Closed jilladams closed 1 year ago
@BerniXiongA6 now that the news is LIVE, this ticket is all yours. Like I mentioned: a lot will be repeat / you've known it in the ecosystem already, but all the CMS history / onboarding steps here are relevant and it's good to work your way through it as you have time, especially the Roster related pieces, both our team roster and the Platform roster if you're not already on it.
Also: you'll find some central docs like team norms, leftover from the period where as were trying to operate as a program with centralized guidance for all 3 teams. We've kept those where they're still relevant as a subset of docs that each team can lean on / reference / adapt for our smaller team charter docs.
Welcome to the VFS-CMS / Sitewide Team! 👋
We're thrilled to have you join us on this journey! 🎆🎉🙌
This team consists of three product teams: CMS team (VFS-CMS contract), and the Facilities and Public Websites teams (Sitewide contract). Our teams are cross-functional and consist of Product, Delivery/Scrummaster, UX (Research, Design, Content strategy), Backend engineering (full-stack/Drupal), and Front-end engineering.
The VA's north star is to "continuously deliver high-quality digital experiences for the benefit of all Veterans and their families." From a CMS-perspective, our vision is to craft a seamless editorial experience that empowers editors to create Veteran-centered content.
The onboarding materials below are organized by:
There's a lot to digest but don't worry, your Delivery Manager will guide you, you'll have an onboarding buddy to provide support, and we'll also introduce you to your workstream's lead to help with specific things related to your discipline (UX, DevOps, Drupal Engineering, etc). In addition, you'll have the support of the entire team, who have all gone through this process before and are eager to answer any questions that arise. Come back to this ticket any time to refresh your knowledge on a specific topic covered below. Have fun and we look forward to getting to know you! 😊
Projected start date: 5/20/23
Team info
Day one
Your top priority is any onboarding paperwork provided by Contract Onboarding folks. Start tasks below after that.
Process & Principles
People
Access & Delivery
Week one
The goals of this week are: 1) get background paperwork completed as quickly as possible 2) start gaining context for what we're doing and why
Access & Delivery
Paperwork You'll receive an email from A6 COS directing you to the paperwork you should fill out for secure access to relevant VA systems. Federal contractors are required to complete many of the same forms as federal employees.
Github / Zenhub configuration
Github + Zenhub are the tools required for sprint boards, epics, estimates, and issue tracking for our team, as well as code version control. To work successfully:
Sprint boards: You can view team sprint boards using either the Github view with Zenhub browser extension enabled, or the Zenhub webapp view.
Process & Principles
People
Context & History
Week two
The goal for this week is to get you set up with the tools you need to be successful. We will pair you up with a buddy on the project that is in your same discipline to help inform which ones are relevant and which aren't. The most important thing is to get set up is SOCKS as it will give you access to our systems so try to prioritize that.
Process & Principles
Context & History: What products do we support?
Access & Delivery
Github for issue tracking and document sharing
Slack for instant messaging
@cms-team
,@cms-helpdesk
,@public-websites-team
,@facilities-team
. Also@cms-engineers-group
for eng.)Channels
#proj-sitewide-vfs-cms-team
#sitewide-program
, and your team channel e.g.#cms-team
,#cms-platform
,#sitewide-public-websites
,#sitewide-facilities
SOCKS - VA network proxy (after your Platform Orientation)
The VA network is required in order to access Drupal CMS and other VA tools. Network access usually requires a VA ID card (also called a "PIV" or Smartcard). Until your paperwork is approved and you receive a PIV card, using the SOCKS proxy can provide earlier acces to some of these tools. You cannot be approved for SOCKS access until your eQip is sent and you receive a "transmittal notice" confirming receipt. If you have received an eQip transmittal notice, but not a PIV, please complete the steps for SOCKS access. This is the first priority for week two, especially for engineers. (If your role doesn't demand immediate access to the CMS, you may be able to wait until you receive a PIV.)
This can be a complex process. Post in #sitewide-program Slack channel if you need help from a current member - we're happy to help.
You can file the SOCKS request before completing your Platform Orientation, but it may not be approved/fulfilled until after.
Drupal
Drupal is the VA's content management system of choice. For anyone on our team, it's beneficial to have a CMS user account so you can login, look at settings, and understand how the CMS works at a high level. If you need help completing the technical steps here, schedule 30 mins with your Delivery Manager.
Tugboat demo environments (Drupal)
Tugboat is a development server platform where you can preview CMS code changes pre-production.
Other tools / access
- [ ] Trello for retro boardsMonth one
By this point you should have enough context and access to be able to start contributing. Work with your team to identify specific issues to focus on.
People
Access & Delivery
Paperwork
Discipline specific onboarding (UX, developers, helpdesk, etc.)
Remove the sections that don't apply
Onboarding for Engineers
VA Platform documentation
Dev environment configuration
Each repository includes READMEs to help with setup.
Repositories
Build systems / Environments
content-build
andvets-website
, through Dev > Staging > ProdDesign system
Tools & Resources
Onboarding for Delivery Managers
[x] Request your onboarding buddy provide access to CMS Support distro group - must access on VA network (requires PIV card + CAG access)
[x] Review Contract responsibilities doc for your contract:
[x] Review Sprint reporting runbook for your contract:
[x] Review other Delivery documents in Google Drive
Team
Please check the team(s) that will do this work.
CMS Team
Public Websites
Facilities
User support