This work package is dedicated to the overall project administration and quality assurance. The objectives include interfacing with the European Commission and the iMarine consortium and Community of Practice Board, administering the Grant Agreement and ensuring the fulfilment of contractual obligations and reporting, and carefully monitoring resource and financial expenditures. Quality Assurance objectives include the operation of a Quality Assurance Task Force to ensure that the project delivers the results as expected from the various stakeholders.
Description of work
Work package leader: ERCIM;
TNA1.1: Administration of the Grant Agreement and Related Activities
Task leader: ERCIM; Participants: N/A;
This task is responsible for (1) translating the project’s governing mechanisms, i.e., Grant Agreement, European Commission financial guidelines and conditions of the consortium agreement into clear and efficient administrative procedures that allow the project participants to focus on their main objectives; and (2) facilitating contact with iMarine for the Commission reporting requirements as well as non-contractual requests. The task includes:
Consortium evolution, including management of the consortium agreement;
Contractual and ethical management, including EU reporting;
Innovation management, including guidance concerning IPR issues;
Leading the development of Memorandums of Understanding with other projects or organisations;
Conflict resolution;
Monitoring gender equality;
Providing support for the organisation, scribing and follow-up of project meetings;
Operation (including chairing) of the Members General Assembly.
TNA1.2: Resource Management
Task leader: ERCIM; Participants: FAO;
This task is to manage the project resources and specifically the project budget. It is to include:
Administrating the European Union financial contribution;
Monitoring the use of human and financial resources per beneficiary;
Providing the Project Executive Board with effort reports at regular intervals for determining if consumption is in line with activities performed;
Proposing solutions for the transfer of funds between activities and/or beneficiaries when deviation occurs.
TNA1.3: Quality Assurance
Task leader: CNR; Participants: CERN;
Quality Assurance is intended to ensure the production of concrete and high-quality results inline with the project work plan. To achieve this goal, a Quality Assurance Task Force will be appointed to:
Encourage and verify that standards, procedures and metrics are defined, applied and evaluated;
Perform monthly Quality Reviews and scribing the results of the review to the Project Executive Board for appropriate action;
Adopt a procedure for identifying, estimating, treating and monitoring risks;
Define a statement on the “promotion of equality” within iMarine management practices.
Deliverables
DNA1.1 Quality Plan (M2) describes how the project will collaborate to deliver a data e-Infrastructure meeting the expectations of those who use it;
DNA1.2-3 Periodic Report (M12, M30) comprises:
An overview, including a publishable summary, of the progress of work towards the objectives of the project, including achievements and attainment of any milestones and deliverables identified in Annex I;
An explanation of the use of the resources;
A financial statement from each beneficiary together with a summary financial report consolidating the claimed Community contribution of all the beneficiaries in an aggregate form.
DNA1.4 Final Report (M30) comprises:
A final publishable summary report covering results, conclusions and socio-economic impact of the project;
A report covering the wider societal implications of the project, including gender equality actions, ethical issues, efforts to involve other actors and spread awareness as well as the plan for the use and dissemination of foreground.
Work package number
NA2
Start date or starting event:
M1
Work package title
Project Management
Activity Type
COORD
Participant number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Participant short name
ERCIM
CNR
NKUA
CERN
E-IIS
US
FORTH
Person-months per participant
18
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Terradue
Trust-IT
FAO
FIN
UNESCO
CRIA
IRD
3
Objectives
The NA2 work package is designed to create the temporary management environment in which the iMarine objects will be met.
The objective of this work package is to coordinate the overall scientific and technical management of the project across all activities by developing strategy, promoting an efficient collaboration environment, monitoring execution of tasks and performing risks analyses.
NA2 accommodates the responsibilities of the Project Director and the managerial bodies referred to as the Steering Board and Project Executive Board.
Description of work
Work package leader: CNR;
TNA2.1: Scientific Coordination
Task leader: CNR; Participants: N/A;
This task includes the work of the Project Director, Dr. Donatella Castelli. Her role is to promote the project’s imperatives, assume ownership of the project on behalf of the project teams, and seek to deliver a viable outcome. Dr. Castelli’s principle responsibilities include:
Provide high-level supervision of the project from the scientific point of view;
Create and maintain the conditions necessary for successful and effective collaboration;
Promote cohesion within the project between the various actors;
Represent the D4Science Federation to the scientific user communities and public at large:
Interact with other 7th Framework projects and other R&D national/international programmes.
