“Transformation Web 2.0 Style”. (Article by Bill Schrier in Digital Communities, September 2008 issue)
This article confirmed some of my thoughts concerning new methods of communicating with residents.
The Author notes that Web 2.0 technologies (YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, blogs etc.) is transforming government, since the technologies allow government and people to communicate and interact in new ways.
The technologies include:
1. Social Networking sites could be used to interact in new ways, as well as promote communication within small groups etc.
2. Blogging is a good way for officials to interact and communicate with residents.
3. Video and images could be used to post images and videos of the community. (Personally, I don’t know who has time to review numerous videos, but this is one aspect which needs to be considered.)
4. Interactive surveys can be accomplished quicker and cheaper and on a more variety of activities. (One major problem is they are not statistically significant and could be impacted by special interest groups etc.)
I actually see more of a chance for misuse than benefit in interactive surveys.
5. Wikis (internal and external) could be used to provide instruction, standardize procedures etc.
“The Digital Divide” is one of the major problems with Web 2.0 (and with the soon to arrive Web 3.,0). Since reading this article, I have started paying special attention to insure our residents who are not computer literate or may not feel comfortable with Web 2.0 (or even the internet) have alternative methods of interacting with the City. This includes reviewing notices to insure they include a phone number, address or office and that notices are provided by all channels, including non-internet means.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Building it Right the First Time
Building it Right the First Time (Session, various speakers)
Planning is the key to “getting it right”.
1. Schedule
2. Budget
3. Decision Making Process
“Problems we can deal with, Surprises Kill Us”. (I have found this to be very true!
A. Identify the problem (All aspects)
B. Think of information as an asset
Business Case Evaluation
-Determine projects objectives and anticipated level of service
-Manages future expectations of project performance
-Identify alternatives for evaluation
-Include “doing nothing”
-Develop life cycle costs for each alternative
-Construction cost, plus O&M plus rehab/replacement costs
-Triple bottom line (Economic, Environmental, Social)
Risk Assessment
-Identify all possible risks (both operational and policy perspectives)
-Define Appropriate risk matrix
-Focus on risk throughout
-Monitor, advise and report
-Track Risk
-Risk type (policy or operational), status of action items, report at summary level and lessons learned
Quality Management
-Set quality standards for all functions
-Manage a “living document”
-Communicate the QM Plan
-Monitor throughout
-Find balance between standardization and engineering judgment
Team Alignment
-Identify Competencies Needed (right people with right skills)
-Project kickoff meeting (Agree on project mission, understand expectations, identify critical success factors, plan for successful delivery, objectives and goals define in the process charter process))
-Community Outreach (Public is part of the team)
This is one of those sessions that are valuable because they are outside of my comfort zone and I learn some new ideas and techniques. Usually it is a basis for further research (as is the case in what I learned from this presentation.)
Planning is the key to “getting it right”.
1. Schedule
2. Budget
3. Decision Making Process
“Problems we can deal with, Surprises Kill Us”. (I have found this to be very true!
A. Identify the problem (All aspects)
B. Think of information as an asset
Business Case Evaluation
-Determine projects objectives and anticipated level of service
-Manages future expectations of project performance
-Identify alternatives for evaluation
-Include “doing nothing”
-Develop life cycle costs for each alternative
-Construction cost, plus O&M plus rehab/replacement costs
-Triple bottom line (Economic, Environmental, Social)
Risk Assessment
-Identify all possible risks (both operational and policy perspectives)
-Define Appropriate risk matrix
-Focus on risk throughout
-Monitor, advise and report
-Track Risk
-Risk type (policy or operational), status of action items, report at summary level and lessons learned
Quality Management
-Set quality standards for all functions
-Manage a “living document”
-Communicate the QM Plan
-Monitor throughout
-Find balance between standardization and engineering judgment
Team Alignment
-Identify Competencies Needed (right people with right skills)
-Project kickoff meeting (Agree on project mission, understand expectations, identify critical success factors, plan for successful delivery, objectives and goals define in the process charter process))
-Community Outreach (Public is part of the team)
This is one of those sessions that are valuable because they are outside of my comfort zone and I learn some new ideas and techniques. Usually it is a basis for further research (as is the case in what I learned from this presentation.)
Frans Johannson, The Medici Effect
Frans Johannson, The Medici Effect ICMA 9/23/08
The keynote speech appears to be basically an update and expansion of Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” (without attribution), although I assume this has been expressed in a number of theories.
Some major points:
-“Intersections” -Develop new ideas from combining ideas from various perspectives (fairly obvious and well documented by others)
-“Diversity drives innovation”. (Diversity of everything, ideas etc.)
-A point I continue to try to keep in mind and emphasize
-All new ideas are combinations of existing ideas (include his)
-Diverse Teams see things differently (again, obvious and something I emphasize)
-Innovative Teams generate and execute more ideas (maybe, maybe not, I wouldn’t necessary disagree, it depends on the team and organization)
His process for innovation:
-Look for information from other fields and “dare to explore the connections”
-Leverage existing diversity
-Ignite an “explosion of ideas” by listening to all persons etc. (again, all a good reminder)
He used the story of the “pit crew” on a race car, which is a good picture of some of his points
-Create a renaissance of ideas by using the diverse elements of the city.
-Find and use connections between the City, business and education
-Try as many ideas as you can.
