Comms_workflow_ET

Knowledge and communication flows in Africa RISING Ethiopia On 14 October 2014, Peter Thorne, Kindu Mekonnen, Peter Ballantyne, Simret Yasabu and Ewen Le Borgne sat together to discuss various issues related to communication in the program (and more specifically the Ethiopian Highlands project). One of these issues was related to how information is being created and communicated across the project, what the ideal picture should be and what can be done to bridge the current gaps. On the basis of that discussion, Ewen and Simret developed a table mapping this knowledge and communication flow.

This table is presented below. See the Excel version of this table and the  based on the Smartboard workpiece.

- Outputs produced - Field days - Ad hoc || SY, ED, ZL, ELB, PB, PT, KM, AM - Site coordinators - Site comms champions - CG partners || Collected regularly, enriched with videos, pictures etc., shared and interlinked, systematically: - Every 3 months (at site level) - 2 stories / year / CG partner - 1 story every 2 months (PT/KM) - 8 stories / year (Comms team) || - Success stories lacking - Not enough reflections from PT - Lack of commitment (CG Partners) to write stories - More analysis across stories || - Collect these stories at site level (every 2 months and at each major visit) - Organise 1-day training on writing stories - SY / Comms team to tag and link all posts systematically - AM/ED/ZL/KM/Comms to publish || Stories (for the web) || - Discuss organisation of training on storytelling || - Events - Ongoing on sites - Commissioned || - SY - Site coordinators, assistants and comms champions - CG partners || - Systematically filtered, selected, titled, described, tagged, stored in album, shared and linked - Oversight working well generally (SY) and at sites (Comms champs) || - Lots of pix, not collected, not filtered, not tagged, not described, not shared - Pix are not compressed - Posted on Yammer only || - Set up a network drive (Dropbox pro account) - Maintain oversight generally and at sites - Training on site (AH) and if need be in Addis for CG partners (linked with commitments) || Photos || - SY to check purchase of pro account - ELB to check for subscription with TG - Discuss training w/ PT & PB || - Ad hoc, based on pictures available || - AH - ED/KM/ZL/SY - Site coordinators || - Systematically happening: tagged, described, linked, shared, with pix compressed: - Find good stories - Develop very simple guidelines (e.g. how many pictures, what length, using what template etc) || Photo reports || - Guidelines to produce (AH/SY?) - Prepare on-site training (AH) - Link up with storytelling training || - Ad hoc, based on pictures available || - AH - DuckRabbit-trained team ? || - Systematically happening (1 / visit AH) - With inputs from local site team || No input from site coordinators despite pictures being available || - Identify stories - Possibly identify professionals to produce some more - Get 10% of AH's time formally allocated to AR? - PRODUCE them! || Photo films || - Process formal commitment of AH's time to AR - Discuss option to find professionals (using unspent budget) to do this work? || - Commissionned - CG partner work - Events || - Consultants - AH (events) || - Develop high quality videos - Develop them on a semi-regular basis (e.g. 2/year for AH?) - Ensure they are focused on significant results, changes, stories || - No platform for sharing draft videos & pix - AH is too busy || - Get 10% of AH's time formally allocated to AR? - Commission professionals for photo journalism trips || Videos || - Get on with plans around photo-journalism - AH's time (see above) || - Not yet anything for site coordinators - Harvest/plantation time - Events (event reports) || - PT/KM - CG partners - (soon) site coordinators || Systematically collected, edited, reviewed, formatted, stored, shared and linked || - Collected sometimes, at random times, - Not shared (or stored on other sites e.g. IFPRI's) - Report template is not used || - Discuss w/ PT how to ensure we collect these reports - Remind PT to remind everyone to use the report template (and provide link to it) || Reports || - Make sure PT reminds everyone to use the report template || - Commissioned || Anyone || Systematically collected, edited, reviewed, formatted, stored, shared and linked || CKM support? Not a very clear picture for this yet || Carefully monitor/study this workflow and revisit later || Other written outputs || Revisit this in 6 months || - Ad hoc || - Scientists / anyone attending events - Site coordinators || - High quality presentations - Consistently using the PPT template - Systematically tagged, described etc. || - Don't follow the template / inconsistent - Low quality - Not always collected/shared || - Chase event attendants/organizers to collect PPTs - Chase these on a monthly basis at partners meetings (SY) - Organize comms essentials refresher at learning event and/or ad hoc training on PPTs || Powerpoint presentations || Discuss option to organise a review/training session on PPTs at the learning event with PB and PT || - Important visits - Major thematic work planning to develop posters || - Comms team - Thematic teams (scientists) || - High quality content & presentation posters - Regularly issued/updated - Using a common template - Including inputs from local site teams - Tagged, stored etc. || - CKM support (coaching/training on developing posters, sharing resources) - Low quality - No local input || - Develop simple training module/guidelines - Deliver training to generate local posters - Collect / update these posters 2/year - Use generic AR poster as template || Posters || - Discuss organisation of training on poster development || - Events (summary or live) - Ad hoc as and when || Anyone!!! (and certainly: SY, ELB, PB, PT, KM, ZL, ED, site coordinators, comms champions) || Regular updates from everyoene, especially: - PT / KM - Site coordinators, assistants - Site comms champions - Partners & work package leaders - Comms team (happening) || - Few people post - People post a) too many pictures and b) pictures only on Yammer (not on FlickR) - Updates are too long (they should go on the web) - Some people don't check Yammer at all (check their notification settings?) || - Refresher training - Promote Yammer guidelines - Develop AR-specific Yammer guidelines (simple) - TG to share training materials about this from ESA training - Praise users and good uses Monthly meeting to feature a discussion about using Yammer || Yammer posts ||  ||
 * **Items** || **When/where do they appear** || **Who has them** || **What should ideally happen** || **Where are current gaps** || **What can we do about it?** || **Items** || **Follow** up ||
 * Stories (for the web) || - Field visits
 * Stories (for the web) || - Field visits
 * Photos || - Field activities
 * Photo reports || - Trips
 * 3/year (site coordinators)
 * 3/year (AH, likewise for SY)
 * 2/year for CG partners (and/or as stories) || - CKM support || -AH to support/train/coach comms champs on this while on site visits
 * Photo films || - Field trips
 * Videos || - Field activities (impromptu)
 * Reports (mostly a management issue) || - 6-monthly M&E/reporting requirements for PT/KM, Partners
 * Other written outputs || - As and when
 * Powerpoint presentations || - At events (overwhelmingly)
 * Posters || - Events
 * Yammer posts || - Site activities
 * |||| **Generic process around these content items** || **Other general follow up** ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Create / shoot / mix ||  || Review /edit this work flow (PB/PT) ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Review / edit ||  || Revisit this work flow in six months ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Format / repurpose ||  |||| SY/ELB to discuss w/ ZL the comms champs ToR ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Describe / meta tag ||  |||||| Organise this flow visually for site coordinators, comms champs, PT/KM, CG partners/leads ||   ||   ||
 * || Store / archive ||  || Prioritize tasks for SY ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Link to other resources ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Share ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * |||| Reassess --> review, re-edit, repurpose etc. ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Link to other resources ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || Share ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * |||| Reassess --> review, re-edit, repurpose etc. ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||