Ivy might want to start attending some of our monthly tech team meetings do listen to the udpates that we are planning for the ASM database. We hope to eventually automate a lot of information right out of ASM. The big push is for coordinators and everyone to keep ASM up to date. Then, just generating information from it should save a lot of time. As an example, I am planning work that will add fields to ASM to be able to just click a link and automatically generate tables like these two that Maria now manually creates and updates. The only thing needed would be to fill in the new fields (and ones currently there) in ASM and keep ASM up to date. http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/mbadmins/Cockatiels+Waiting+for+A+Fos... http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/mbadmins/Potential+Cockatiel+Adopters Here is the beginning of my proposals: http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/mbadmins/new+ASM+fields+worksheet especially: http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/mbadmins/for+Maria Michelle Yesney wrote:
I'm sending this first email primarily to the Species Coordinators to begin with. Ivy, as you know, has been digging into the details of what happens when our incoming PAs enter our system. I know that several of you have struggled to try to keep tabs on people, to try to keep them from falling through cracks the size of the Grand Canyon sometimes. And it is horribly frustrating when you're already working so hard and people complain that they've been forgotten. This appears to be the most difficult of our administrative processes, so Ivy is going to help with that multi-headed Hydra.
Ivy is going to try to move PAs through the system, and make sure they are not lost. That does not mean that you do not work with the PAs, including scheduling home visits and phone screens. We're going to try to be very flexible -- and there is a certain amount of trial-and-error, and redundancy that will occur, especially at first. This is not a straight-line process, and people and their applications enter our system at a lot of different points. We certainly don't want to restrict access or make it more difficult for people to apply to adopt.
The easiest part of our organization's function is contact by email -- so you all need to remember to use it. Ivy doesn't want to harass our PAs unnecessarily, but we think that too much contact will be better than not enough. It would be very nice if you start adding Ivy to your emails about and with PAs until they are approved. It's easy to remember: Ivy@mickaboo.org mailto:Ivy@mickaboo.org That way, she knows when an application is sent and received, who has taken the class (and when), and who has received follow-up contact. She can find which PAs have had a phone intereview and are waiting for a home visit. If in doubt (especially at the beginning) copy her on the email.
And she will contact you if it appears that a PA for one of your birds has fallen off our radar screen -- and you and she can decide what to do about it.
I would appreciate feedback on this -- just respond to my email. Several of you are not species coordinators but either you have a direct responsibility in our approval process and/or I value your opinions.
I'm not absolutely certain that the Ivy@Mickaboo address is fully implemented so for the moment, please also use Ivy's personal email (which is on the cc above).
Michelle