How do I make the case for what I want to do?: Difference between revisions

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*What are you proposing?
[[File:Question how.png|400px|right|How?]]
    You need to propose a set activities that are scoped properly and which clearly address the problem that you
    have identified.  It could be a short, one off task or a longer series of activities which span multiple collections.
    Ask whether this is a 'capital' project - ie one off with a fixed completion point - or a 'revenue' activity which will
    be ongoing and indefinite.  You might illustrate it with a workflow diagram.  It helps to provide three components - a
    risk assessment for the tasks (ie what might go wrong); a quality plan (how will you check that it works); and criteria
    for success (to prove it has worked).


*What tools and skills do you need?
====How do I make the case for hiring staff?====
    This is very specific to your task but there are a few ways you can identify the sorts of tools and skills you need. For
*You should do a skills audit and gap analysis.
    example, have you done a pilot of the project?  If so you will already know the sorts of tools and skills you need and will be
*You should identify the reasons why the vacancy has arisen; the operational benefits; the reasons for filling the vacancy now; the business need; impact on other staff; the proposed budget or means of supporting the post.
    able to answer this more confidently.  You can also talk to some of the interested stakeholders, like IT managers or users.
    Some things you might need to consider:
    Tools for impact assessment- how will we know if the project has been a success/what it's impact has been?
    engagement: is there a need to engage certain stakeholders? What tools could we use to do this?
    measurement: how  do we know if the project is progressing as planned?
    Do we need to develop new tools or are suitable off-the shelf options available?
    What tools will be used to monitor risK?
   


*How much descriptive metadata do you need?
====How do I make the case for procuring preservation services?====
*How much preservation metadata do you need?
*You should do a landscape study of available service offerings; a high level overview of costs associated with different options;
    Metadata requirements will depend on your the existing preservation and resource discovery systems and the metadata  standards or schemas in use at your institution. If your organisation does not currently have any arrangements for
*See the [[Northumberland estates case study]] on procuring a preservation service.
    descriptive and preservation metadata for digital objects, you should refer to best practices in place at other institutions.


*What guidance do you need to provide to the user?
====How do I make the case for starting an externally funded preservation project?====
*Some organisations may require a business case prior to applying for project funding. This should include elements from the case for implementing preservation more generally (see below) but will require more focus on the timing and staff issues over the duration of the project and its impact on core business.
*Funders will have their own priorities outlined in their funding call, so it's necessary to demonstrate how your organisation can benefit from the project, within the constraint of what the funder will want the project to achieve.


*What guidance do you need to provide to the depositor?
====How do I make the case for implementing preservation as a core activity?====
<blockquote>Depositors should be made aware of the various legal issues surrounding the accessioning of their data into your repository. These include intellectual property rights, protection of personal data, liability for defamatory or illegal content, and freedom of information requests.</blockquote>
*This should start with reference to the organisational mission and strategy and should examine the value proposition from the outset. The case will require an analysis of benefits versus costs and should emphasise the potential return on investment.
<blockquote>Depositors should also be informed about any technical requirements that need to be met for items to be accepted by your repository (e.g. specific file format requirements) and your requirements concerning metadata and documentation that should be supplied with deposits.</blockquote>
*The non-finanical benefits are important which may include, increased productivity, enhanced reputation, improved service delivery, etc.  


*How do you gather user requirements?  
====How do I know how much implementation detail to put in my business case?====
*Provide enough detail to justify the costs without unnecessarily limiting your implementation options. Remember the audience you are writing for and provide the level of detail appropriate to their needs. Make sure you have scoped your project sufficiently and that you clearly address the problem that you have identified. 
 
==== How do I scope my business case?====
*You should set the scope very early in the business case, relating it very precisely to the problem that you are trying to solve. Setting the scope is essential to establish the cost parameters associated with your proposal. You may find it useful to draft an 'in-scope' and 'out-of-scope' list and reproduce an extract of that in your business case. You should be prepared to briefly justify any 'out-of-scope' activities and comment on how these will be/are being addressed in other organisational activities.
*It is essential to specify the time period which your proposal will address: it could be a short, one off task or a longer series of activities which span multiple collections. You need to establish whether this is a 'capital' project - ie one off with a fixed completion point - or a 'revenue' activity which will be ongoing and indefinite.  You might illustrate it with a workflow diagram. How long before the funding and resource you request will run out?


