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Calendar in the Software Engineering Team

We use the Microsoft Teams / Provadis Outlook Calendar (they are identical) as a central tool for scheduling and keeping track of appointments.

0. Important First​

1. Keep your calendars up to date!​

Remember to create the entries described below (correctly) and respond to meeting invitations in a timely and reliable manner.

2. Create contact lists!​

It’s a good idea for each individual to create an Outlook contact list of their own team members to quickly inform them about spontaneous meetings or similar events.

For SMs and POs, it also makes sense to create contact lists with other POs, their own area, the 4 Area POs, etc. (Tip: You can create contact lists from other contact lists—for example, an area-wide contact list based on the team-specific ones.)

3. Adding calendar to work or private accounts​

Unfortunately, this is not supported by Provadis. You can subscribe to the calendar via a link, but it does not update automatically. It is therefore recommended to regularly check Outlook/Teams directly.

4. If you have questions – ask!​

If you have questions or comments within your team, contact your SMs.
For cross-team or cross-area questions, contact your Area PO.
For calendar usage questions, contact Leni Sophie Köhler or Janne Keipert.

1. Personal Entries: Planning Individual Availability​

Each team member is responsible for maintaining their own availability in the calendar. This helps us gain a better overview of each person’s attendance and absence and improves collaboration efficiency.

Use for the following types of entries:

  • Vacation
  • Sick Leave
  • Blocked (business trips, trainings, etc.)

Formatting for personal entries:
ASE-[Team Number] [Entry Type]

Examples:

  • ASE-1 Vacation
  • ASE-2 Sick
  • ASE-3 Blocked

Personal entries are created with the corresponding availability status: "Busy" for blocked times and "Away" for vacation or sick leave.

Invitations for personal entries should be sent to the respective team (PO, SM, developers) and to the Area PO.

2. Team Entries: Coordination of Key Team Events​

In addition to personal entries, it is essential to record all team-relevant appointments in the shared calendar. This ensures that all members are informed about upcoming meetings and events.

Use for the following types of entries:

  • Review
  • Retrospective
  • Planning

Formatting for team entries:
ASE-[Team Number] [Entry Type] - [Product Owner Name]

Examples:

  • ASE-2 Review - Peter Schmidt
  • ASE-1 Retrospective - Anna Meier
  • ASE-3 Planning - Lisa Berger

Team entries are created with the availability status "Busy".

Invitations for team meetings are sent by the SMs and go to the respective team (PO, developers), the Area PO, as well as Philipp and Gabi.