(Platform Coop) Meeting with CoRise July 15, 2019

Owned by Dana Ayotte
Jul 15, 2019
6 min read
  • Introductions - new folks on our team
  • Update on where IDRC is at with learning commons and labour platform sketching
    • Hub, expense tool 
    • Feedback on learning commons


Co-Design Activity:


Horizon scan:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19xDiklXekIYjpNGQ5BZh3RgN0FZWxDaJFP4AsozxGtI/edit?usp=sharing



Update from IDRC

  • Due to the timelines, we have to move forward with some of the designs
  • Focus right now on learning commons
  • Through the work that you did, we began to think about the hub
  • We’ve started some very preliminary sketching on the hub
  • But co-design is still a priority
  • But the learning commons is where we’ve been focusing more on 
  • We’re launching the new platform.coop site, and part of the learning commons is going to be a resource library on that site
  • Again, always with the idea that pieces of that could be re-used in learning commons with our partners, or different versions for different contexts
  • Anne - refresh on timeline?
    • Dana - we’re 1 year in, we have 1 year left
    • I think for the learning commons, specifically resource library, up and in use in October
    • Labour platform - somewhat flexible due to codesign - but we’re hoping for things up being in January
    • Michelle - this is more tentative because its a large scope to be scoped down
    • Not enough funding to make it a full fledged labour platform
    • A map - early next year to the end of the project (around Jan - June)
    • Near end of the timeline, we want to be prioritizing bits of the project that need attention
    • We do expect to continue working on this even after the end of the project


