Fertilizing a Thousand Flowers

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Fertilizing a Thousand Flowers

• Rob Willis, Ross Associates
• Node Mentoring Workshop
• New Orleans, LA
• March 1, 2005

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Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom

• Full saying, 'Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a
  hundred schools of thought contend'
• Origin
• One of Chairman Mao's rejoinders to the Chinese
  people during the Cultural Revolution.
• Derived Meaning
• Encourage many ideas from many sources.
• Sinister History
• Mao asked for a thousand flowers to bloom,
  historians believe it was to encourage the
  opposition to show themselves so that they could
  be suppressed.

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Challenge for the Network and its Partners/Users

• The key challenge facing the Network is
  supporting Partners in designing and managing the
  Flows that will leverage the value of the
  Network, and, in doing so, expand it.

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Session Objective

• Identify how communities of interest are the
  basis for a systematic and explicit mechanism in
  supporting Partners in designing and managing the
  Flows that will leverage the value of the
  Network, and, in doing so, expand it.
• Identify the key points from yesterdays
  programmatic tracks
• Ground truth a proposed Systematic Approach to
  Flow/Exchange Management and Development.

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From the Programmatic Sessions

• To streamline participation documentation is
  worth its weight in gold.
• Sessions mentioned resources
• Dependence on Grants
• Importance of having the right people available
  at the right time.
• Informing the customer, aka creating demand!
• EPA Programs need to know to ask
• State Programs need to know to ask
• Key then is plugging these people in.

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What I heard yesterday from the plenary

• Most of the questions still had to do with tying
  program knowledge to the process.
• Where is that applied?
• XML Schema
• Data Standards
• Flow Configuration Documents
• Link of programs to the security of the Network.

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Today The thousand flowers have bloomed because
of Organic fertilizer

• Today it works because the Network community is
  distinct enough to allow Partners with like
  interests to connect.
• IPTs emerge and operate organically
• Resource support to the IPTs variable
• IPTs are the only game in town for a systematic
  approach to Flow design, development, and
  management
• Therefore flow design, development, and
  management happen on a project by project basis.
• IPTs emerge and serve a project

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Tomorrow Organic is good but . . .

• Isnt the answer to create demand/customers.
• The starting point cannot be on a project by
  project basis.
• The logical participation point and entrée for
  Programs in design, development, and management
  of Flows.
• A good deal of the time we spent yesterday was
  between the nodes.
• We need to create the demand for the Network.
  The enterprising spirit is what defined the early
  adopters and the enterprising spirit will
  underlie the ultimate success of the Network.

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A Systematic Approach to Flow/Exchange Management
and Development
BUILD IMPLEMENT
MANAGE DOCUMENT
IDEA
DESIGN
EXCHANGE
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Communities of Interest creating Network Data
Area Strategies

• In aggregate, provide a list and prioritization
  of projects in each data area.
• Show specific projects, Flows, and/or services
  link to a larger Network strategy.
• Provide a venue and framework for individuals to
  find others with shared interests.
• Provide a venue for connecting Network activities
  to those of external communities (e.g., ASDWA,
  ASTSWMO, etc.).
• Provide a structure for creating linkages across
  Flow groups.
• Entice new people and groups into the Network
  community.
• Provide Network governance with a planning tool
  for identifying needed support/guidelines, since
  the strategies will always represent the leading
  edge of Network Implementation.

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Shared Objectives for Data Area
Network Data Area Strategies
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Shared Objectives for Data Area

• Flow Design Tools
• Flow Design Questions
• Flow Design Patterns, e.g., Data Publishing

Etc.
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Shared Objectives for Data Area
Manage Document
Network Flow Portfolio
Flow Name
Components Used
Etc.
eDMR
TRI
Etc.
Etc.
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Flow Management

• Originally we kept Network Administration
  separate from data issues.
• Identified it as a critical component of
  governance
• Flow Management consists of
• Leadership in identifying focus areas
• Support (Political and resource) for the
  convening of communities of interest.
• Supporting Flow Design
• Support and Stewardship of Flow Products
• Tracking Network Flow Implementations

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• Leveraging the efforts of first adopters Network
  when building Flows
• Economies of Scale
• re-use
• tech transfer
• specialized service providers
• Talked a lot about this yesterday

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?
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Questions?
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Contact Information

• Rob Willis
• Ross Associates
• rob.willis_at_ross-assoc.com
• 206.447.1805
• Exchange Network Website http//www.exchangenetw
  ork.net