<blockquote>The scale of the task of gathering user requirements scales with the size of the audience: so before you can answer this you really need to know who is going to use the data.  If it's a small group, or if the group is homogeneous then the task will be relatively simple.  If the group is large or heterogeneous then the job of assessing the user requirements is going to be more arduous.  So implicitly it's helpful to have a small and well contained user community, especially if this is an early project.</blockquote> 
====How much detail about tools and skills should be included?====
*Provide enough detail so that the costs can be justified. If you have done a pilot project, you will already know the sorts of tools and skills you need and can refer to that project in the business case.
*Some things you might need to consider:
**Tools for impact assessment: how will we know if the project has been a success/what it's impact has been?
**Engagement: is there a need to engage certain stakeholders? What tools could we use to do this?
**Measurement: how  do we know if the project is progressing as planned?
**Do we need to develop new tools or are suitable off-the shelf options available?
**What tools will be used to monitor risk?


<blockquote> User requirements can be gathered in a range formal or informal ways depending on your setting.  Libraries, archives or museums tend to have some kind of user forum or user tracking so it might be possible to trial a digital preservation project with an audience like that.  If that's not practical then you might want to consider setting up a focus group or advisory group of prospective users to work with you during the project.  Get them to spell out their requirements at the start, refer to them at appropriate intervals during the project, and test with them towards the end.  A really diverse audience might need multiple focus groups, while gathering and meeting the requirements of a really large user community could easily up become a project in its own right.</blockquote>
====Is this an appropriate document in which to list my user requirements?====
*The business case should not list detailed user requirements. Remember your target audience! You may wish to provide a high level overview of the user requirements if they are your core drivers or benefits, but do not present them in standard 'user requirements' format.  


<blockquote>One consistent problem in preservation is how to 'future proof user requirements' - ie how to know about the needs of users in the future that we can't interrogate directly.  This is a familiar problem for archives and museums who have tended to answer this by appointing proxies - experts with professional skills that we can use to model future needs.  Typical proxies might include other archivists or peers. </blockquote>
====How can I gather feedback on my business case?====
*Use your stakeholder analysis to identify appropriate stakeholders from which to seek feedback. Alternatively, identify the high level dependencies between your proposal and other organsiational activities, and approach colleagues in those areas to provide input to your business case in the drafting stage. See the 'Who' section for more guidance in this.
*Gaining consensus during the drafting phase may help you gain the support you need to get your case accepted when it is submitted.


<blockquote>However you capture requirements it is important also to manage users expectations.  If you promise too much then you will create a reputation risk to your project if you fail to deliver: if you promise too little then you will seem to lack ambition and may not get funded.</blockquote>
====What are the rights issues?====
*Here's a useful place to start: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7207/twr12-02 Andrew Charlesworth's technology watch report for the DPC on Intellectual Property Rights and Preservation].


<blockquote>Capturing user requirements is too often overlooked in digital preservation.  In fact the extent to which an archive understand the needs of its 'designated community' is a critical measure of whether the archive is fit for purpose.  So although gathering requirements can be daunting and frustrating, it is important that this work is carried out and is reported.</blockquote>
====How will it be reused (policy question)?====
 
*It's important to think about how the implementation of you project might impact the policies in place within you institution.
*How do you gather feedback?
*If your instituion has a policy in place supporting the reuse of data then identify how your project supports this and how existing policies may need to reflect new workflows.
    A decent stakeholder analysis should be the starting point for this. Once you havev identified your stakeholders you can work
    out the best ways to gather feedbakc from them. Depending on the type of project you are making the case for you may be
    able to insert ways to gain feedback from the system you will implement.
*What are the rights issues?
    Here's a useful place to start: http://dx.doi.org/10.7207/twr12-02  - Andrew Charlesworth's technology watch report for
    the DPC on Intellectual Property Rights and Preservation
 
*How will it be reused (policy question)?
  It's important to think about how the implementation of you project might impact the policies in place within you institution.
  If your instituion has a policy in place supporting the reuse of data then identify how your project supports this and how
  existing policies may need to reflect new workflows.

