Project Planning meeting
A RSE Lab receives many requests, expressions of interest or invitations to tender. The Project Planning (PP) meeting format is an opportunity to convene the entire RSE team and define a collective vision of the RSE Labs activity and goals. To some extent these goals will be driven by external factors, but one way in which an RSE Lab is differentiated from a commercial developer is its focus on supporting novel and innovative digital research.
For instance, project researchers might approach the RSE Lab with rather pedestrian requirements for a blog or publicity website that offers no bespoke or research functionality. In this case it may be preferable (and more cost effective for the researcher) to direct the enquiry to third-party that can provide this sort of service.
To maintain a vital and engaging RSE Lab environment the RSE team should, whenever possible, be animated by the projects it is working on and be genuinely invested in a successful outcome from a methodological and intellectual perspective.
The PP meeting format allows the whole team to discuss each project based on:
- a resource perspective
- a intellectual perspective
- personal interests
- organisational goals and targets
- direct experience with similar projects or potential partners
A sample agenda might follow this structure:
- Project Manager or Director outlines the current funding situation with regard to targets and resources
- This allows the rest of the meeting to take place so that all participants have a good understanding of potential resource bottlenecks, the volume of small, medium and large projects on the horizon, their relative chances of successful funding
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Discuss active projects approaching Change Freeze
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Review progress of projects in Pre-project stage
- i.e. are application being progressed or submitted by research partners? Have projects been abandoned or left fallow? Are there any blockers that prevent the RSE Team from providing feedback to research partners?
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Recap of projects submitted for funding which are awaiting decisions
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Recap of projects that are approaching the end of Service Level Agreement
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Potential projects - a GO/ NO GO decision
- In light of all the topics discussed, the RSE team can discuss the relative merits and strategic suitability of any new project ideas that have been proposed. Following these discussions the RSE team can arrange to follow up, politely decline, or redirect the researcher(s).
