I want to join a team.  What's the process?

Workgroups generally operate through smaller teams that meet regularly, such as weekly or biweekly.  You should consider applying for one or more teams in addition to - or instead of - applying for the workgroup.  Reasons to do this include:

• Teams are free to join, while workgroups carry nominal annual support fees.

• You can assess the "fit" before committing to the full workgroup.

• Most of the work is done by teams.

• Teams meet more frequently than workgroups, meaning you don't need to wait for the next workgroup meeting to get started.

• Some workgroups require a period of active team participation before you can be considered for full voting membership.

Most companies that join teams also join the workgroup, but there is no requirement to do so, nor do you have to make the decision now.  Advantages of joining the workgroup include:

• Participate on all final votes on specifications

• Attend face-to-face meetings offer opportunities to network with peers from both the customer and vendor communities

Joining a team:  The process for joining a team is the same as for joining a workgroup, except:

• The members of the team vote on new members.

• If your company is already a member of the workgroup, you can join the team without the need for a vote.

• There are no recurring fees for participating on any team.

• There are no provisional memberships for teams.

Here are the specific steps for joining a team. 

• If you are not yet a member of HTNG, you or your company first need to join.

• If your company is an HTNG member but you are not yet enrolled as a user of the HTNG web sites (i.e. if you do not have a login and password), then you need to enroll.

• Apply to join the team.  Use the application form here. 

  • Membership on teams is held by companies, not by individuals. 

  • Multiple individuals from your company can participate.  Each one needs to complete the form.

  • Each participant must be covered by either a corporate or individual HTNG membership.

• Your company will be placed on the agenda for membership consideration, according to the rules of the team, at the next full team meeting that occurs at least 7 days after the date that your application is processed. 

  • Meeting schedules for each team are posted in the "Events" section of that team's home page on the collaboration site.

  • A master schedule of all workgroup and team meetings can be found here.

• We will add you to the prospective members' mailing list for the team so that you will receive all team communications.

• You should plan to attend the meeting at which your company's membership is up for consideration.

  • You may also attend any meetings that occur sooner, although you will technically be a guest

  • Most team meetings occur via telephone and/or web conference.

  • At the meeting, the team will normally vote on your company's membership.

  • If no one from your company can attend this meeting, then the team may defer your application until the next meeting.