How About Progress Reports? & Harry FP, Again

[Cindy C.]

Abigail wrote:

> Boy, it's been a little dead here, hasn't it?

I'll say!  Abigail posted this thoughtful and appropriate post on
Friday morning, and no one has favored her with a response.  <cringe>
 Feedback on her solid ideas for a Harry FP has also been in very
short supply.

Well, I'll have a go then.

 
> Back in June, when we were discussing the idea of separating into 
> groups or houses, the suggestion was made that the different houses 
> would make periodic reports of their progress to the group.  I
>think, given the relative silence over the last two weeks, that this
>might not be a bad idea.  

<snip proposal>

> Any thoughts?  

With all due respect, I don't think periodic reports from the FAQ
subgroups will work.  This opinion is based on what has or has not
worked in the past in terms of moving the group forward and getting
things done.

During the time I led the FAQ group as a moderator (October 2002-March
2003), I prepared monthly progress reports.  I considered having
others do this, but I decided that approach would not likely move the
group forward.  One reason I believed this was that calling for status
reports had been tried in the past, with a rather lackluster response.

Are things different now on the FAQ list such that an expectation of
monthly progress reports might keep us organized and move us forward?

Personally, I don't think so.  There have been a smattering of FAQ
posts over the last month or so -- usually containing good ideas or
raising important issues -- and several of them received no response
at all.  Some who appeared keenly interested in the direction of and
operation of this group only a month ago have gone completely silent.
 Administrative tasks have been outstanding for an uncomfortably long
time.  Initiative, it seems, isn't our collective strength, <g>, which
doesn't bode well for the idea of monthly progress reports.   

Further complicating things is that some of our members may have
stepped up their involvement in HPfGU list administration, which may
deplete their time available for the FAQ list.  We have 38 members,
but only 13 have signed up with a house at all, and of those, very few
have posted anything substantive to this list recently concerning the
writing of a FAQ.

Now.  Lest I be accused of offering a critique without a solution, I
will propose something that might help.  In August, I suggested that
groups are generally not successful absent quality leadership. 
Nevertheless, there was a feeling among some of us that we did not
want or need a leader.  

OK.  Let's not have a "leader," then.  Instead, we could have a
"Taskmaster."  The Taskmaster role is something the 8-person Moderator
Team used to keep us organized and moving forward.  One person (until
I took over the FAQ list in October 2001, it was me) would post a
weekly list of tasks in progress, including issue-spotting new matters
and proposing solutions or declaring consensus on things.  This is
obviously a leadership-type role, but, well, it doesn't start with an
"L."  :-D  So long as the person performing the "Taskmaster" role
understands it is not to be a "clerical" position -- that the goal is
to help the group stay organized and moving forward -- I think it
could be quite helpful here.

Anyway, that's what I think.  Any thoughts?

Cindy -- who is suggesting, not volunteering