Proposals

What are proposals?

Your ideas will shape and grow the Terra Design System, and proposals are the first step to get an idea into TDS. Proposals are like mini business cases that present an idea in an informative and persuasive way for review by TDS governance. So if you solved a problem that others can reuse, raise your hand and spread the word!

What makes a good proposal?

The best proposals are informative and detailed, but it is up to you to decide how much detail to include.

Make sure you are clearly laying out the problem you see and the solution you have. If your idea is obvious and straightforward, that may be enough. Otherwise, you may want to include additional details, like research and support from your peers, that strengthens your position as to why we should take TDS and our digital products in the direction you are proposing. You should assume the default answer to your request is NO, so provide enough information to make us say YES.

Remember, TDS aims for reusability, so make sure your proposals are in the best interest of future product development at JPMC and not a one-off solution for a specialized need.

Who can make a proposal?

We currently take proposals from two disciplines, designers and engineers. Sorry product owners. If you fall outside one of these two disciplines, it is time to make a new friend and start collaborating. In fact we encourage that. Ideas that have more support from more individuals and teams are more likely to get approved and planned for inclusion into MDS. So socialize your idea before you submit.

Can I ask someone about my idea before making a proposal?

Absolutely! Ask for some input in our #terra-design-system slack channel, or come to design office hours.

How do I submit my proposal?

Use the respective "Experience" or "Technical" tabs on this page for a detailed guide. You can also submit them directly here: Experience - Propose a visual enhancement to TDS components, patterns, or design language. Technical - Propose a functional enhancement to TDS platform, native frameworks, components.

What happens after my proposal is approved?

Approved proposals turn into backlog items for TDS. When work begins on your proposal is determined by the organizational value the enhancement provides. New components or patterns that will be used by multiple product teams are more valuable than a minor tweak for a single feature. The core TDS team is tasked with delivering maximum value to VTS while maintaining the integrity and continuity of the design system. This means there is an expectation that your team will contribute the design and code needed to enhance TDS to meet the needs of your releases.