TNA2.2: Project Strategy
Task leader: CNR; Participants: FAO;
This task includes the operation of the project Steering Board who is accountable for the success of the project. It is responsible for making sure that the expectations set out in the present Description of Work are met. The Steering Board will engage in iMarine’s strategy development, in particular by placing representatives of iMarine’s various stakeholders on the same team. Activities include:
Authorisation of any significant changes to the work plan;
Assignment of resources and subsequent coordination with the Project Executive Board;
Addressing the sustainability of the iMarine data infrastructure;
Adjudication of any conflict within the project while proposing solutions to problems between beneficiaries or external organizations.
TNA2.3: Executive Management
Task leader: CNR; Participants: NKUA;
This task includes the operational management of the iMarine Data e-Infrastructure :
Coordination of the technical aspects across all activities (e.g., Networking, Service, Joint Research);
Monitoring the time schedule and the timing of the related activities;
Technical risks analysis and contingency planning;
Detailed technical effort re-planning to face project deviations;
Alignment and contribution to standardization bodies;
Operation of the Project Executive Board and Technical Committee;
Assessment of work and achievements of the work packages.
Deliverables
DNA2.1-3 Management Reports (M6, M18, M30) will provide a snapshot of the state of the project’s implementation across all activities (e.g., Networking, Service, Joint Research);
DNA2.4 Risk Analysis and Risk Response (M9) assesses the probability and impact of risks occurring and to determine the appropriate type of risk response; define a contingency plan if re-planning is not sufficient in face of the actual outcome of work performed and impact of related risks;
DNA2.5 Report on inter-projects coordination and collaboration (M15-regularly updated) reports on interactions with FP7 projects and other R&D national/international programmes on inter-project coordination and collaboration.
Work package number
NA3
Start date or starting event:
M1
Work package title
Governance and Policy Development
Activity Type
COORD
Participant number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Participant short name
ERCIM
CNR
NKUA
CERN
E-IIS
US
FORTH
Person-months per participant
6
8
5
4
12
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Terradue
Trust-IT
FAO
FIN
UNESCO
CRIA
IRD
7
59
5
23
13
14
Objectives
This work package’s primary objective will be to develop the data e-infrastructure governance mechanism, and formulate a set of organizational and technological policy recommendations regulating the resource sharing and services provided by the new e-infrastructure towards its sustainability. The achievement of this objective will be stimulated by active liaison with the EA-CoP, notably through the iMarine Board, to built trust and support for the long term sustainable exploitation of the data e-Infrastructure, and by the conception and validation of concrete applications serving the business cases.
The WP will develop organizational recommendations and elaborate policies and their implementation guidelines through operations of the iMarine Board, including its interactions with the other project bodies and the external actors. The iMarine Board will be a key mechanism to guarantee constant interactions with the EA-CoP initiatives involved in the project, to ensure a project that is in-line with EA-CoP current activities and practices, while bringing these to a higher level (i.e. “beyond the state of the art”). The WP will address EA-CoP’s expectations with regards to the Data e-infrastructure by detailing:
the benefits of a data e-Infrastructure in supporting the business cases;
the organizational, financial and policy constraints for the various resource sharing options;
the opportunities of sustainable exploitation models of the data e-Infrastructure.
In close interaction with WP NA4, the WP will ensure awareness of / feedback from the concerned EA-CoP referring to the applications serving their needs in order to gain trust and support. In general, the WP shall fulfil its objective through:
involvement of the EA-CoP in the formulation of its expectations with regard the data e-infrastructure;
monitoring and control of implementation effort;
awareness raising in the EA-CoP on the features available, on their potential for use and further development.
This task ensures communication between the EA-CoP initiatives, and the iMarine data e-Infrastructure development team, through active involvement in the iMarine Board (as well as at EA-CoP workshops) of UC Mediators and leaders of EA-CoP initiatives. FAO provides the Secretariat of the iMarine Board and is responsible for the:
iMarine Board organization; Invite members, define tasks and strategic planning;
iMarine Board operation; Manage meetings, reporting and other secretariat activities;
EA-CoP liaison including attending its workshops, to raise awareness and gather feedback.
