Proposal: Arch 2 Planning Group

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#1

Is it worth investigating if there are enough members who want to form an Arch 2 Planning Group?

A group of members that could use their time to see what needs doing, what needs to happen, to work on the Survey and general coordinate things.

Maybe they could come up with a cleaning the Arch plan and then a construction work time table for the new build. They could organise volunteers and schedule building works.

They could help draw up budgets for construction and each of the new areas.

They could listen to feedback from members and see if it fitted into the plan.

They could publish a plan / design for the space, getting others involved who can draw it up in sketch up, 3D model or CAD or whatever.

They could fine out which people have which skills to help and see when they are available to help and get stuff booked into a work schedule.

They could act as a communications hub between all the members and make sure that up to date information about what is going on is put out in a timely manner.

They could organise a list of sub-tasks that need doing and assign these to other members who wanted to build things. Maybe a massive table saw bed, or build the new photoboth [just examples], or build the new pottery area, maybe assign doing the floor to someone etc etc. People assigned to a task could have ownership of it. They would have some instructions / specifications and a budget and could get on with it without being micro managed.

They could report to the monthly meeting on progress and post updates on to discourse.

They could report to the directors regularly and make sure that they are meeting all parameters, from expense to safety to budget and consensus.

This would have the added benefit of releaving the over worked directors and giving them more time to put to their other responsibilities like planning for the safe ending of lockdown and the difficult return to Making. This really is supposed to be a proposal for other to get involved and work with the directors and support ideas that the community wants not take over.

Planning at this level of work could arguable take 1 or 2 people’s attention on a full time salary. but it could also be a few hours here and there in evening and weekends for a well organised team that worked together moving things forward. responsibilites could be divided up and big tasks could become acheivable once broken down.

If we find we have enough people that want to help out it might be worth trying something like this going forward.

If we get no one signing up where does that leave us?

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#2

If you want to register your interest in being part of a [currently hypothetical] Arch 2 Working Group please put your name below or DM:

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#3

As is becoming the norm I tried and failed to add my name.
I am interested in helping out.
I would also like to make a suggestion. We have a great deal of experience and expertise with regard to woodwork if that expertise and experience has no voice we cannot improve and implement the things which we as a group could easily achieve with regard to maintaining and setting up the machines and tools for example. Choosing what we want to do in the workshop and which machines we might want or not want. A steering group which meets and gives voice to the members. We have at our fingertips a fantastic source of experience and expertise I and others would get a sense of shared ownership if we had a recognised way to make ourselves heard.

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#4

There you go :smiley:
You’re name is on the list.

Great idea about the work group!

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#5

Thanks
It’s great to hear your voice so to speak. I hope you have been doing well throughout the lockdown. It’s been a difficult ride. I look forward to the day when we are able to start using the space again. It would be lovely to have a celebration.

#6

Hi Giles,
I think what you’re saying here is great. A working group would very much be about including a wide range of people so that they could feel involved and have ownership. It’s hard to get ownership without a certain level of responsibility, but there’s nothing here that we couldn’t do together with the huge amount of experience at hand.

If we did set this up we would have to work closely with directors to find out where they are now.

We would need to work in feedback from the Arch 2 survey that’s due for release from @TomHedges

We would also need to work closely with people that worked on arch1. Get them reengaged.

#7

Hi
Yes, it would be great to hear what people think about the way forward with the new setup. I imagine that once work begins it will focus people’s attention.

#8

Renamed the group from “Working Group” to “Planning Group” to avoid confusion.

I’ve closed the initial interest list, as 9 is probably enough for anything to usefully get done.

But, if you still want to register your interest in being part of an Arch 2 Planning Group please put name below or DM:

  • put name here
  • put name here
#9

Next step would be for people that have volunteered so far to have a meeting to discuss ideas of what being a “Arch 2 Planning Group” is:

  • work out and write down what we want to achieve (Helpful and timely implementation of arch2)
  • how we intend to do it
  • how we are going to pitch this to the rest of the members.

I think if we can make a clear statement about our objectives (being helpful in progressing arch 2) and how we want to work in collaboration with members (including directors) we will have a good case for becoming more than just a hypothetical group.

