# CNCF launches chartered User Group program for end-user verticals at KubeCon

> **Key takeaway:** The CNCF has created a permanent, chartered governance structure for end-user communities organized by industry vertical, with Platform Engineering, Public Sector, Research, and Telecom as the inaugural groups.

**Published:** 2026-11-11T16:41:17+00:00 
**Source:** Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) 
**Category:** cloud-native 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/cncf-launches-chartered-user-group-program-for-end-user-vert.html 

## Summary
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation is launching its User Group Program at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America, establishing long-lived, chartered communities built around industry verticals and problem domains. These groups report directly to the CNCF Technical Advisory Board and are designed to replace ephemeral, one-off efforts with sustained organizational structures that serve end users in specific sectors.

The program debuts with four user groups: Platform Engineering, Public Sector, Research, and Telecom. Each operates under a formal charter with TAB-approved chairs, holds at least one public monthly meeting recorded to YouTube, and is expected to contribute to KubeCon presence. The Platform Engineering group demonstrates the intended evolution from informal community to chartered body, having progressed from a TAG App Delivery Working Group to Technical Community Group and now to User Group status.

## Governance structure and graduation path
- **Two-tier community model:** Technical Community Groups serve as lightweight entry points requiring one meet-up every 90 days with minimal governance, while User Groups require a charter, TAB-approved chairs with 2-year terms, and monthly public recorded meetings.
- **Graduation requirements:** A TCG must complete numerous initiatives, demonstrate coverage of an unserved gap, and obtain TAB approval before drafting a charter for formal User Group formation.
- **Dual destination paths:** End user-driven domains advance to the TAB as User Groups; project-focused domains route to the Technical Oversight Committee as Technical Advisory Groups.
- **Standing deliverables:** User Groups produce reference architectures, best practices, how-to documentation, and white papers, while providing structured feedback on CNCF project usability, reliability, and performance.
- **Accountability mechanisms:** Groups must report periodically on health and initiatives to the TAB, maintain public meeting recordings, and maintain visible presence at KubeCon events through talks, booths, or ecosystem updates.

## Why it matters
The User Group program gives platform engineers, telecom operators, research computing staff, and public-sector IT teams permanent seats in CNCF governance rather than temporary project affiliations. For Linux and cloud-native practitioners, this means more durable channels to influence project roadmaps and more sector-specific guidance that accounts for regulatory, performance, and operational constraints that generic documentation often misses.