-Use diversity of all kinds to find unexpected connections.
Overall, I feel this speech reminded me of some good points, but presented little new information that isn’t already well presented. The “medici effect” may be a good gimmick, and a good reminder, but overall I found it disappointing that he merely dressed up some old ideas.
The keynote speech appears to be basically an update and expansion of Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” (without attribution), although I assume this has been expressed in a number of theories.
Some major points:
-“Intersections” -Develop new ideas from combining ideas from various perspectives (fairly obvious and well documented by others)
-“Diversity drives innovation”. (Diversity of everything, ideas etc.)
-A point I continue to try to keep in mind and emphasize
-All new ideas are combinations of existing ideas (include his)
-Diverse Teams see things differently (again, obvious and something I emphasize)
-Innovative Teams generate and execute more ideas (maybe, maybe not, I wouldn’t necessary disagree, it depends on the team and organization)
His process for innovation:
-Look for information from other fields and “dare to explore the connections”
-Leverage existing diversity
-Ignite an “explosion of ideas” by listening to all persons etc. (again, all a good reminder)
He used the story of the “pit crew” on a race car, which is a good picture of some of his points
-Create a renaissance of ideas by using the diverse elements of the city.
-Find and use connections between the City, business and education
-Try as many ideas as you can.
-Use diversity of all kinds to find unexpected connections.
Overall, I feel this speech reminded me of some good points, but presented little new information that isn’t already well presented. The “medici effect” may be a good gimmick, and a good reminder, but overall I found it disappointing that he merely dressed up some old ideas.
Robert Fulghum (Questions of Life)
The speaker started off with a demonstration of gestures (without words) and asked the audience to start singing the words and following when they knew what song he was signing.
The audience quickly joined in (one person almost as soon as the first gesture started). The speaker noted about “three people” in the audience of roughly 200 people didn’t understand, and we must be “International” attendees.
Even after he explained the song was “Isty Bisty Spider” and that “everyone” knew it, I realized I had never consciously heard or remembered it.
I mentioned this to my wife and she said “Everyone” knew the song and to ask my 6 and 8 year old granddaughters.
Sure enough last night I called my 8 year old granddaughter and asked if she knew the “spider song” and she immediately started singing the entire song. (My 6-year-old granddaughter was crying in the background for the chance to sing it also).
The speaker was trying to demonstrate that we all retain a lot of information in our memory that can be accessed.
What I learned was that no one knows everything, and, again, it demonstrates the importance of involving as many people as possible in solving a problem and the importance of comments and suggestions! I was reminded again of the importance of public input and the persons who serve on volunteer Boards and Commissions and how valuable their contribution of knowledge and information is.
Perhaps appropriately, Robert Fulghum is the author of “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” and, yes, I am one of those persons who never attended Kindergarten!
He also emphasized, in a story telling method that:
1. We need to be primarily concerned with “taking care of our own corner of the world”. (although he didn’t really say so, I assume we need to do this before we concern ourselves with things we don’t have any control over, or, even if we do, set priorities for what we are primarily responsible for.).
2. Asked some “questions of life” that we learn as children (again, my Mother never used these questions on me, but I am familiar with the context.)_
-WHAT are you doing!
-WHO do you think you are!
-WHAT are you going to do next?
He mentioned these are questions we need to ask at any age.
This session kind of grew on me as time has passed (now two weeks) and I find myself seeing and using some of his “questions” and information in both my personal and office interaction.
I never have read his books, but I will make it a point to read, or at least review them. They may be more meaningful and useful than I realized.
The audience quickly joined in (one person almost as soon as the first gesture started). The speaker noted about “three people” in the audience of roughly 200 people didn’t understand, and we must be “International” attendees.
Even after he explained the song was “Isty Bisty Spider” and that “everyone” knew it, I realized I had never consciously heard or remembered it.
I mentioned this to my wife and she said “Everyone” knew the song and to ask my 6 and 8 year old granddaughters.
Sure enough last night I called my 8 year old granddaughter and asked if she knew the “spider song” and she immediately started singing the entire song. (My 6-year-old granddaughter was crying in the background for the chance to sing it also).
The speaker was trying to demonstrate that we all retain a lot of information in our memory that can be accessed.
What I learned was that no one knows everything, and, again, it demonstrates the importance of involving as many people as possible in solving a problem and the importance of comments and suggestions! I was reminded again of the importance of public input and the persons who serve on volunteer Boards and Commissions and how valuable their contribution of knowledge and information is.
Perhaps appropriately, Robert Fulghum is the author of “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” and, yes, I am one of those persons who never attended Kindergarten!
He also emphasized, in a story telling method that:
1. We need to be primarily concerned with “taking care of our own corner of the world”. (although he didn’t really say so, I assume we need to do this before we concern ourselves with things we don’t have any control over, or, even if we do, set priorities for what we are primarily responsible for.).
2. Asked some “questions of life” that we learn as children (again, my Mother never used these questions on me, but I am familiar with the context.)_
-WHAT are you doing!
-WHO do you think you are!
-WHAT are you going to do next?
He mentioned these are questions we need to ask at any age.
This session kind of grew on me as time has passed (now two weeks) and I find myself seeing and using some of his “questions” and information in both my personal and office interaction.
I never have read his books, but I will make it a point to read, or at least review them. They may be more meaningful and useful than I realized.
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