TNA3.2: Governance Mechanism, Policies and Guidelines Development
The sustainable exploitation of the iMarine data e-infrastructure requires that the EA-CoP is involved in the development of Governance mechanisms and Policies which will drive its operation, and that guidelines be available in support of its implementation. The guidelines should stipulate how the EA-CoP can benefit from the data infrastructure services. These could be delivered as data services, but also as products, such as documents, tabular data, dynamic reports, or specialized maps. Such governance encompasses advice on the use and sharing of hardware, applications and services, and data resources. Three sub-tasks are envisaged here:
Development of Governance mechanism recommendations
investigate state of the art in terms of Governance mechanisms of large data e-Infrastructures;
analyze and record interactions performance within the iMarine Board, and between the Board and other project bodies (e.g. TB, PMB) and external actors;
discuss the options among partners and elaborate recommendations paper;
Development and adoption of organisational and technological policies
investigate state of the art in terms of policies, and list partners’ existing policies;
discuss the policy components among partners and develop drafts for each component;
finalise the drafts and bring these to the CoP for endorsement and adaptation;
Development of implementation guidelines and best practices
This task translates policies into implementation guidelines and best practices. It takes into account experience developed under TNA3.3, and encompasses the following tasks:
Develop guidelines for eligible system architecture and for their exploitation as part of the data e-infrastructure;
Develop guidelines for appropriate usage of schemas, data modelling patterns, and exchange protocols for specific context/goals;
Develop methodologies and manuals for users;
TNA3.3: Harmonisation of Metadata, Semantics and Technologies
This task aims to bring coherence at data, schema and application level, where these are required for systems integration, with particular focus on reference data management, geospatial data, statistical data exchange, semantic technologies, and environment data tools. For sub-tasks TNA3.3.1 to TNA3.3.4, the following common set of activities is planned with the understanding that these will be tailored to the needs of the particular Task.
Coherence at data and schema level:
Analyse data modelling for storage and exchange, and test their efficiency;
Facilitate the use of data in a e-Infrastructure by adopting standard schemas;
Liaise with standardization bodies as required.
For instance, in the SDMX context this will manifest in two activities: (i) analyse the DSDs schemas and (ii) facilitate the use of reference data and code lists in a specific domain (such as Fisheries).
Coherence at application level:
identify Task specific requirements with CoP representatives;
identify existing software that serve a requirement, and their usability in a data e-infrastructure;
assess implementation costs to serve a requirement through the data infrastructure;
negotiate the assignment of implementation and/or development tasks among partners,;
Validate completeness of the assembled solutions.
Sub-tasks will be defined during the project lifetime to articulate the effort of iMarine Board on concrete working clusters. Likely working clusters are “harmonization of reference systems and referential metadata across domains”, “semantic tools for discovery and publication of data”, “harmonisation of geospatial services”, “harmonisation of statistical and environmental data services”.
Deliverables
A general strategy will be to articulate the deliverables with Web pages (meetings or wikis) which reflect the status of the work and are constantly evolving. The deliverables will consist of an Executive summary and will be structured by main chapters which will essentially contain links to the Wiki pages including to Reports. The Wiki content expected at key milestones (e.g. an approved Policy item) will be safeguarded in frozen Reports loaded in Wiki.
DNA3.1-4 EA-CoP Operation (M3, M12, M24, M30) documents the functioning of the EA-CoP. The deliverable is a wiki articulated with a web based tool for managing the meetings, their reports and progress reports, recommendations and conclusions. Deliverable chapters are Workplans and iMarine Board meetings.
DNA3.5-7 EA-CoP Governance, Policies and Guidelines (M10, M24, M30) documents the performance of the project governance mechanism. Documents how iMarine policy guidelines and best practices will be implemented. The Deliverable is a document articulated with a wiki. Deliverable chapters are “Sustainable use of the data e-infrastructure”, “Governance mechanism recommendations”, “iMarine Policies”, “iMarine guidelines and best practices”.
DNA3.8-10 EA-CoP Validation (M8, M20, M28) documents status and issues on harmonization approaches, and validates implemented policies and business cases, their functionality and conformance to requirements. The Deliverable is a document articulated with a wiki. Deliverable chapters are structured according to the main NA3.3 sub-tasks headers, differentiating for each data standards and application aspects. Recommendations for future refinement/extension are also included.
