Design the Workgroup Structure
Setting the Foundation for Your Workgroup
In this section, you will determine staffing, decide your engagement approach, and decide how members will be supported and compensated for their time and expertise.This step helps you set the foundation for your workgroup.
Decide on Staffing
Running a workgroup works best when you have at least two people partnering on the work. Having a team helps share the work, makes the group run more smoothly, and gives participants more support.
- Identify who will facilitate meetings, manage communications, handle compensation, support members, and track tasks.
- Clarify roles such as project manager, facilitator, administrative support, interpreter coordinator, or tech support.
- Ensure staff have the capacity and skills to support equitable and accessible engagement.
After confirming who will support the workgroup, you can choose an engagement model that fits the purpose of the work.
Pick Your Engagement Approach
Choosing the right engagement model ensures that the approach matches the purpose, the decisions being informed, and the level of influence community members will have. The model should be realistic, transparent, and aligned with the agency’s authority and resources.
Common Engagement Models
- Inform: Provide clear, plain language, accessible information to help communities understand an issue, decision, or process.
Examples: fact sheets, presentations, newsletters, public notices. - Consult: Ask for feedback on proposals, problems, or ideas while the agency retains decision-making authority.
Examples: surveys, listening sessions, public comment. - Involve: Work directly with communities throughout the process to ensure perspectives are understood and considered.
Examples: workshops, focus groups, community dialogues. - Co-Design / Collaborate: Partner with communities to develop solutions, recommendations, or strategies together.
Examples: design teams, advisory groups, community-led planning.
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Model
- Purpose and outcomes: What are you trying to achieve? What decisions are being shaped by engagement?
- Level of authority: How much decision-making power can the agency share or delegate?
- Community expectations: What level of influence do impacted communities want?
- Time and resources: What is feasible given staffing, budget, timelines, and accessibility needs?
- Equity considerations: Does the model elevate the voices of communities most impacted by disparities?
Understand Technology and Software Needs
Different state agencies have different rules, standards, and access to technology, apps, and software. Consult with your IT staff to ensure that you have access to the tools you may want to use and that those tools are appropriate and meet your agency’s privacy standards.
Consider the following questions:
- Will the work be conducted in person, remotely, or hybrid?
- Will your meetings take place on Teams or Zoom? What features do each meeting tool offer that might help your workgroup members participate fully?
- Will interpreters or CART services be needed?
- Will your meetings need different levels of permissions for different types of attendees (e.g., webinar format vs. interactive meeting)?
- Will meetings be transcribed, and how will written messages in chat be retained (keeping public disclosure rules in mind)?
- Will your group need to collaborate on written documents? (Avoid sending attachments via email; consider secure cloud workspaces).
- Will software be fully accessible for people with disabilities with equitable access to features?
- Does your agency have policies supporting or prohibiting the use of AI (e.g., AI notetakers)?
Determine Workgroup Class & Plan For Compensation
There are currently 5 different classes of workgroup in WA state. Determine what Class your workgroup falls under to ensure compliance with all compensation and reimbursement rules.
Per SB 5793, Class One Workgroup Members with either lived experience or who qualify as low-income may be compensated for their time and unique expertise. Other types of workgroups (Classes Two through Five) also offer some forms of compensation or reimbursement, although they don’t necessarily guarantee compensation based on lived experience or low-income status.
You can find descriptions of each type in RCWs 43.03.220 – 43.03.265 (opens in a new tab).
Your workgroup class will determine how you plan for compensation.
Decide the Workgroup Size
The size of a workgroup can shape how comfortable people feel sharing and participating. Smaller groups are often easier to manage and give everyone more time to speak. Larger groups can include more perspectives, but they may need more structure and intentional facilitation.
- If your workgroup was established by legislation or executive order, is there a minimum or maximum number of participants mandated in writing?
- Think about the goal of the group, whose voices need to be included, and what support you can offer. Aim for a group that is small enough for meaningful conversation and large enough to reflect the communities and knowledge you need.
- The number of people on a workgroup may depend on the budget for workgroup participant compensation.
Review the Open Public Meetings Act Rules
Determine whether your workgroup is subject to the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30), and whether you will need to follow those rules. Groups that are subject to the OPMA must take extra steps to ensure that their meeting is accessible to the public by making it open to all, recorded, and must share things like agendas and notices in advance. If you are not sure, check with your supervisor or agency AAG for support.
To learn more about the Open Public Meetings Act, refer to this handy guide created and distributed by the Washington State Auditor’s Office: The Open Public Meetings Act: How it applies to Washington Cities, Counties, and Special Purpose Districts. (opens in a new tab).
Plan For Compensation
Compensation is one way we show respect for the time, expertise, and lived experience that community members bring to state workgroups. Not everyone who serves on a workgroup is eligible to be paid.
There are different compensation rules for different classes of workgroup — RCW 43.03.220 says agencies may offer a stipend to people who are low income or have lived experience when serving in Class 1 Workgroups (which is what most agency-led workgroups are classified as).
