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One Chat, no DMs

“One Chat — No DMs” Micro-SOP (keeping all work-related conversation in the shared team channel)

Field Content
Purpose Maximise transparency, minimise context-fracture, and speed up help loops by funnelling all work talk into a single, searchable group chat.
Applies to Everyone on the project (core team, contractors, mentors).
Owner Sender of a message—if you type it, you’re responsible for putting it in the right place.
Success Signal Team questions answered inside the group thread without “Hey check your DM.”
Red-Flag Rule Any work-related direct message (DM) → must be reposted to the group within 2 min or deleted.

The 4-Step Habit Loop (“C-P-B-R”)§

# Action Your Script / Behaviour
1. CHECK Before hitting Enter → ask: “Will at least one other teammate find this useful later?”
2. POST If Yes → post in #team-chat (or “Boot-camp E2E” Telegram group).
Prefix with 🔄 [Blocker] or 📝 [Update] as needed.
3. BOUNCE If someone DMs you: respond in DM with
“Let’s move this to the group so everyone’s in the loop 👇”
Then copy-paste their question & your answer into the channel.
4. RESPECT EXCEPTIONS DM only for:
• Personal/emergency matters (health, payroll, HR)
• Manager-initiated 1-on-1 performance feedback
• Security credentials exchange (and delete after use)

Mnemonic: C-P-B-R → Check → Post → Bounce → Respect exceptions.

Formatting Aids (keep messages scannable)§

Use-case Prefix & example
Blocker needing help 🔄 BLOCKER: “Trello card won’t load. Tried hard-refresh + VPN. Ideas?”
Routine progress ping ✅ Done: “Phase A-1 device provisioning complete.”
FYI link drop 📎 Ref: “Mark-text markdown viewer—renders tables nicely.”
10-min away ☕ BRB 10 min

Enforcement Ladder§

  1. Gentle Nudge – Reminder in group chat.
  2. Strike Recorded – Repeat DM-offender noted for retro & pay review.
  3. Privilege Freeze – Temporarily removed from chat until compliance.

Why we’re strict§

  • Single-source memory → newcomers ramp 2× faster.
  • Fairness → nobody gets hidden tips or side-advice.
  • Async-friendliness → teammates in other time-zones can search and catch up.

When in doubt, default to the group room. Transparency beats convenience—every minute.