---
# System prepended metadata

title: 2024 Q3 review / Q4 planning meeting
tags: [Group planning]

---

# 2024 Q3 review / Q4 planning meeting

**Time:** October 9, 2024 10am - 3pm
**Location:** ENR2 S120A (1064 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ 85719)

Participants:

- Kristina
- Eric
- Chris

## Homework

* Add all relevant work + hours from this quarter to [effort spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19Nxa4HiCYmQ4oXa41XR7kBIpRoatxD-Efp0VBUpRLDk/edit?gid=774311338#gid=774311338)
    * "July - Dec CCT DS" tab
* Update and Score previous quarter OKRs
    * [2024 Q3 OKRs](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XbhYxsUm6bBNxdiBh_fFYPa4zfP4nqUDHKCKU7Gz9qI/edit?pli=1&gid=1038020054#gid=1038020054)
* Draft next quarter OKRs
    * [2024 Q4 OKRs](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HQ7t5pH_3lZ6eNwWI137pJu97AvUFutDF7EcQLTvKNk/edit?gid=1038020054#gid=1038020054)
* Review 
    * [notes from previous meeting](https://hackmd.io/PZilEg3AT_qh9mSQYdjBeg) and [annual meeting](https://hackmd.io/iltgSPr2R1OuVC-tQV75eg)
    * Link above includes homework
* Suggest topics below
* Create a presentation & add it to the [2024 Q4 folder](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CXsdYy4C18GWG154qBFS4OVEjywfJg0I); summarize: 
  * Major accomplishments
  * What went well, what didn't 
  * Plans for next quarter

## Agenda

* 10:00 - 10:30: Group activity
    * [Monax Island](https://www.teamazing.com/virtual-teams/teambuilding/monax-island/) for future virtual meetings; milk or ice cream for future one
    * Limited senses drawing
        * First person uses the [random object generator](https://perchance.org/object) to get an object. They will draw the object, without writing any words, and cannot say anything about what the object is. They will have one minute
        * The second person will describe the object to the third person, whose eyes will be closed. The third person has to draw the object as best as they can to match the first drawing with their eyes closed. No time limit
        * Whichever pair of drawings is closest, wins! 
        * We'll rotate so each person gets to try each position! 
* 10:30 - 11:15: State of the group presentation / Kristina
* 11:15 - 11:30: Break
* 11:30 - 12:00: Individual presentations 
    * [Kristina / group](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uSESgyerWi6NEEhuiveLMEQwh9RbaTemsmMrvLLM7ts/edit#slide=id.p)
    * [Eric](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pnVsarC5UbkMWrCWe1vp-vcvCRFL7_Tz7NyTdpoc6vw/edit)
    * [Chris](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oN6lErWTUz0OlNWMw8q8Lk9Stb13OgPeZN4FpTXd5eY/edit#slide=id.p)
* 12:00 - 1:00: Lunch
* 1:00 - 3:00: Finish individual presentations (if needed) & discussion
    * Break when needed
    * Topics from below
    * Wrapup slide questions
    * Anything else of interest! 

## Notes

- January meeting tenatively January 13 / 14
- Are there Python workshops that we can give? Is there demand for this? Perhaps data wrangling in Python?
- 

### State of the group:

Renata leaving

- due to concern about financial situation
- Advice for new hire was to think about redundancy
- Pros of redundancy: easier to work together, easier to pick up projects if someone leaves
- Pros of very different skillsets: broaden our group's skills and ability to take on projects
- Look for different domain background but overlap in technical skills?

Red squirrel handoff

- Chris will probably continue to get questions
- Legacy data is probably ~60% of database—might split out into separate database or archive

Where do we see our group in 5 years? 
- 5 - 6 people; complementary skillsets
- Continuing projects when people leave
- More focused time on specific projects / trainings (not everyone doing everything)
- Turnover: good onboarding and offboarding
- Proportion of funded vs incubator projects
- Needs assessment, including for hiring motivation

### Measuring impacts
- Valuating our group
    - What can we measure: YouTube views, package downloads, people not found (hired & trained) for short-term projects, (what else)
    - Come up with numbers to tanslate measures into dollars and/or time; document logic behind translations
    - Use measurements as part of pitches, justifications, and advertisements

Ideas

- App conversation with web dev team; when to use Shiny vs Java whatever, getting help with CSS, etc., speed / data size / etc, UI / UX stuff (Kim Daly), addressing misunderstandings about Shiny 

## Discussion Topics / Parking Lot

- [x] Pick date for January quarterly review meeting (Jan 13, 14~~, 16, 17~~)
- Hiring
    - Review our process
    - Less redundancy, more complementarity 
- Collaborating with CCT webdev on shiny apps—we do a training for interested parties on basics of shiny and how to plug in custom CSS, HTML, JavaScript. Find how how we can make things easy for them to make apps look professional looking.
- Needs survey?
    - What software do ALVSCE researchers use for data wrangling / stats / GIS, etc?
    - What do they want to learn?
    - Maybe work with DSA Mary Ahern? 
- Team effectiveness survey
    - Statements sourced from here: 
    - Go over results
    - Is this a useful baseline for how we're functioning as a group? 
- Funding
    - Group expectations
    - More diverse funding orgs / sources
- Managing scope creep
    - Had some relevant notes on this last quarterly review meeting: 
        - Improving project management
            - Especially with academics when the keep changing what they're looking for
            - Getting solid details on what the research question is and what the project outcomes are
            - Playing telephone where direct collaborators are communicating with other collaborators and relaying info back to us
            - Key collaborators spending less time on projects for periods of time, sometimes unpredictably
            - Consistent reporting? 
- Drop-in hours attendance
- Better system for tracking consults / appointments / etc. 
- One-on-one questions: yay or nay?