The Office of Equity’s Community Compensation Guidelines are required reading for any agency staff person who is considering setting up a workgroup.
You must read the Community Compensation Guidelines to:
- Determine whether your workgroup is Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
- Determine if compensation is required in your specific case.
- Understand who, if anyone, would be eligible for compensation among your group’s membership.
- Ensure you have a plan to budget for payment and issue payments in a timely manner.
After you have thoroughly read the Community Compensation Guidelines, you may want to:
- Schedule a consultation with EQUITY’s Community Compensation liaison by contacting LivedExperience@equity.wa.gov if you have questions or would like support.
- Familiarize yourself with the Office of Financial Management’s materials regarding vendor payments here: Vendor/Payee Direct Deposit – Office of Financial Management (opens in a new tab).
- If this is the first time someone in your workspace has ever managed community compensation, meet with your agency’s finance team and the appropriate leadership to ensure that you have a plan for tracking and issuing compensation.
Build a Budget & Hypothetical Scenarios
If your workgroup will have members receiving Community Compensation, you must draft a budget in advance. And even if you don’t think your workgroup will have any major financial costs, there are still sometimes costs associated with workgroup management that you might not anticipate. Here are some example scenarios that illustrate why building a hypothetical budget is important.
Scenario #1:
Your workgroup is heavily focused on hearing from people with lived experience, so most of the applicants will be probably eligible for Community Compensation. You hoped to appoint 10 workgroup members total, but until you finish the recruitment process, you won’t know for sure how many will be eligible for compensation and will opt into receiving it. Your supervisor has informed you that you have a maximum budget of $4,000 for the whole project. You would need to calculate how much compensation would cost per meeting if all 10 members turn out to be eligible. Then from there, you would be able to determine how many meetings you can afford to have.
Scenario #2:
A workgroup member unexpectedly acquires a temporary hearing disability after an illness or injury, and now they need some accessibility supports including CART transcription services at meetings. You didn’t expect this when you first onboarded members, but now you do need to pay for that service on short notice.
Scenario #3:
You have one workgroup member who is eligible for Community Compensation, and you planned a budget that will have just enough money to pay them for their onboarding meeting and all the planned workgroup meetings. That member unexpectedly resigns halfway through their term and must be replaced. The new incoming workgroup member will need to be onboarded, so that adds another hour of compensation costs to your initial estimate.
The scenarios above illustrate why it is essential to think through all budget possibilities and communicate with your supervisor and your agency’s accounting department in advance.
Draft a Hypothetical Budget Scenario
A hypothetical budget scenario is a written document that helps you think through what the workgroup might cost. As the scenarios above show, you can’t always predict all your costs, but you can be prepared with a reasonable estimate and inform your supervisor and accounting staff in advance so that unexpected costs don’t derail the work if they do come up.
Estimate Your Costs
Community Compensation
- How many people do you think will be eligible for compensation? If you don’t know the exact number, identify the lowest possible number and highest possible number. Later you will calculate the cost for both extremes.
- What is the hourly rate that you will be paying them? Refer to the Community Compensation Guidelines for up-to-date guidance on standard minimum rates.
- Number of Workgroup meetings, including the onboarding session. If you don’t know the exact number, estimate the lowest likely and highest likely number of meetings it will take to achieve your goal. If the timeline or number of meetings for the workgroup is unlimited/unknown, then create your budget based on a 1-year duration for now.
- How long will each meeting be?
Reimbursement costs for travel or in-person meetings
- Are you planning to have any in-person meetings? If so, estimate what mileage reimbursement, hotel, dependent-care costs, and food would cost per-person. See RCW 43.03.050 and RCW 43.03.060 for guidance on reimbursement rates for Class 1 Workgroups.
- Check the current IRS standard mileage reimbursement rates.
- Overhead costs for in-person meetings or events such as renting a space or providing refreshments for any in-person gatherings?
Tools and Tech costs
- Will your agency need to purchase any tools or tech for overall workgroup management? Example: a subscription to a scholarly research library or peer-reviewed journal with academic articles related to the workgroup topic.
- Will workgroup members need access to software licenses or apps that they might not already own and can’t pay for out of pocket? Example: a short-term license for Adobe Acrobat if your workgroup members are expected to edit or design PDFs.
Accessibility Supports
- Does anyone in your workgroup need live interpretation services or translation of written materials?
- Remember, even if no one needs supports at the beginning, anyone can acquire a disability at any time. It’s best practice to anticipate needing some extra funds for this just in case.
Next, it’s time to do some math.
Example Budget Scenario
Once you have thought through your individual cost estimates, it’s time to put them all together. Here is an example of how you can combine your cost estimates and add them together to create a hypothetical budget range.
First, calculate the community compensation based on number of meetings and eligible members.