Any one have zoom hosting? I think Skype have a free version

#10

Nice to see enthusiasm and volunteers.

First thing is to support @TomHedges get the survey out - Tom, do you think you can send out this weekend?

Once its sent out, perhaps we could say after 1 week has passed, divvy up the members who havent replied and DM or email them individually to mobilise their votes.

And then help process the survey data.

I see the first meeting to go over the survey data and seeing how to take members top preferences forward.

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#11

Great! That sounds like a plan!

Would you leave cleaning the arch out and focus on going forward or do you think the A2PG can help with organising that too?

#12

I’d defer to @Dermot re clearing up Arch 2 - both for Health & Safety and also Dermot knows what needs doing next, what to keep, what through out etc

But yes, we could maybe do the admin prep for another skip/Hippy bag day and Dermot oversees us on the day.

I suspect it will be mid/late July.

#13

I only joined briefly before lockdown, had a laser cutter induction and that was about the end of it… I am keen to get involved in whatever way with arch 2 in terms of planning, doing, designing, etc so really just volunteered as a general resource once some of the tasks get divvied up…

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#14

I thought I would chip in so you know I am engaged with the process. I don’t think I am qualified to help with the planning but I will help out practically when necessary and I am interested to hear the ideas around how things will be set up in the new arch. I have heard several different ideas people have. Maybe a vote is the way to go.

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#15

When I say planning I mean formal planning, I know there are members who are qualified for technical stuff. I do obviously have ideas about what we might do in relation to woodwork. My views might change when I hear other proposals.

#16

Thanks for chipping in Giles.
This thread is a bit confusing at the mo with maybe a not clear enough definition of what a planning group would be. My fault probably.

Think the initial “Working Group” title maybe have lead to some confusion but I think a “planning Group” will be what this thread is about once it’s tidied up.

Working group was supposed to mean
image in this case a group of people looking at how to help with the planning of arch 2 build.

I hope the rename to Planning Group makes that clearer.

One of the first things the “Planning Group” should do is write a “Arch 2 Action Group” thread - To rally, gather, help, organise volunteers for the actual work…

But more to come on that shortly. I’m a bit busy for a few days. I might have an stab at clearing up the thread next week (maybe Sunday) and making the objectives a bit clearer.

Some ideas about what a planning group is would help for that. That’s why I was asking for an initial meeting so we could define our selves.

More soon…

#17

I think one of the main things to figure out is the way how we will be working along side each other in the Arch to stay safe and work with the regulations. I think the directors are currently working on this but with so much confusing information out there from the government and other expert sources it’s quite a tricky one.

Regarding creating a planning group, yes, I think you’re totally right that we should get ourselves organised and have a look at what needs doing.
And we have a lot of experts on hand who have already worked on Arch1 and a lot of the organisation and actual work can be repeated.

I am sure once we get going there will be a lot of helping hands and volunteers. Just good organisation of that it is going to be key to make the valuable time given but volunteers is used to its full potential.

I am looking forward to this project and I am sure there will be a lot of things we learn and on the way.

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#18

Cool.

:+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3::sunglasses::+1:t3:

Yeah I very much agree with this sentiment and the points you’ve made. I think this is the level of planning we can start and the issues we need to start thinking about and also dicussing.

Not a can of worms I want to open today but it does seem like Dermot is keeping a close eye on this. It will be a bit of a nightmare sorting this out. Hopefully they gov will bring down the 2m to 1m today or soon.
It would be good to get others feeding into that too as there are many building sites back at work now that had been closed for the peak. There maybe a small technical issue / hurdle around being able to go back to work on Arch2 but us being volunteers.

Bit busy with A) having a day off (it’s Sunday)
B) lots of other projects at the mo - so will come back and tidy up the tread in the week. And hopefully we can start to get some ideas and heads together!! :sunglasses::+1:t3:

#20

Let’s just get the the survey out and process the results.

@TomHedges do you have date in mind?

And when the space opens, clearing out Arch2.

One small step at a time.

Planning and organising anything beyond that is overthinking and over planning it IMHO.

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#21

Hi @afshind - the survey is now ready to go - just making sure we have an accurate and up-to-date email list, and then it’ll go out by Discourse and email ASAP. Maybe even this evening!

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