Latest revision as of 12:51, 8 August 2013

How?

How do I make the case for hiring staff?

  • You should do a skills audit and gap analysis.
  • You should identify the reasons why the vacancy has arisen; the operational benefits; the reasons for filling the vacancy now; the business need; impact on other staff; the proposed budget or means of supporting the post.

How do I make the case for procuring preservation services?

  • You should do a landscape study of available service offerings; a high level overview of costs associated with different options;
  • See the Northumberland estates case study on procuring a preservation service.

How do I make the case for starting an externally funded preservation project?

  • Some organisations may require a business case prior to applying for project funding. This should include elements from the case for implementing preservation more generally (see below) but will require more focus on the timing and staff issues over the duration of the project and its impact on core business.
  • Funders will have their own priorities outlined in their funding call, so it's necessary to demonstrate how your organisation can benefit from the project, within the constraint of what the funder will want the project to achieve.

How do I make the case for implementing preservation as a core activity?

  • This should start with reference to the organisational mission and strategy and should examine the value proposition from the outset. The case will require an analysis of benefits versus costs and should emphasise the potential return on investment.
  • The non-finanical benefits are important which may include, increased productivity, enhanced reputation, improved service delivery, etc.

How do I know how much implementation detail to put in my business case?

  • Provide enough detail to justify the costs without unnecessarily limiting your implementation options. Remember the audience you are writing for and provide the level of detail appropriate to their needs. Make sure you have scoped your project sufficiently and that you clearly address the problem that you have identified.

How do I scope my business case?

  • You should set the scope very early in the business case, relating it very precisely to the problem that you are trying to solve. Setting the scope is essential to establish the cost parameters associated with your proposal. You may find it useful to draft an 'in-scope' and 'out-of-scope' list and reproduce an extract of that in your business case. You should be prepared to briefly justify any 'out-of-scope' activities and comment on how these will be/are being addressed in other organisational activities.
  • It is essential to specify the time period which your proposal will address: it could be a short, one off task or a longer series of activities which span multiple collections. You need to establish whether this is a 'capital' project - ie one off with a fixed completion point - or a 'revenue' activity which will be ongoing and indefinite. You might illustrate it with a workflow diagram. How long before the funding and resource you request will run out?

How much detail about tools and skills should be included?

  • Provide enough detail so that the costs can be justified. If you have done a pilot project, you will already know the sorts of tools and skills you need and can refer to that project in the business case.
  • Some things you might need to consider:
    • Tools for impact assessment: how will we know if the project has been a success/what it's impact has been?
    • Engagement: is there a need to engage certain stakeholders? What tools could we use to do this?
    • Measurement: how do we know if the project is progressing as planned?
    • Do we need to develop new tools or are suitable off-the shelf options available?
    • What tools will be used to monitor risk?

Is this an appropriate document in which to list my user requirements?

  • The business case should not list detailed user requirements. Remember your target audience! You may wish to provide a high level overview of the user requirements if they are your core drivers or benefits, but do not present them in standard 'user requirements' format.

How can I gather feedback on my business case?

  • Use your stakeholder analysis to identify appropriate stakeholders from which to seek feedback. Alternatively, identify the high level dependencies between your proposal and other organsiational activities, and approach colleagues in those areas to provide input to your business case in the drafting stage. See the 'Who' section for more guidance in this.
  • Gaining consensus during the drafting phase may help you gain the support you need to get your case accepted when it is submitted.

What are the rights issues?

How will it be reused (policy question)?

  • It's important to think about how the implementation of you project might impact the policies in place within you institution.
  • If your instituion has a policy in place supporting the reuse of data then identify how your project supports this and how existing policies may need to reflect new workflows.