For Q4 FY25-26 (and likely for the majority of the upcoming FY26-27), we will continue to:

• recruit up to 5 newcomer participants on an approximately bi-weekly basis
• structure the sessions for participants to provide partial narrative and observation (with slightly more emphasis on the latter)
• use the sessions as a way to identify new or update/validate existing insights
• retain a longitudinal element, whether it is via follow-up interviews or async email/survey
• focus on the areas of newcomer retention, motivations, and challenges

New/updated elements and goals (dependent on overall capacity and resource availability):

• more timezone coverage (via expanded availability and/or contractor support)
• exploration with participants in languages other than English (via interpreter and/or contractor support)
• team observer pool expanded to include Growth Ambassadors
• to reduce reporting burden, limiting session summaries to critical validations and new and unexpected findings and associated session clip shareouts on Slack
• (stretch goal) with @AAlhazwani-WMF, create and host a Curious Minds session
• (stretch goal) ideate a system to train Ambassadors on how to facilitate similar sessions (with a focus on observation)

Other factors still under discussion (out of immediate program work scope):

• Whether and how to fit this ongoing research program work and outcomes into the OKR framework (i.e. should this be another/ongoing hypothesis or a separate/standalone KR? would it be less repetitive to frame it as ongoing, high priority essential work?)
  • tagging @ldelench_wmf for visibility
• Clearer understanding of the recommendations trajectory (or, opposite of provenance) and accountability for prioritizing related work, especially if they span past Growth and/or P+T teams' scope

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(Content from program pilot ticket for reference)

• Context. Provide a short paragraph with some background context for your request, please include links to relevant material.

Per @AAlhazwani-WMF's memo document, the aim is to build a cohesive, ongoing, shared understanding of newcomers that the team(s) can draw from when prioritizing work. The ideal is to focus more strategically instead of the more common emphasis on reactive, tactical solutions; hopefully finding the right solution for the right problem, instead of building the solution right (and possibly for the wrong problem).

• Description.What is your request about?

1. Ideating a continuous research process and/or program
2. Executing on the concept and testing its viability and effectiveness

• Expected Deliverable. What is the ideal outcome or result of your request?

Ongoing feed of findings and recommendations from a combination of ongoing research sessions and compiled feedback from community-facing teams such as the ambassadors informing product development and direction, and creating a backlog of actionable recommendations for future APP/team planning cycle integration.

• Estimated Effort. Please provide an estimate of the amount of work needed to complete this task, if known.

3 months of initial process/program ideation and co-creation, and ongoing work towards the same.

• Priority Please indicate a priority of your task and a small description of what it would unlock for you. We ask you to leave this task as “needs triage” since your request will go through a Backlog refinement process where our team will prioritize the work.

I need this task resolved in:

• 1 month.
• 3 months.
• 6 months.
• Whenever you get to it :-)

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For use by WMF Research team; please leave everything below as it is:

1. Does the request serve one of the existing Research team's audiences? If yes, choose the primary audience. (1 of 4)
2. What is the type of work requested?
3. What is the impact of responding to this request?
   • Support a technology or policy need of one or more WM projects
   • Advance the understanding of the WM projects.
   • Something else. If you choose this option, please explain briefly the impact below.