[LTER-imc-ddms] Types of Projects & Products

[Inigo San Gil]

John,

Thanks for sharing.

Question - what purpose serves this classification of mechanisms for 
IM-related products ?
I.e, would it help with compensation mechanism?  provide a framework for 
future projects? or the prioritization?

I ask because I do not quite find context for this document that would 
explain beyond how is presented in this email  (I quote:

NIS modules might be produced under a distributed system)

Without knowing what is this framework for, it is harder to provide some 
basic feedback.

I also notice that there are products that may cross over these 
disconnected categories.  I am unable to see a connecting thread for 
these 'product mechanisms' categories, that would account for the lack 
of orthogonality (fit products in several categories)

But since you mention compensation, this touches an important blocker 
for cooperation in a distributed network.

One of the 'historical' barriers for contribution has been the 
compensation. We have heard that 'IMs primary responsability (and time) 
is the LTER site'.  This fact was brought as a barrier for 
collaboration. It seems that IMs could not sell to their PIs that the 
network product benefit to the site was not a good argument to release 
their time.  Perhaps this could be changed if addressed properly in this 
model.

But compensation adds an extra obstacle which would be actually quite 
helpful to clarify and solve.

*  funds are moved from one institution to the other, the double 
overheads kill the budget.  this should be avoided as much as we can, 
will erode the reduced ability to be productive, specially with the 
budgetary prospects.

*  funds awarded to the collaborating IM mechanisms:
  - When we say "salary", how do you award the salary without creating a 
conflict with the primary paying institution?  as an extra compensation?
  - Honoraries may make it easier to "compensate", although I am not 
sure about the overheads.
  - Per diems - this seems to me a great way to compensate an IM. 
Instead of a meager per diem, produce a generous per-diem, which may not 
be subject to double overhead, may solve the 'salary' concept and may be 
easy to handle from the personal taxation point of view (this is a 
phenomenal barrier too).
  - A competition prize (overheard this a while ago as a mechanism).


cheers, inigo

On 7/5/15 9:12 AM, John H. Porter wrote:
> Gastil and Kristin,
>        I've put a brief draft document describing the mechanisms by which
> NIS modules might be produced under a distributed system. Please take a
> look and set me straight where I went wrong.... or add in all the
> important things I forgot.
>
>        Given the short time frame, I've CC'd the whole DDMS group just in
> case they want to pitch in as well.
>
>        It is in our shared Google Docs folder under Project Management
> and Task as "Types of Projects & Products" or via the link:
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1o3aqtxxHVcqJeQqRIZ6TWJ6OqLf3piHPNAmhoVU_SA8
>
>        I will also go through the task spreadsheet in the "services
> bucket" and note any disagreements with Gastil's categorization.....
>
>   -JP
>


-- 

Inigo San Gil
+1 505 277 2625
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=foIppL4AAAAJ&hl=en