Work package number
NA4
Start date or starting event:
M1
Work package title
Communication, Dissemination and Training
Activity Type
COORD
Participant number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Participant short name
ERCIM
CNR
NKUA
CERN
E-IIS
US
FORTH
Person-months per participant
7
15
3
4
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Terradue
Trust-IT
FAO
FIN
UNESCO
CRIA
IRD
37
8
Objectives
The overall objectives of NA4 are grounded in the project’s core value of delivering a knowledge ecosystem serving and empowering major stakeholders through a community-centric approach and training programme fostering cross-disciplinary and cross-border cohesion; and communicating main outcomes to policy makers, the press and media and society at large. Specific aims include:
Leveraging and expanding on partner networks by forging strategic alliances in Europe and globally.
Designing, developing and deploying a project website as a Knowledge Management Channel, an integrated and interactive tool with enhanced wiki services, tagged multimodal content and focused discussion forums.
Developing an eTraining Environment and delivering multifaceted eCourses (policy guidelines; data infrastructure and services) with a Virtual Event (M15), streamlining educational services and reducing costs and time from learning to implementation.
Promoting project goals and outcomes to the EA community, policy makers and society at large through communication and promotional material; press and media activities.
Delivering a Final Event (M28) to showcase and deliberate the main iMarine outcomes.
This task is responsible for defining, coordinating and monitoring dissemination, outreach and training activities throughout the life-time of iMarine, fostering cross-disciplinary, cross-border community mobilization and cohesion. Core activities range from setting action agendas in regularly updated Plans, to defining value propositions and core messaging for the EA-CoP, policy makers and society at large and planning Channel content provision. Specific tasks include:
Mobilizing and extending EA communities by leveraging strong partner networks and forging strategic alliances.
The project will seek alliances among partner networks and iMarine Board member affiliations (e.g. ICES, IOC-OBIS, NEAFC); ESFRI projects (especially Environmental cluster; PESI, i4Life, LifeWatch); Earth Observation (GENSIS-DEC). Other potential alliances include pertinent ERA-NET initiatives; Technology and Innovation Platforms; initiatives funded under the EC’s Knowledge-based Bio-economy Programme; European and global initiatives (GLOBEFISH, EUROFISH); dissemination and training support initiatives (e.g. eScienceTalk and Scientix).
Expanding and regularly updating a press and media database, spanning ICT & technology media (e.g. CORDIS News, ERCIM News, CERN Bulletin, HPC In the Cloud; Supercomputing Online etc); specialized and peer-reviewed journals (e.g. ACM Communications, Marine Policy, Human Ecology, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Coastal Management, Fisheries Research, Marine Pollution Bulletin, ACM Transactions on Database Systems (TODS); Very Large Data Bases journal (VLDBJ); IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering (TKDE); Information Systems (IS) etc); newsletters of strategic alliances, wherever feasible; EU national press associations; national press, TV & Radio; scientific magazines for the younger generation; partner offices where existing.
Promoting the project’s goals and achievements through iMarine Board testimonies, interviews and insights; eNewsletters, Mini eBooks, slideshows, press releases, articles for ICT and technology media, as well as specialized, peer-reviewed journals, in synergy with relevant partners.
Coordinating and supporting the production of two Mini eBooks: one on Policy, Resources and Standards for the EA-CoP and policy makers, the other on iMarine Board Insights (iMarine Board interviews and primers) for the wider public.
Interacting with target communities and ensuring visibility and community engagement through EU project, EA-CoP, e-Infrastructure and scientificevent attendance, including possible joint organization through strategic alliances (including but not limited to ACM International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD); International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB); IEEE International Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE), etc).
Designing and producing branded promotional material, such as pop-up banners, fliers, posters, reflecting project status with testimonies selected to match target group focus.
Hosting a Final Event (M28) bringing together the EA CoP and policy makers to showcase and deliberate outcomes spanning the iMarine Guidelines and Best Practices; the data infrastructure and Virtual Research Environments and enhanced services deployed. A dedicated Plan (as part of DNA4.1) will define activities for promoting the event; distributing the eBooks, speaker and expert recruitment and management, including position statements; programme features (invited talks, plenary and parallel sessions, round-table debates); press and media activities and capturing key features and interviews digitally for content re-use with the support of professional filming services.
Monitoring outcomes and gauging impact through pre-defined metrics; setting Key Performance Indicators (percentage increases) for activities deemed important for successful outcomes.
