Scope Your Assessment Goals

• Research other GIS User Assessments
• Decide what you want to learn from GIS users/managers
  • To create new GIS tools?
  • Offer more training?
  • Find out how they use GIS?
  • Get new ideas for GIS apps?
• Prep your staff with overview of:
  • When interviews will be
  • Why interviews are important
  • Expected outcomes of interviews
  • What will be discussed during interviews

EXAMPLE:

Scope Your Assessment Goals

• Research: Google search, contacted City of WI Rapids, Used Esri's "Building a GIS" 

• My Goals: to find out how GIS is used to develop more efficient & simplified GIS tools that streamline engineering staff job activities

Select Your Interview Panel

• Identify all GIS users, editors, & managers
• Split them into interview panel "groups" by job junction
  • Consider each function as performing specific GIS tasks
• Splitting by job function simplifies questions

EXAMPLE:

Select Your Interview Panel

Plan Your Questions

• Questions emerge from job functions
• Create question template ...stimulates conversations during interviews
• Chose range of questions:
  • Multiple Choice (easy to quantify in results)
  • Open-ended (for good discussion)
  • Offer check-lists of data types, maps, apps...etc.

EXAMPLE:

Plan Your Questions

Recall...

• Overall Goal: to understand how GIS is used in PWU ("GIS Worflows)" & provide training, new data & apps to improve data access​

​

• Interview Panel: only PWU staff

Translate Interivews

• Keep paper records of interviews
• Transcribe answer into spreadsheet program for summarizing & formatting
• Summarize GIS Business Workflows (how GIS is used)
  • Useful for outlining SOPs later

EXAMPLE:

Translate Interivews

• Used MS Excel to sort, filter, search, & summarize across interview panel groups
• Each header field = basic interview question
• Header fields used:
  • Group by Responsibility
  • Staff Involved
  • Perceived GIS Benefit
  • GIS Function/Operational Responsibility
  • General Overview for How & Why Group Uses GIS
  • Current Geographic Activity (= GIS Workflow)
  • Databases Used
  • Obstacles Faced in Using GIS
  • Suggested GIS Apps & Ideas
  • Estimated # Staff to Benefit by new App/Idea
  • Potential Project to Overcome Obstacle

Digest Interviews into Results

• Outline how you want to present your results
• Outline I used:
  • Summarize all categorical results into tables
  • Semi-summarize descriptive questions by each interview panel group
    • Similar to research paper "Discussion"
• ​​Summarize the group's summaries to highlight Overall Common Themes

EXAMPLE:

Digest Interviews into Results

• Summarize categorical results into tables
• Semi-summarize descriptive questions by each group
  • Use their answers..."What major obstacle do you face while working with GIS?"
• Common themes by each group
  • Perceived GIS benefit; How GIS is used; Major obstacles​

• ​​Highlight Overall Common Themes
  • ​Limited time
  • Complex/inconsistent GIS wokflows
  • Lack of GIS standards
  • Lack of knowledge in map use 

Identify & Describe Project Overviews (cont.)

• Project Overview = simple description for decision-makers & to facilitate project prioritizing
• Provide overview for each project:
  • Goal of Project (or scope)
  • Phases (or objectives)
  • Project Need (or problem addressed)
  • Budget & Resources Required
  • Who's Involved (staff, stakeholders, team members, other orgs...etc)

EXAMPLE:

Identify & Describe Project Overviews

Prioritize Project Overviews

• Simplify - Simplify - Simplify
• No one wants to read entire project description to know how important it is
• Dumb each project down from Project Overview into simple list for decision-makers to prioritize

EXAMPLE:

Prioritize Project Overviews

See full document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5a21zG7vPqRTmVuTExqLVRxOXM/view?usp=sharing

BONUS: Creating Project Implementation Plans

• Implementation Plan = 
  • ​A proactive management tool to detail a project's critical steps from start --> finish
• Why is it Important?
  • ​Avoids "putting out fires" (crisis-management) by instead engaging stakeholders at start to consider all steps involved
  • Saves times, energy, & money in the end
• How will it be Used?
  • ​All parties involved have common doc to refer to goals, timeline, expected outcomes...etc
  • All parties will be on same page

EXAMPLE:

Creating Project Implementation Plans

1. Define phases & specific tasks in each phase
2. Establish timelines with Milestones
3. Determine how project completion will be evaluated
4. Identify lead project manager, team members, & stakeholders
5. Assign responsibilities & tasks to individuals
6. Establish communication expectation with team members & stakeholders

Implementation Plan Sources:

http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/87423-putting-together-a-project-implementation-plan/;

http://knowledgex.camh.net/policy_health/substance_use/mmt_community_guide/Pages/develop_implementation_plan.aspx

http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/oah-initiatives/teen_pregnancy/training/tip_sheets/implementation-plan-508.pdf

EXAMPLE:

Creating Project Implementation Plans (cont.)

2. Establish timelines with Milestones