Collaboration cycle

Touchpoints

Last Updated: August 3, 2026

Based on the information you provide at Kickoff, your team will get a custom Collaboration Cycle ticket with the touchpoints needed for your project. When you’re ready to schedule your Collaboration Cycle touchpoints, review this guidance to prepare.

Overview

Touchpoint

Description

Format

Owner

Waiver process

Collaboration Cycle kickoff

This touchpoint kicks off the Collaboration Cycle and provides the Governance and Content and Information Architecture and Accessibility Digital Experience (ADE) teams with information about your initiative or product.

Asynchronous Collaboration Cycle Request ticket.

Governance Team

No

Gov Leads Sync

This touchpoint helps align government leadership across our teams and open lines of communication.

Synchronous 30-minute meeting.

OCTO Digital Experience Practice Area Leads

No

Design Intent

This touchpoint is to ensure you’re building a product that meets VA.gov standards.

Synchronous 30-minute meeting.

Governance Team

Waiver available

Architecture Intent

This touchpoint is to ensure you’re building a product that meets VA.gov Engineering and Security standards before you’ve started building your product.

Synchronous 30-minute meeting.

OCTO-DE Engineering and Security stakeholders

Waiver available

Midpoint review

This touchpoint is to ensure you’re building a product that meets VA.gov standards.

Synchronous 30-minute meeting or asynchronous review.

Governance Team

Waiver available

Research review

This touchpoint is to set up or review Veteran-facing research initiatives on VA.gov.

Asynchronous review.

OCTO Research Lead

Waiver available

Analytics request

This touchpoint is to begin Google Analytics setup so we can understand how Veterans are using VA.gov.

Asynchronous review.

A synchronous 30-minute meeting may be requested by the Analytics & Insights Team.

Analytics & Insights Team

No

Contact center review

This touchpoint is to ensure VA contact center representatives are prepared to answer questions and help Veterans troubleshoot new tools or services on VA.gov.

Asynchronous review.

Veteran Support Team

No

Staging review

This touchpoint is to ensure your product is meeting VA.gov Experience Standards and VA.gov Platform QA Standards.

Synchronous 30-minute meeting.

Governance Team

No

 


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