TNA4.2: Knowledge Management Channel
Task leader: Trust-IT; Participants: N/A;
This task focuses on the design, development and deployment of a Knowledge Management Channel as an integrated, dynamic, interactive, community-centric and semantic-based knowledge ecosystem serving as a single access-point to learn, network and exchange information. Annotated multimodal content and customizable services will be provided to meet the specific needs of the project’s stakeholder communities. Channel features will include:
User profiling and content tagging to deliver content on an automated basis responding to specific community member interests and priorities.
Dedicated area for the iMarine Board with personal pages, profiles, document upload and sharing facilities and dedicated discussion forum as trusted, professional environments enabling the EA-CoP community to fork conversations around specific topics, peer-to-peer and expert-to-epistemic community knowledge exchange, highlighting eTraining opportunities and updates and on-line polls.
Enhanced wiki services (mediawiki) with dedicated access boxes highlighting resources for communities, infrastructure, technology and project overview with authorized access to create, edit, comment on and update resources, services and tools available.
eLibrary covering and documenting key developments in marine management from community-centric and cross-domain perspectives; policy and technological policy issues and recommendations; relevant and publishable external content; technological developments; standards and interoperability, etc.
Media Room with interviews, articles, press releases, eNewsletters, promotional material, suite of videos and podcasts.
Web TV with “studio-type” project & community news and “watch/listen” & “read/listen” options, live broadcasting from events and video newsletters together with a twitter messaging box and links to relevant Linked In Focus Groups, SlideShare and mobile services.
The is task will also be in charge of developing the iMarineeTraining Environment with Virtual Classroom, Meeting and Mini Conference facilities (one-to-many, many-to-many tools, Just-in-Time, Moodle & Moodle Chat), facilitating community-centric knowledge exchange and ensuring effective engagement across multiple stakeholder groupings.
TNA4.3 User Community Capacity and Competence Building
By leveraging partner competences, networks, and strategic alliances, this task will aim to:
Empower end user community capacities particularly at scientific and management level in order to facilitate the usage of iMarine data e-infrastructure, Virtual Research Environment and services developed (e.g. common interfaces and resource integration, Virtual Research Environment Operation and Maintenance, etc).
Enhance the competencies of EA-CoP information managers and specialists by facilitating structured knowledge exchange to assist in formulating policy and technological policy guidelines and best practices with consultation and feedback.
Raise awareness of underlying technologies, standards and interoperability based on the real-world needs of the user and wider EA-CoP.
Streamline educational services, reduce costs and the time between learning and implementation through “anytime, anywhere” training modules.
The eTraining Programme will deliver:
eCourses and events that are one-to-one (Moodle; slideshows with embedded videos offering insights); one-to-many (with Moodle Chat for interaction), Mini Conferences from selected partner institutions; interim quizzes; Virtual Reading Lists indicating further reading suggestions and links to related articles and user friendly glossaries and guides.
A mid-term Virtual Meeting (M15) connecting the iMarine Board with relevant stakeholders through a many-to-many tool with Moodle Chat and interaction facilities; Demo presentation aimed at exchanging key information on the policy framework and defining priorities to set a clear action agenda moving forward.
eCourse evaluation will aim to ensure tangible take-aways with entry points based on pre-course abstraction levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) leveraging current knowledge check-lists guiding trainees to the right content. Course-exit test scores, self-/senior-assessment, check-lists for new knowledge acquisition at all levels and certification.
Deliverables
DNA4.1 Communication, Dissemination and Training Plan (M2, Regularly updated) Regularly updated Plans defining iMarine branding, value propositions and core messaging along six-month time-frames, pinpointing potential strategic alliances for dissemination and training, and setting action agendas for all related activities, including channel content planning and metric monitoring to define future plans accordingly.
DNA4.2-4 Production of Printed and Multimedia Promotional Material (M10, 20, 30) Report on and illustrate all promotional material produced and circulated by the project, including printed and multimedia material.
DNA4.5-6 Communication, Dissemination and Training Report (M15, 30) Report on outcomes achieved for communication, dissemination and training, such as communication and training material produced and distributed, eTraining courses developed and deployed; alliances forged, Channel content delivered; impact reporting, such as metric and Key Performance (KPI) analysis.