Co-design activities

  • Anne: has anything changed after the sketching?
  • Dana: It depends on your timing too, but I’m more inclined to go in being open, but focusing on the hub
    • If you feel strongly that we want to focus on the other ideas as well, we can think about how to have multiple sessions, or break the one session down to a few parts
  • Dana: I was trying to take a step back in the beginning
    • Have the tool in mind, but thinking about tasks and processes that occur in daily work
  • We go through the co-design plan in high level
  • Anne
    • It balances ideation and scoping well
    • 4 hours, which seems doable
    • So I was excited by it
  • Dana
    • In terms of the length, its not too overwhelming but enough productive time
    • In terms of where you’re at in the process, does it make sense?
  • Anne
    • I think so, I think there was a lot of excitement around the idea of a hub in previous conversations
    • The idea of a hub itself is pretty general and flexible
    • So there’s still some work to do
    • I’m not sure if all the providers are saying “yes a hub”, i’m not sure if they’re thinking the same thing - this session would be good to help flush that out
  • Dana
    • Yes its interesting, with our other partner in India they’re hoping for a dashboard-like thing
    • But it’s cool that there’s some overlap there
  • Anne
    • In these sessions… would it be possible for one of you to come out to Chicago? 
    • I’m curious about the role of technical expertise, and when to include that in the conversation, and when to hold off right now
    • What are you envisioning?
  • Dana
    • With this process, we’re looking for folks in the community to lead this process, and we can support them by talking the process through 
    • I think Colin is still open to the idea
    • We can meet and talk with the supporters
  • Anne
    • Yeah, i’ll ask our team, I imagine a number of them would be open to that
    • What is the process of taking the results of this and sharing with the team?
  • Dana
    • Yeah, anything that’s created in the session, if you could share that with us, we’ll meet and figure out how to take that and figure out how to sketch around it, what’s technically feasible
    • See this as a back and forth with you
    • Can we share what we come up with back with you to share with the group
    • We can figure out how to budget this - any time anyone puts in
    • We can also have another session, or just ask them for an hour of their time to provide some feedback
  • Anne
    • That sounds great - the latter
    • It’s easy to get people on the phone, but oftentimes they’re multitasking when they’re doing it
    • They can check email, or have a check in call
    • Should we go ahead and schedule it?
      • Dana; Yes, let’s go ahead
    • Is there anything you already have on language to include in invitations? Is there anything we have to set expectations?
      • Dana: Yes, we can send this your way
  • Dana
  • Anne
    • If you think it’s helpful to keep the rest of those on the table, I don’t want to prematurely get rid of any of these ideas
  • Dana
    • I wonder about the virtual marketing.. It’s similar to the learning commons
    • I wonder if there’s a way on learning commons?
    • Maybe we can send you some sketches we’re working on?
    • It’s basically this resource library that’s part of the website
    • But we want to make sure its useful for a wide range of folks, but we also want to think about how pieces of that could be useful to specifically co-rise
    • Maybe a place to share knowledge with each other
    • Any training modules, communication between members, any kind of knowledge sharing, etc
    • Is that of interest to take some time during the co-design to get some input?
  • Anne
    • I think that’s definitely going to come up in conversation
    • A place to share info, and engage with each other
    • If this could provide structure, then that’d be great
    • If you have a preliminary tool to show, that’d be very valuable
  • Dana
    • Is it still the case that it’s unrealistic to do 2 session? Or should we squeeze into 1 session?
  • Anne
    • There’s the potential to do it both in Springfield and Chicago
    • So I could see doing 2 sessions in that regard, but I don’t know if it makes sense to do it in 2 different content areas
    • I do think this would have to be a saturday, 2 saturdays in the summer is tough but possible
    • It would also help if it doesn’t have to be the exact same group of people
      • Dana - I don’t think it has to be the same group
      • Anne - Let me talk to the providers about this
      • Dana - we dont want to split energy
      • Anne - if you have something to show them, they would value that opportunity if it was something they could see
  • Dana
    • When we were thinking of the hub, we were talking about some technical limitations
    • I still think going in open is a pretty good idea, but if its useful.. Ned, share your thoughts?
  • Ned
    • One of the things I was looking at was the tools of the earlier session, and seeing if there are any documented API
    • Looking at the existing tools, most do not have open API’s
    • Which is my main concern around building a hub
    • We’ve agreed that anything we build that isn’t the hub will have an open API that will allow for that integration
    • When evaluating tools, finding ones that have open API’s and ideally are open source, that does give more flexibility 
  • Anne
    • If you did find any that do (have open source)
    • A number of our providers dont use any tools
    • It would still be valuable to recommend those and know
  • Dana
    • We could move forward with building a basic expense tool and incorporate that as a first slice into this hub, so we have a very basic expense tool - that’s possible
  • Anne
    • That’s great, yeah
    • I mean, that plus a learning commons - some way to share information - that sounds like a good start to the hub to me
  • Dana
    • Maybe in the co-design we want to focus on that too?
  • Anne
    • So just to confirm, in that case maybe… looking at that series of activities with that full list of potential… all of those tools could be relevance of a hub… business expenses, etc - so kind of keeping it open? That any of those could be a part of this?
  • Dana
    • Yes
    • I guess it’s a matter of how much detail we can get
    • We probably want to choose where we put our focus
  • Ned
    • The other thing that appealed to us about expense tools
    • The expense tool seems consistent across different sectors
    • If we could build something that is compatible across currencies and languages, then we can 
  • Anne
    • Would it be ok to show them the drawing?
  • Dana
    • I grapple with that
    • Sometimes you let them start, and then show them something 
    • So at least they get a chance to think it through on their own, and it has to look a certain way
  • Anne
    • The last time we talked, Pam had a good way of framing it
    • What are the 3 things you want to quickly check in to feel good about my business
    • But having that rectangle box and saying - if you’re going to go on your phone to look at it, what would you want in your boxes
  • Compensation
    • $4000USD for each partner
    • Dana - we’ll leave it to you



  • Next steps
  • Anne communicate information back into steering committee
  • Anne to identify someone to help facilitate
  • Anne to schedule a date
  • Dana to send language for invitations
  • Anne to figure out what to focus on - learning commons? Hub? Expense tool?