Slack

Tool class: Chat

In Slack, a topic’s chat surface is two channels: a chat channel for people and an automated channel for apps and workflows.

Set up the surface for one topic

These steps use the example topic Example Co Operations (topic code EXOP).

Confirm the topic in the registry. Use the exact topic code, venture name, and unit name.
Search the workspace for channels that contain exop and for the topic name. If the channels already exist, use them. If a duplicate or a channel with a different name exists, record a provisioning gap.
Create the channel exop-exampleco-operations-chat. Slack channel names use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores, and can be up to 80 characters long.
Create the channel exop-exampleco-operations-automated.
Choose public or private for both channels according to the topic’s access boundary. Use the same choice for both.
Set the channel description and the channel topic (see Settings).
Add a canvas to the chat channel with links to the topic profile, the project, the knowledge base space, the shared drive, and the email group.
Add the topic’s participants to both channels.
Connect apps and workflows that post notifications for the topic to the automated channel only.
Add both channel links to the topic profile and to the purpose page.

Description. State the purpose and the audience, for example: “Conversation for EXOP Example Co Operations. Decisions go to the EXOP project; knowledge goes to the EXOP space.” For the automated channel, list the systems that post to it.
Topic. The channel topic appears under the channel name. Use it for the most-used links, such as the project and the purpose page.
Canvas. Keep the canvas short: what the channel is for, the links, any recurring cadence, and participation norms. Update it when a surface changes.
Notifications. Members can mute the automated channel or set it to show only mentions. This keeps alerts available without interrupting conversation.
Retention. Your organization’s retention settings may delete old messages. This is one more reason to record results outside chat.

A public channel is visible to members of the workspace. A private channel is visible only to its members. Choose based on the access boundary, and use the same setting for both channels.
Both channels have the same members.
External participants can join through Slack Connect, which shares a channel with another organization. Record this as an exception to the access boundary on the purpose page.
Apps and workflows that post to the automated channel are part of the access boundary. Review which apps are installed in each channel.

The maintainer checks both channels on a regular schedule:

The names still follow the pattern and match the topic code.
The description, topic, and canvas links still work and point to the current surfaces.
Members of both channels match the topic’s participants. Remove people who left the topic.
Only expected apps and workflows post to the automated channel. No apps post to the chat channel.
Results from recent threads were recorded in the source of truth and linked back.

When the topic becomes inactive:

Post a final message in both channels that states the change and links to any topic that took over the work.
Disconnect apps and workflows from the automated channel.
Archive both channels. Archived channels keep their history and can be searched.
Update the topic profile and the purpose page.

Resolve the topic first. Find the channels through the topic profile or the canvas. Do not assume a channel belongs to a topic only because the name is similar.
Read the thread and the linked records before you answer a question about a decision.
Write results to the source of truth before you post a summary in chat. Then post the link.
Post automated output to the automated channel, not to the chat channel.
Confirm the channel, the recipients, and the text before a consequential post. Do not create, rename, or archive channels, or use mass mentions, without approval.