Summary of staff effort
Participant number
Participant short name
NA1
NA2
NA3
NA4
Total person months
1
ERCIM
23
0
6
0
29
2
CNR
8
18
8
7
41
3
NKUA
0
6
5
15
26
4
CERN
1
0
0
3
4
5
E-IIS
0
0
4
0
4
6
US
0
0
0
4
4
7
FORTH
0
0
12
0
12
8
Terradue
0
0
7
0
7
9
Trust-IT
0
0
0
37
37
10
FAO
1
3
59
8
71
11
FIN
0
0
5
0
5
12
UNESCO
0
0
23
0
23
13
CRIA
0
0
13
0
13
14
IRD
0
0
14
0
14
Total
33
27
156
74
290
List of milestones
Milestone number
Milestone name
Work package(s) involved
Expected date
Means of verification
MNA.1.1
Establish Governing Board
NA1
M1
Web site profiles the members of the Governing Board (along with appointed Deputies).
MNA1.2
Formation of the Quality Assurance Task Force (QATF)
NA1
M1
Web pages made available by the QATF for the monitoring of deliverables and milestones status (internal review and submission).
MNA1.3
Second annual meeting of the Governing Board
NA1
M15
Minutes of the meeting will be made available to the Commission.
MNA2.1
Formation of the Project Executive Board
NA2
M1
Public schedule of anticipated meetings of the Project Executive Board for Period 1.
MNA3.1
Establish Board at kick-off meeting
NA3
M1
The iMarine Board is established and a dedicated page is published through the iMarine Web Channel.
MNA3.2
Establish Communication channels, wiki and other tools deployed
NA3
M3
The iMarine Web Channel is equipped with tools supporting the cooperation among the iMarine Board.
MNA3.3
Wiki describing workplan, requirements, and tasks assignment
NA3
M5
The iMarine Web Channel is enriched with these dedicated pages.
MNA3.4-6
Definition of policy and governance development model;
NA3
M5, M13, M26
The iMarine Web Channel is enriched with these dedicated pages.
MNA3.7-8
Definition of guidelines and best practices;
NA3
M6, M24
The iMarine Web Channel is enriched with these dedicated pages.
MNA3.9
Define validation procedures
NA3
M7
The iMarine Web Channel is enriched with these dedicated pages.
MNA3.10-13
Meetings of iMarine Board
NA3
M7, M13, M19, M25
Information on the meetings including main outcomes are published through the iMarine Web Channel.
MNA3.14-16
Validation reports
NA3
M12, M20, M29
The iMarine Web Channel is enriched with these dedicated pages.
MNA4.1
iMarine Web Channel
NA4
M2
A project web site is publicly available.
MNA4.2-3
Delivery of Virtual Event and Project Event
NA4
M18, M28
Web pages reporting on the Virtual Events are advertised through the project web site.
Pert diagram
The diagram below depicts the main relationships between the various tasks of the Networking Activities. In particular, it presents tow the two work packages dedicated to the overall management (NA1 and NA2) interact each other. Moreover it highlight the overall strategic role played by three tasks: TNA2.1 (Scientific Coordination), TNA2.2 (Project Strategy) and TNA2.3 (Executive Management). For EA-CoP operation, the diagram depicts how the tasks of NA3 interact each other to produce the policies governing the deployment of the iMarine data infrastructure and how these policies are passed to the SA1 work package that is called to deliver the envisaged infrastructure. In addition to that, NA3 tasks produce guidelines and requirements that are passed to the JRA tasks and steers the development of software artifacts and services matching the expectations and approaches envisaged by the EA CoP. The iMarine data infrastructure will be equipped with Virtual Research Environments resulting from SA2 activities and aiming to demonstrate the effectiveness of the iMarine e-Infrastructure to serve the needs identified in the three real life business cases the proposal decided to support (cf. Section ). These Virtual Research Environments as well as the overall e-Infrastructure will be exploited by NA3 activities to attract other members and resources from the CoP as to enlarge the set of resources hosted by iMarine and transform it in the “one-stop-shop” for the CoP. Finally, the diagram shows how the dissemination and training tasks support the iMarine Board activities.
Figure . Networking Activities Pert Diagram
Risk Analysis and Contingency Plans
A risk breakdown structure for the NA activities is presented in the following table.
Table . Networking Activities Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan
Risk
Evaluation and Description7
Contingency Plans
Lack of organisational coherence
Internal; Low; Medium impact
Could be caused by one or more specific underlying reasons ranging from communication difficulties to particular staffing difficulties at one or another of the member organisations.
