimum.
Additionally, every committee Team has a “Tasks” function. This acts as a to-do list and can serve as reminders for open action items. HI Staff will typically assign tasks but committee members can also create tasks for themselves or other committee members they are collaborating with in the committee. Priority can be given in addition to setting a specific deadline date. The Task function may not eliminate the need for other action tracking.
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Uploading Documents to Teams
Uploading files on teams is straightforward. Users can “drag and drop” a file in an intended folder OR select a file from their computer by clicking on the “Upload” button.
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Editing Files on Teams
Committee members can expect to interact with a variety of document types throughout the process of reviewing/editing/creating a publication or product. In order to prevent duplicate documents and/or erased work, HI Staff have provided some guidance for editing files on Teams. Specifics can be located by file type below.
Word Documents
Master Draft: HI Staff and Committee leadership are responsible for editing the Master Draft of committee work. If edited sections are ready to be implemented into the Master Draft, upload your content and message HI Staff/Committee leadership to inform them. The “More” > “check out” option should be used by HI Staff/Committee leadership to ensure the Master Draft remains in tact
Collaborative Documents: In order to prevent duplicate documents, it is best practice for committee members to got to “More” and then “Check out” and then go into the document within Teams by clicking on the file name to make edits. Make sure to save edits before closing the document. Documents that are “checked out” will have a red icon beside them.
It is important to “check in” the document when edits are complete so other members can have access. When members “check in” the document they are prompted to add comments for other members to see. Adding comments is encouraged to other members know what has been done.
PowerPoint Files
In order to prevent duplicate documents, it is best practice for committee members to got to “More” and then “Check out” and then go into the PowerPoint within Teams by clicking on the file name to make edits. Make sure to save edits before closing the PowerPoint. It is important to “check in” the document when edits are complete so other members can have access. When members “check in” the document they are prompted to add comments for other members to see. Adding comments is encouraged to other members know what has been done.
PDF Files
For reviewing existing publication to consider if revision or reaffirmation is appropriate, it is best practice for committee members to download the PDF, mark up, save with Initials and date, and re-upload under the “Drafts” > “Proposed Revisions”.
HI Staff is responsible to merge all comments (for review or ballots) into one document for the committee to review. Once a merged comment PDF has been created, committee members are discouraged from editing. HI Staff and/or committee leadership will manage the document.
Excel Files
In order to prevent duplicate documents, it is best practice for committee members to got to “More” and then “Check out” and then go into the document within Teams by clicking on the file name to make edits. Make sure to save edits before closing the document. It is important to “check in” the document when edits are complete so other members can have access. When members “check in” the document they are prompted to add comments for other members to see. Adding comments is encouraged to other members know what has been done.
Common Questions
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Who should I contact if I am running into issues connecting to an HI Team?
Answer: You should always go to your company IT personnel to ensure your Teams account is set up to permit external contacts like HI. If issues persist, please contact the HI staff responsible for the committee.
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My company doesn’t use Teams. What should I do?
Answer: Teams can be accessed via internet browser like Chrome or Safari. When HI staff add you to the committee you will be prompted to join the committee via link. Please contact HI Staff if you need the committee link to be reset. We suggest bookmarking this page for future use.
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How do I access the Hydraulic Institute Teams on my Teams App?
Answer: In the top right corner you will see three dots (indicated by yellow circle in example below). If you click on it a dropdown menu will appear with a list of organizations who have you listed in a team (indicated by red box in example below). Select Hydraulic Institute and then navigate to the appropriate Team.
