Community Vision, Mission, Principles (Plenary)

  • Description: Read-out of results from one-text process. Group discussion of what these mean in practice.

Leads: Dykki, Edward


To Join Remotely: 

Join the call: https://www.uberconference.com/info3285

Optional dial-in number: 716-293-6106

PIN: 63498


Rapporteur/Notetaker: Sandy Hawley

Notes from Session:

Key Questions:

1) Customizable vs. Configurable (Extensibility)

2) Platform vs. Software

3) Sustainability

4) Technology principals AND community principals

 

Think about key themes:

  • actionable items that align with principals
  • split of community vs. software principals
  • what are the teams/capabilities within the community:  knowledge sharing (internal comms) is a top priority, including documentation: how do we operationalize this?

What is missing/additional questions:

  • need to better define process for integrating significant changes to core
  • able to customize code for local implementation (this is a different concept than what is appropriate for last mile, i.e. bandwidth)
  • sentiment behind reusable - have to build solutions that cost more with the reuse feasibility (community ensuring implies behavior). 
    • This is challenging  - making it available is different than ensuring its "easy for countries to adopt" - these are different principals. 
    • Having a group of people who have long term funding to focus on the core would help solve the issue- worth effort to have resources to ensure the community is represented
  • can we define different paths at the start of implementation - either offer the "soup to nuts" ($$$)  or more custom solutions
  • who manages the decisions, should we try to define governance?
  • can we break down goals for next year- we commit to doing x,y,z - to measure what we do, what do each of these means to us? 
  • lets be explicit about how we are making these principals actionable.

What is key to preserve?

  • 1) CONFIGURABLE vs. customizable (product can be tweaked, but customizable is more of a platform) - OpenMRS vs. Bahnmi
    • OpenMRS prioritizes community, platform, software; ends up being backbone of software "platform for medical records whatever they may be"
    • Thoughtworks building on top of that (out of box), not as broad - install, configure, it is a product,an application - Bahnmi is opensource; not intended to be modular- makes it very easy for implementors, faster implementation
    • Do we want broad base logistics services or the full stack? Initially it was the full picture, but now, with time - seeing divergence, it's leaning more to a platform
    • Can we be both- should be both- most sell-able feature is configuration  (this is how it works for you) adds most value
      • what is the gap between product and platform
      • evaluating where to focus on product feasibility  
    • Offering the "soup to nuts" is important
      • borrowing from PSE, supply chain suite products- consider: do we want this to go into other processes?
      • suite of tools that work together 
    • Customizable typically includes: configurable, brand, multiple modules- lots of things to capture/define
      • a central repository of add ons that don't break the core, and vice versa
      • what goes in the core what doesn't? 
  • 2) APPROPRIATE
  • 3) REUSABLE

  • Some of these principals  apply to community and some apply to technology - what are we trying to answer? Community vs. Software.Platform - should we split them up? Both are valuable, but different
    • technology principals AND community principals
    • principals of community follow under 
  • Think about key themes
    • actionable items that come from principals
    • Split of community vs. software 
  • Comments requested via email or one text end of day Wednesday. 

OPPORTUNITIES ACTIVITY (see Dykki's notes in PPT)

  • LMIS is not everything (it can assist you, but can't fix broader supply chain issues, LMIS is a component) it's more about complete, accurate, timely data/information
  • Gates VAN project- people and policy part should be included
    • people need incentive to use tools- if OpenLMIS implementation is to be successful; people are necessary component
  • The people part is important, but should the community focus on this? Can it be translated, can people with varying skills use it/benefit from it? Technology implications vs. people implications.
  • It is responsibility of community to design for easy usability regardless of end user
  • Easy to use tool that allows (empowers?) implementers and stakeholders alike
  • Reason we see value (reason community is here)  is because we want to reduce the overall cost of getting to high quality LMIS, AND  embed intelligence
    • MRS data model example- start with field-tested model
  • We're the factory trying to help implementations develop faster, better, more cost efficient (long term) solutions -that is the responsibility of the community; support as much as we can - that countries choose this product and use it (faster, easier, cheaper, better) (smile) 

 AREAS FOR COLLABORATION- how do we have cross-org teams

  • Communications
    • internal: knowledge sharing- documentation, training, information sharing, community support
    • external: general brand, messaging, awareness, shared assets (collateral, web, PR,)
  • Product Roadmap
  • Community Roadmap
  • Sustainability thinking

CAPABILITIES / REQUIREMENTS

  • fundraising/revenue generation
  • logisticians
  • experience design
  • product management/owner
  • evangelists
  • should be a requirement to assess and communicate the value- actuarial
  • systems integration, knowledge about other systems
  • supply chain domain expertise
  • academic partnerships- there are challenges because we are coming from very different worlds - trying to contextualize for us
    • PSE- its about $, for us, there is no revenue model for our world- when our people have better systems we cost MOH more
  • development talent, health informatics, what systems can we use that are feasible with local workforce?
  • advocacy with MOH - explaining value and making appropriate recommendations based on resources

Artifacts:

 

 

 

 

OpenLMIS: the global initiative for powerful LMIS software