Purpose Checklist…..

Purpose/outcome: Coordination of Hot Pepper group in CARDI

Vision: To have an active networking of members towards a coordinated and efficiently executed regional hot pepper program.
Measurable benefits: dynamic interaction as measured by many postings.
Outcome: I will hope that the members and I see a more focused and impacting regional pepper program as a result of regular updates on national activities, challenges and results.
Operation: the network will primarily be an online one but I would strongly recommend annual F2F meeting in rotating locations.

Target audience
Primarily CARDI scientists involved in hot pepper research and CARDI senior management. The group members are all dedicated overworked and under-resourced professionals. Motivation varies but once it becomes clear that by sharing what each is doing, and seeing how the pieces fit together re the regional program, then one anticipates willing participation as strengths of others (regional) can be drawn on to enhance one’s work (national).

Computer equipment and internet access will not be a handicap.

Type of member interactions
These will be e-discussions to keep everyone abreast of what activities are ongoing.
By posting results regularly, a quarterly report from a regional perspective of the hot pepper program will be produced on the site.
This will allow adjustments and refocusing of the work program if necessary by group members.

Time frame
The network is currently in place but needs to be made more dynamic. Using the tools of this workgroup will facilitate this.

Guidelines, rules and governance
Any member of the CARDI Hot Pepper team can freely post.
There will be no censoring by any one individual.
This workshop has however sensitized me regarding the importance of guidelines and rules thus I would therefore propose that such be suggested with members having the final say regarding what is adopted.

Who makes decisions?
As far as possible decisions will be arrived at by consensus, however when necessary the coordinator will have the final say.

Who will host?
Given that the proposal here is for CARDI work programs, along with the reporting of activities and results in support of CARDI role in CARICOM agriculture then a CARDI server would be ideal. An alternative could be dgroups assuming CARDI senior management is in support.

The group will be facilitated by coordinator. At this time there is no special compensation for this role, however given the training received in this workshop and the “tools” made available there will be an improvement in executing the function.

Senior management at CARDI headquarters will be encouraged to monitor and use the information available from the network.

Approaching end of Week 1

It is almost one week since I started this workshop.... rather reluctantly. Given the pressures of this month and last month, plus my current mental state of "load-out", I just knew that there was no way to fit it into my schedule. I must admit however that I have found the material informative and feel that it will be useful. In a way it is funny, in that as a participant one can get caught up and carried away and put in a few hours on the trot without realizing it, looking forward to the next day, only to completely miss that day, then having to rush and make up the day after! Nonetheless, once I put together a worthy goal, along with some tentative objectives and guidelines for the CARDI Hot Pepper group, then I would have achieved my personal goals for this week.

My goal for this first week of the Online Network Workshop is get a solid grasp of the fundamentals on establishing a work group in terms of goals, objectives and guidelines for the group and appreciating how to effectively facilitate the group so that members participate in a dynamic manner.