In this stage, we meet our teammates and figure out how we will go about completing the project. Key actions for this stage include: deciding how often to meet and what will be accomplished at the first meeting; elect one person to be the Meeting Meader and another person to act as the Scribe at the first meeting; determine how this responsibility will rotate.
Copy these into a Google Doc and have your group brainstorm ideas.
Who needs what you are proposing to create? Why do they need it? What are their current obstacles to getting it?
Who is interested or could be interested in seeing this problem solved? Any groups on campus? Students? Faculty? The Gustavus administration? Off-campus groups: Elected officials? Clergy? Community leaders? Local nonprofit groups? Volunteer groups? National associations?
Make a list of potential categories of people who would be involved in the conversation about your topic. Also note any specific individuals and their contact information, because you may want to contact them directly as part of your research.
What kinds of market research can you do to learn more about the audience/consumers that your project will serve? Consider some of the options discussed on the Co-Sense page.
Build off your brainstorming from above. See if other parallel projects have been created at other institutions. Find out what community organizations or professional associations deal with the problem. What currently exists and what gaps can your enterprise fill?
Create a calendar and decide on the your meeting structure.
The Convener and the Scribe can be a rotating position (depending on how the team is structured).
The Convener sends out an agenda prior to each meeting and asks the team member to add "items" to it. The Convener then leads the meeting and ensured each "item" on the agenda is addressed. The agenda lists the date of the meeting, who was the Convenor, who was the Scribe, and who else attended.
The scribe makes a bulleted list of each topic discussed during the meeting and what was said about it. They may also include a list of action items, tasks that the group agrees should be worked on before the next meeting, along with the person who agrees to take it on. The scribe then sends the minutes out within one day after the meeting.
In a rotating meeting structure, the person who serves as Scribe is responsible for serving as Convenor at the next meeting.
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