Weekly Wonder: Running “Office Hours” Sessions - Low-Lift, High-Value CUG Touchpoints

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As a Company User Group (CUG) leader, you don’t always have the time or capacity to plan big, production‑level events. That’s where “Office Hours” come in: simple, repeatable sessions where teammates can drop in with questions, get quick help, and build trust with your CUG.

Done well, Office Hours become a low‑lift, high‑value touchpoint that keeps your community engaged between larger events and showcases your internal experts.

Below are five practical tips to help you design and run Office Hours that your stakeholders will actually use - and keep coming back to.

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Tip 1: Define a Clear Purpose and Scope for Each Session

"Office Hours” should feel informal, but not vague. If people don’t know what they can bring to the session, they’ll hesitate to attend.

How to do it:

• Pick a focus per session (or per month).
  Examples: “Jira for new project leads,” “Preparing for Q2 release changes,” or “Ask us anything about automation rules.”

• Clarify what’s in and out of scope.
  For instance: “We’ll help you troubleshoot Jira workflows and dashboards, but we won’t build full new projects during this time.”

• Decide your format:

  • Open Q&A / “Ask Me Anything”

  • Themed deep dive with time for questions

  • “Show and solve” – people bring a live problem to walk through together

Why it works: A clear purpose sets expectations, helps you prepare lightly but effectively, and makes it easier for people to decide whether a session is relevant.

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Tip 2: Make It Predictable (Cadence, Channel, and Hosts)

The real power of Office Hours comes from consistency - not one‑off sessions.

How to do it:

• Choose a realistic cadence.
  Popular options: weekly, bi‑weekly, or monthly. Prioritize what your CUG leaders can reliably sustain over time.

• Standardize the “when” and “where.”

  • Same day/time (e.g., “Every other Wednesday, 1:00–1:45 p.m.”)

  • Same meeting link or room location

• Assign a rotating host panel.

  • Include a primary facilitator and 1–2 subject matter experts (e.g., Jira admin + Confluence power user).

  • Keep a simple rota so you’re never scrambling for coverage.

• Create a recurring calendar invite.
  Add a short description, expectations (e.g., “Drop in anytime during the 45 minutes”), and a link to any shared question doc.

Why it works: Predictability builds habits. When your stakeholders know there’s a dependable time and place to get help, they stop waiting for “the perfect moment” and just show up.

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Tip 3: Lower the Barrier to Participation Before, During, and After

Office Hours should feel safe, approachable, and easy - especially for new or non‑technical users.

How to do it:

• Collect questions in advance.
  Use a simple form or page where people can submit questions ahead of time (and anonymously, if helpful). This helps you:

  • Prioritize themes

  • Prepare quick demos or examples

  • Warm up the session if no one is ready to speak first

• Offer multiple ways to participate live.

  • Voice: Ask a question verbally

  • Chat: Post questions in the meeting chat or a dedicated Slack/Teams channel

  • Screenshare: Ask someone to “show” the problem in Jira or Confluence (with guidance on redacting sensitive data)

• Normalize “no such thing as a silly question.”
  Set the tone at the start: “If you’re wondering about something, someone else probably is too. This is a learning space.”

Why it works: Reducing friction and social anxiety increases participation, especially for quieter team members and new joiners who need help the most.

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Tip 4: Capture Reusable Value from Each Session

If all value stays inside the 30–60 minutes of Office Hours, you’re leaving impact on the table. Turn every session into reusable content.

How to do it:

• Record sessions when appropriate.
  Share the recording link with a short summary (“We covered dashboards, JQL basics, and how to transition issues between projects.”).

• Document Q&A in a central space.

  • Create a “CUG Office Hours Wiki” or “FAQ” page.

  • Add new questions and answers after each session, or link to relevant existing documentation.

• Tag themes and build playlists.
  Over time, group content around topics like “Automation,” “Permissions,” “Project setup,” or “Reporting.” This makes it easier to:

  • Direct new users to past content

  • Spot patterns that might warrant a deeper‑dive event or training

• Feed insights back to product owners and admins.
  Repeated questions often signal:

  • Where onboarding or documentation could be improved

  • Which features need clearer communication ahead of releases

Why it works: Creating a feedback loop from live questions to lasting resources scales the impact of every session and reduces repeated questions over time.

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Tip 5: Measure Impact and Iterate with Light‑Touch Feedback

You don’t need a full analytics program to prove Office Hours are working. A few simple signals can help you refine and demonstrate value.

How to do it:

• Track basic metrics.

  • Attendance (live + recording views, if available)

  • Number and type of questions asked

  • Representation across teams or locations

• Use one‑minute pulse surveys.
  Ask 2–3 quick questions at the end or via follow‑up:

  • “Did you get your question answered?” (Yes/No)

  • “How useful was this session?” (1–5)

  • “What topics would you like to see next?”

• Share wins with stakeholders.
  Summarize impact periodically, for example:

  • “In Q1, we held 6 Office Hours, supported 40+ unique attendees, and addressed recurring questions on reporting, which led to a new dashboard template.”

• Adjust format and focus based on feedback.
  You might:

  • Shorten or extend the time

  • Alternate between open Q&A and themed sessions

  • Add beginner vs. advanced tracks if your audience splits

Why it works: Light‑touch data helps you align Office Hours with real needs, secure leadership support, and show how your CUG contributes directly to adoption and success.

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Bringing It All Together

Office Hours don’t need to be complex to be impactful. With a clear purpose, consistent cadence, low barriers to participation, and a focus on capturing and reusing what you learn, they become one of the highest‑value, lowest‑lift touchpoints in your CUG toolkit.

Over time, they can evolve into a trusted space where teams bring real challenges, discover better ways of working with Atlassian tools, and see your CUG as a strategic partner rather than just an event series.

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Public Resources You Can Share with Your Group

Here are a few public‑facing Atlassian resources you can point your attendees to before or after Office Hours for deeper learning:

• Atlassian Community – Product Collections
  Encourage users to explore discussions, questions, and best practices across Atlassian products.

• Atlassian University – Free Training & Tutorials
  Short, product‑focused courses and tutorials that can help attendees follow up on topics raised during Office Hours.

• Work Life by Atlassian – Teamwork & Collaboration Articles
  Articles on teamwork, collaboration, and ways of working that pair well with process‑oriented questions from Office Hours.