Community Compensation Calculator
| Variable | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| # of Compensated Members | 3 | 10 |
| # of Meetings (1 hour long) | 2 | 4 |
| Hourly Rate | $57 | $57 |
| TOTAL | 3 × 2 × $57 = $342 | 10 × 4 × $57 = $2,280 |
| Operating Costs | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tools & Tech | 10 Adobe subscriptions at $100 each | $1,000 |
| In-Person Meeting | 1 half-day in-person meeting; no rental space; food/beverages only | $300 |
| Travel Reimbursements | Gas mileage or travel reimbursement for half-day meeting | $2,000 |
| Accessibility | Estimated reserve in case of unexpected accessibility needs | $1,000 |
| TOTAL | Combined Miscellaneous Operating Expenses | $4,300 |
Get Budget Approval
Share your hypothetical budget scenario with your supervisor, agency director, or whoever is acting in a leadership role directly over this body of work. Talk through the estimated project costs and obtain their approval for your budget. Make sure to confirm that there will be available funds to cover your estimated costs. Funds can come from a variety of sources.
- If a workgroup was legislatively mandated either in a bill or in a budget proviso, it may already have funds directly allocated from the state’s operating budget.
- Agencies can request funds to support workgroups by submitting decision package requests to the Governor’s office in advance.
- Agencies can apply for funds through the Community Compensation Fund, which is managed by EQUITY. See the Community Compensation Forms & Surveys Center for more information or contact livedexperience@equity.wa.gov
- If no other external funding options are available, your agency must be able to allocate the necessary funds from within its own available budget.
Define Participation
What will participation in meetings look like for this group?
- Will meetings have guest presenters and speakers, or will they be more conversational and free flowing?
- Will workgroup members be expected to prepare and present on topics, or will the workgroup manager be the sole person responsible for developing and sharing information?
- What roles are needed and who will fill them (ex: facilitator, note-taker)?
- What would be the most useful structure for the meetings and for any work that might happen between meetings?
If your agency has the resources to create a webpage to serve as a hub for workgroup materials, this is the best practice as it creates a one-stop-shop that makes participation easy for your members. If not, workgroup members should expect to receive all materials via email, and they must be responsible for retaining and keeping those materials organized in their own way.
If you will be creating a workgroup website, it can include the following:
- Links to original legislation and other written materials that help the reader understand the purpose of the workgroup
- Meeting minutes and recordings
- Onboarding materials
- Meeting schedule (past and future) and links to RSVP or register for meetings
- Name and contact info for workgroup manager
- Link to application form
Select a Decision-Making Model
Define the decision-making structure of your workgroup in advance. Below are some examples of different decision-making structures you may want to consider. There is no one correct approach since every workgroup is unique.
Ask yourself:
- Will this workgroup need to debate and vote to make final decisions?
- Is this workgroup more of an advisory or creative body, rather than a decision-making committee?
- Is it likely that people will want to vote anonymously?
Model #1: Majority Rules
If there is a decision-point with multiple options on the table, all options are presented and the workgroup members vote. Whichever option receives the most votes is selected. Votes can be taken verbally in real-time, or can be collected after the meeting via a survey or online form if people need time to consider their options and make a thoughtful choice without feeling rushed.
Model #2: Consensus
A decision is only made if everyone agrees, even if some people are not enthusiastic about the outcome. Consensus seeks full group alignment and buy-in, and means that everyone can “live with” the outcome even if it wasn’t their first choice. This requires thoughtful discussion, active listening and participation from all workgroup members, and compromise.
Model #3: Traditional Model
After considering input from the workgroup members, the workgroup manager or agency staff make final decisions, after listening to and considering input from the workgroup members. This model is the most traditional, and offers more power to agency staff. However, is sometimes the best model depending on the purpose and structure of the workgroup.
For example, a workgroup may advise a state agency to allocate part of its budget to a new program, but the workgroup members can’t have the final say on this because the Governor’s budget package and the legislature must pass agency budgets. In situations where it is not possible for the workgroup members to have final say over a decision, it is important to be up front and clear about the limits of their decision-making power, so workgroup members are informed and don’t feel misled about their role
Decision-Making Models & Structure
Define the decision-making structure and leadership modalities of your workgroup in advance. There are many different modalities for decision-making structures – below are a few of the most common:
Common Decision-Making Models
- Model #1: Majority Rules: Options are presented and members vote. The option with the most votes is selected (verbally or via follow-up survey).
- Model #2: Consensus: Decisions are made only if everyone agrees and can "live with" the outcome, requiring active listening and compromise.
- Model #3: Traditional Model: Agency staff make final decisions after considering input from members. Essential when decisions fall under legislative or executive authority limits.
Workgroup Leadership Structure Options
- Manager-Led: Workgroup manager sets agendas, facilitates, and makes structure decisions.
- Shared Leadership: Manager leads with active input from members, who can suggest agenda items or present topics.
- Member Leadership: Members are elected/appointed to roles (Chair, Vice Chair) to run meetings, set agendas, and assign tasks.
What Does Meaningful Community Engagement Look Like?