# Calendar

URL: https://tfw.how/tool-classes/calendar/
Description: Calendar holds a topic's scheduled time. Event titles start with the topic code, and event descriptions link to the agenda and the records.

Calendar is the [tool class](/glossary/#tool-class) for scheduled time: when a meeting happens, who is invited, and where it takes place.

## Role in TFW

The calendar is the [source of truth](/glossary/#source-of-truth) for event logistics: the time, the time zone, the attendees, the location or meeting link, and the links to the agenda.

A meeting is [conversation](/glossary/#conversation). The calendar is not the record of what was decided. Decisions and actions from a meeting go to [task management](/tool-classes/task-management/), and meeting notes go to the [knowledge base](/tool-classes/knowledge-base/). The event description links to them.

## One topic's surface

The example topic Example Co Operations (topic code EXOP) uses the calendar in two ways.

**Event titles.** Every event about the topic starts with the topic code, a colon, and a short description of the purpose. For example:

- `EXOP: Weekly review`
- `EXOP: Vendor contract decision`

The code lets people and AI agents find every event for the topic with one search, in any person's calendar.

**Shared topic calendar (optional).** If the topic has regular meetings or shared dates, such as deadlines or maintenance windows, create one shared calendar named `EXOP Example Co Operations`. Share it with the topic's group, for example `exop@example.com`, so that it follows the topic's [access boundary](/glossary/#access-boundary). Not every topic needs a shared calendar. Event titles with the code are enough for many topics.

**Event description.** The description is a short list of links:

- The purpose of the meeting in one sentence.
- The agenda or pre-read.
- After the meeting: the notes page, the decision records, and the tasks that came out of it.

**Maintainer.** If the topic has a shared calendar, one named [maintainer](/glossary/#maintainer) keeps its name, sharing, and recurring events correct.

## Rules

- Each topic has at most one shared calendar.
- Every event about the topic starts with the topic code.
- The title states the purpose of the event.
- The event description links to the agenda before the meeting and to the records after it. It does not hold the full notes or a transcript.
- Decisions and actions from a meeting are recorded in task management. The event links to them.
- Keep one event for one meeting. Do not create the same meeting in more than one calendar unless an access reason requires it.
- Share the shared calendar with the topic's group, not with individuals one by one.
- Treat availability as private. Share only the detail that the audience needs.

## Common mistakes

- **Titles without the code.** An event called "Sync" cannot be matched to a topic.
- **Notes in the event description.** The description becomes long and is not linked from the topic's records. Write notes in the knowledge base and link to them.
- **Decisions recorded only in the meeting.** If no one records the decision, it is lost when people forget the meeting.
- **Duplicate events.** Two copies of one meeting in two calendars stop matching when one is changed.
- **A shared calendar per subproject.** Use the code in event titles instead. A second shared calendar for the same topic is a [provisioning gap](/glossary/#provisioning-gap).
- **Treating an invitation as agreement.** An accepted invitation means a person plans to attend. It does not mean they agree with the agenda.

## Tools

- [Google Calendar](/tools/google-calendar/): How to name topic events and set up an optional shared topic calendar in Google Calendar.

Other products in this class follow the same rules.