Implementation Plan
Description of Product and Scope
Our group proposes to create a set of procedures for Data Governance Health Status Checks, and if time permits, user documentation for the Data Governance Health Status Checks procedures. It is notable that every department shares data with other departments, with other government agencies, and/or with the public per the Right-to-know (RTK) law. These shared datasets are strong candidates for open data publication. We propose that the city of Pittsburgh take advantage of the work that managers already do to prepare data for sharing.
The procedures for Data Governance Health Status Checks will include a 1-3 page document that provides guidance on what to do after departments get a handle on the data they have. For example, the procedures will address what data to make open, how to prioritize datasets, how often to hold meetings, and how to track progress to ensure data managers are upholding their responsibilities. Tracking progress will involve collecting data–approximately 8 to 12 variables, such as the description and identification date of each identified dataset, the date the dataset is added to the data inventory, the date the dataset is determined to be open, or not, and the date the dataset is published, if applicable–to enable the Data Services team to measure each department’s progress over time. The procedures will also include a template for a newsletter that will act as a progress report. The newsletter will be 1-3 pages in length and will include information about what each department has accomplished, what datasets they’ve made open, and what data inventories are in progress. It will also display aggregate data in tables and charts, i.e., counts and percentages for each department and city-wide totals, that are based on the progress indicators from the data. As an incentive, the newsletter will also include a section that highlights one department per newsletter for their work or growth in open data efforts.
The Data Governance Health Status Checks procedures will define a sustainable process to promote continuous updating of data inventories and provide users with the information they need to engage with the process. The procedures will also assist those managing data in prioritizing open data and maintaining some consistency across departments in relation to the open data process while allowing managers to maintain the data sharing process with which they are most familiar and comfortable.
Our focus will be on creating coherent and cohesive procedures, however, if time permits, we will create user-friendly content for their SharePoint website that provides instructions related to the procedures described above. For example, the information may include descriptions of the data coordinator and data steward roles and responsibilities, definitions of fields in the data inventory to allow side-by-side reference while filling out the inventory, and instructions of the workflow of the open data process, i.e., how to fill out the data inventory and keep it updated, where to store the data inventory, and a description of the lifecycle or routine of publishing open data. The user documentation may also include an infographic of the high-level process with information on where to get help for managers to display in their offices. The infographic will serve as both a resource and a reminder to work on data inventories and data publication. This poster will be a vector image to allow people to print it using their regular office printers or to enlarge it and have it professionally printed. The user documentation will provide clear instructions related to the Data Governance Health Status checks procedures and will keep the project visible to managers.
Prototype Plan
What are the salient features of your implementation you want to test with a prototype?
The feature to be tested includes the multistep process for making data open, which is portrayed in the vision and storyboard. Tracking the process allows the city to measure their progress and to hold data stewards and coordinators accountable for identifying datasets, creating inventories, determining whether to make data open, and publishing data.
What questions do you want to answer with your prototype?
- What questions do the users have for us or I&P as they go through our procedures?
- Is I&P spending too much time supporting the procedures?
- Are users asking questions that are very specific to their issue that do not affect anyone else, or are they asking questions that others may have?
- Do users say that anything is confusing or unclear?
- Considering answers to the above questions, should the procedures be revised?
What prototyping method do you want to use?
We plan to produce a high-fidelity prototype to represent our design solution that will take the form of a draft of our procedures. A high-fidelity prototype will ensure that the procedures and corresponding document features and formatting will be assessed for accuracy and usability.
What kind of users will be exposed to your prototype?
In addition to our contact for our partner organization, we hope to share our prototype document with several data managers from various city departments for their thoughts and feedback. These users will likely not only use our procedures but will have a good idea of the expectations of other department users as well.
How will you collect feedback from the users?
Feedback will likely be collected from our partner contact and city stakeholders through email. Depending on user availability, video conference calls might also be used to collect user thoughts and feedback.