We minimise the risk of this occurring by implementing a project structure in which the key main stakeholders are identified at this point in time. We can minimise this risk further by ensuring:
Consensual values within the project,
Effective use of communications technology, and
Frequent planning control and review.
High staff turnover
Internal; Low; Medium impact
Given the complexity of the environment in which iMarine operates, skilled staff may leave the project for longer-term and higher paying positions within industry. The virtual nature of the organisation may increase the probability of this risk occurring.
Project management should verify training plans for the younger researchers/developers to ensure that they continuously evolve within the project.
Review staffing reports at PMB meetings.
Plan two or three occasions per year where all project staff can get together.
Consider staff satisfaction review across the project.
Serious disputes between consortium members
Internal; Low; Medium impact
Aim to minimise the chances of disputes occurring by ensuring regular and clear communication between consortium members.
Work package leaders should aim to follow an attitude of openness and trust, wherever possible.
Where pre-dispute areas are suspected, offline discussions should be initiated.
Where disputes become unavoidable, conflict resolutions procedures will be invoked as defined in Section .
Multi-disciplinary nature of the Consortium may lead to disciplines working in silos
Internal; Medium impact
Lack of communication; limited understanding of needs; difficulties in testing/feedback
Work Package Leaders must ensure regular presence at the quarterly face-to-face meetings of the PEB in order to prevent “silo” work packages.
Regular communication through virtual means will prevent isolation.
EA-CoP technologies becomes obsolete
External; High; Low impact
The CoP employs a wide variety of technologies, often released many years ago. They may need to change them to become a viable partner.
The gCube services do not depend on these external facilities. If software needs upgrade, this is beyond the project scope. However, the data infrastructure may offer solutions.
EA-CoP Software is not released on time
External; Medium; Medium impact
This risk is very common in any project with a collaborative plan of development activities. Late delivery only affects EA-CoP activities.
The Agile development approach provides opportunities to assess the direction of the ongoing activities, and mitigate the impact.
Appropriate boards within the project will continuously monitor this risk and take corrective actions.
Project software is not delivered on time or misses specifications
Internal; Medium; Medium impact
NA3 translates the EA-CoP in development goals that cannot be achieved by JRA for any reason.
Representatives of JRA will be included in the NA3 work package by assuring the feasibility of the goals according to JRA requirements and effort.
Expected co-funding / collaboration is not achieved
External; Medium; Low impact
The projects supporting external applications development are delayed or cancelled, and the in-kind inputs from partners are not delivered as promised. The risk is medium since the core parts of the use cases are designed to be tackled with project funds or external funding sources already approved.
The iMarine Board will mostly have to face priority settings, so efforts will be reported on areas where resources are guaranteed.
The Steering Board should make decisions in the best interest of the EA-CoP
The iMarine Board are made up of decision-makers who can certainly influence co-funding opportunities.
EA-CoP Policy expectations are too diverse for being consistently developed for iMarine
Internal; Medium; High impact
Too many expectations are formulated, the opinions of different members are too strongly diverging on the solutions. The risk is real but has been minimized by attempting to being together actors of the EA-CoP which share common interests and standards.
The iMarine Board will create clusters of common interest in order to facilitate negotiation; it will also have flexible strategies for the development of policies, bottom-up or top down or a mixture of both depending on the complexity. It will be aware that progress on policies will be uneven depending on the topics.
Lack of motivation and/or participation in the Virtual and the Project Events
External; Medium; Medium impact
Recruiting both appropriate speakers and participants to attend this event involve skilled staff with experience in developing marketing and promotional strategies as well as a vast network database of competent names which focus on benefits of the individual attending.
The iMarine partners boast high-level networks specific contacts which will be contacted according to the specific event organised. The partners have proved over the last 2 years are able to obtain active participation from key experts in the field. The involvement of the existing CoP community and its related contact network will also help mitigate this risk.
Difficulty increasing users’ participation to engage in iMarine training activities
External; Medium; Medium impact
To accelerate the adoption of the e-infrastructure governance model, to create awareness of the services provided, etc., users’ participation must increase.
The introduction of virtual tools is a proven mechanism for engaging and involving users in training activities reducing costs and the learning-implementation process as users may have their individual timeframe to complete courses.
