Hi everyone! I’m excited to announce that we are rolling out the OCL Squad Model—a new way for contributors to collaborate, build, and innovate together. Inspired by the OpenMRS squad approach, this model organizes small, self-driven teams that take ownership of key projects, making it easier to get involved and drive meaningful impact. Whether you’re a developer, implementer, or just passionate about open terminology solutions, there’s a place for you. Check out the squads, see where you fit, and join us in shaping the future of OCL!
1. What is the OCL Squad Model?
The OCL Squad Model is an adaptation of the proven OpenMRS squad approach—small, cross‐functional, self‑organizing teams that own end‑to‑end projects. In the OCL community, this model decentralizes decision making and empowers volunteers to drive innovation, prioritize work, and build tools that directly respond to community needs. Each squad is given autonomy over its tasks and cadence, which leads to improved transparency, community-driven development, and a culture of shared ownership. By shifting from centralized weekly calls (e.g. OCL Dev, Architecture, Product and Design calls) to focused squad activities with monthly cross‑squad syncs, we create an environment where collaboration and rapid iteration are front and center.
2. Which Squads is OCL starting with?
Squads are community-led groups that will shift over time as community priorities evolve. Here is the current list of Squads that we are starting out with:
3. How do OCL Squads work?
Each Squad is empowered to self‑organize and take full ownership of its project:
- Autonomy & Cadence: Squads set their own meeting schedules and work rhythms to best suit their project needs. Squad call schedules will be maintained in a public Google Calendar.
- Documentation & Project Management: Each squad maintains its own running notes, documents progress, and manages its tasks via dedicated projects. OCL provides Google Drive templates for notes and materials and uses GitHub Projects for tickets, or some squads may use infrastructure provided by another community (e.g. OpenMRS, HL7, etc.).
- Squad Leads: Each squad has its own lead(s), who volunteer to coordinate squad calls and activities.
- Clear Goals: Each squad is responsible for delivering on specific objectives outlined in the community roadmap (see 2025 OCL Community Roadmap). They champion both the technical execution and community engagement for their projects.
- Flexible, Agile Structure: This model not only encourages rapid iteration but also allows community members to join the squad that matches their interests and expertise, ensuring broad participation and a transparent path for contributions.
- Regular Coordination: Instead of our previous centralized call structure (i.e. weekly Dev, and Architecture calls, and biweekly Product and Design calls), all squads will report and align on progress during a periodic cross‑squad call (e.g. OCL Community Showcases)
4. Who are the Squad Leads?
Squad leads are volunteers who have offered to help coordinate squad calls and activities. The list of squads and the leads will evolve over time.
| Squad | Leads | Schedule |
| OCL TermBrowser v3 Squad | Joe Amlung | Weekly Tue 8am Easterm |
| OCL FHIR Core Squad | Italo Macedo | Bi-weekly Wed 10am Eastern |
| OCL Mapper Squad | Michael Bontyes | Weekly Thu 8am Eastern |
| OCL, CIEL, and OpenMRS Content Squad | Dr. Andrew Kanter | Weekly Thu 10am Eastern |
| OCL for OpenMRS Squad | TBD | Weekly Wed 9am Eastern |
5. What about the weekly OCL Dev and OCL Architecture calls?
After serving us well for the last 3 years, the weekly OCL Dev and OCL Architecture calls will no longer continue. These calls have been instrumental in maintaining communication and coordination, but they’ve also emphasized a centralized approach that hasn’t fully tapped into the potential of our community contributors. Most activity will shift to the new Squads, and we will also host a weekly OCL Platform call for cross-cutting issues and to maintain OCL Online and community infrastructure.
6. Are there other OCL community calls that I should be aware of?
- Quarterly OCL Community Showcase – Quarterly call to highlight the work of OCL community members and new and upcoming features.
- Weekly OCL Platform Team – Technical discussion for cross-cutting issues and maintenance of OCL Online and community/devops infrastructure,
- Drop-in Office Hours (TBD) – For people who may not be ready to dive directly into a squad discussion, the OCL community intends to offer drop-in office hours (possibly biweekly or monthly) to field more general questions. Let us know if you’re interested to help us prioritize planning.
Stay tuned for more details on these other calls.
7. How do I get involved in a Squad?
Reach out to the squad lead on slack, OCL Chat, or by email to get involved. More information will be posted on the OCL Community Website soon.