A fresh start: two days of Unit kick-off in Düsseldorf

The TYPO3 Association gives itself a new organisation

The TYPO3 community and the TYPO3 ecosystem thrive on countless volunteers who want to contribute and make things happen. For many years this worked well overall, though some things ran in parallel, and for a number of topics it was often unclear who was in charge.

Above all, though, it was voluntary. At first glance that is absolutely wonderful: a very diverse group from all over the world (okay, admittedly the DACH region is overrepresented) comes together to make a good product even better and does the work without pay.

When it comes to binding roadmaps or binding delivery dates, this coin has another side: sometimes the battle for resources is not won by voluntary commitment to an open source project, but by the paid assignment that covers next month's rent, or by the family that needs special attention. Both are completely fine, but they make planning reliable deliveries difficult.

The TYPO3 Association's answer to this is the new Unit structure. On 4 and 5 November, the founding members of the new TYPO3 Units met in Düsseldorf to bring the Association's new structure to life. I was there as head of the Education Committee – and I'd like to share what we discussed, what is changing and why I came home rather optimistic.

The backstory: a year of governance work

The road there was a lot longer than a few days. At the ordinary General Assembly on 22 April 2026 in Düsseldorf, the members passed several petitions intended to modernise the way the Association works. In parallel, the Governance Working Group drafted rules for a new structure: the Units. By then, the fundamental ideas and work on the structure had already been maturing for months, discussed and refined in smaller and larger groups.

In August, the Rules for TYPO3 Units and the rules for the Unit Cooperation Panel went into public review. Until 6 September, anyone could give feedback, after which both documents were revised.

From 21 to 29 October, the members then voted online on the amended bylaws. The result: 204 of 272 votes in favour, i.e. 75 % – well above the required two-thirds majority. The changes take effect immediately.

What this means going forward: the Units take care of the product, the Board of external representation and finances, the Business Control Committee of auditing and compliance. Each Unit is responsible for one area of the project. The Unit Cooperation Panel brings all Units and the Board to one table and acts as product owner of the TYPO3 roadmap.

See also: TYPO3 Association Members Approve New Governance Structure

Day 1: Taking a look in the mirror first

Wednesday was all about self-reflection. Each Unit started by asking itself the same questions: What do we want to be responsible for? What has been going well so far? Where is there room for improvement? And how do we need to set ourselves up to realise our potential and live up to our responsibility?

These discussions led straight to formal decisions: the Units named their founding members and adopted their charters. That sounds like an administrative act, but it is the moment when an organisational chart turns into a group that can actually get work done.

What struck me most was the atmosphere. Open, constructive, no turf wars over old responsibilities. Over dinner together the discussion carried on in a relaxed way – and, as so often, that is where the best ideas come up.

The Knowledge Unit: knowledge gets a home

For me personally, the biggest change: all existing teams and committees will be dissolved at the end of the year – including the Education Committee. From January, the Unit structure applies. The Education Committee is not lost, though; it becomes part of the Knowledge Unit, in fact in two Working Groups.

The Knowledge Unit has four Working Groups:

The Best Practices Working Group is still open to be shaped: so far, this topic was handled implicitly by the certification and documentation people. Whoever writes exam questions or documents Core changes defines "good practice" along the way. We believe that a dedicated Working Group that consciously develops and publishes these standards can make the whole ecosystem better.

Initially, Sarah McCarthy as Unit Coordinator and Tom Warwick as Deputy coordinate the Knowledge Unit. In the Unit concept, these roles will be elected regularly by the Unit Members in the future.

This opens up a huge opportunity: certification, training, documentation and best practices now sit in one Unit. What used to have to be coordinated across team boundaries (and often wasn't) can now be settled at the same table. And perhaps even more importantly: the Knowledge Unit is now responsible for, and the single source of truth on, defining and documenting best-practice solutions alongside certifications and documentation.

Day 2: From structure to roadmap

On Thursday we got down to business: we collected proposals for the TYPO3 v15 roadmap. These will now be finalised and then prioritised and decided on in the panel of the six Units. From January, the Units will manage their budgets and be responsible for their work items.

On top of that came the practical questions of the transition:

• Until 31 December, existing team members can still join the Units without much fuss. From 1 January, joining becomes a bit more formal.
• Unit Members commit to contributing regularly and must be members of the TYPO3 Association. In return, they have voting rights in their Unit.
• Unit Supporters don't need to be Association members and can contribute more flexibly, but have no vote in the Unit.
• The current Unit Coordinators have been appointed and are now starting their work. The first elections, in which the Unit Members choose their coordinators, are planned for the TYPO3 Developer Days.

With clear responsibilities and accountability, it is now unambiguous who has to make decisions and who should be informed. That sounds trivial – but in the old structure it wasn't always.

Conclusion: keep what's good – improve what's stuck

I see the new structure as a real opportunity. We don't have to start from scratch: what worked well in the Education Committee, we take with us. What needed improvement, we can now tackle – with clear roles, a more flexible budget and short paths to the neighbouring topics.

But a Unit is only as good as the people who work in it. The founding group is explicitly just a starting point.

So: join us! Whether as a Unit Member with voting rights or as a Supporter who contributes from time to time – especially for the Best Practices group, we are looking for people who'd like to help shape standards for the TYPO3 ecosystem. And if you are already active in a team: until 31 December, joining is particularly easy.

You'll of course find more information about the new governance structure on typo3.com and typo3.org. If you'd like to support the Knowledge Unit, I'd be delighted – feel free to get in touch with Sarah or Tom. Members of the Education Committee are welcome to contact me directly. :)