Friday, July 31, 2020

Management Meeting / mgmt

We should do a management meeting at least monthly and analyze how things are going long-range. Lets do this tomorrow after we have got all the weekly plans in and responded to it. 

May need to do by zoom - TH may be in Digana 
FS on leave due to ill health. 
LZ shall have to go to Colombo on Wed or Thursday. 
PE is in Colombo tomorrow and maybe the next day. 


On Jun 5, 2020, at 3:10 PM, lareef zubair <lzfect@gmail.com> wrote:

Minutes and Files 
- had IT meeting for 2+ sessions - reviewed Re-Org/Trello Board 
      - and left DS, TH and CG to finish up. 
We need to close this out - personnel changes is key  - it should inform our work plans. 

- waiting for the IT meeting report - from today 
- IT security document - CG to review and pass to LZ 
Need to finish these - if it is me who is holding this up. 

- Admin meeting got postponed yesterday - need to finish off the Re-Org 

We need to close this out - it seems a undigested still 

Staff Matters 
 - NP plans to come on Sunday 

PE is back - not clear how she shall partition her time. 

NP is engaged in the Legal, and Time Series Analysis - he is picking up. 

MR is on the road 

KW is doing well on metadata but still to pick up more on CDT 

CC is picking up on a few topics and seems contented - wants to continue as her 3 month appointment over. 

DS feels he may be unable to focus on the FECT work given load at ICBT but wants to contribute this month to the ICTA work. Am bit disappointed that I have not recovered all the account yet. 

ZJ is picking up with library work and some personal records in addition to organizing documents - I am not having enough time to keep up with her progress. If we have a social scientist it shall help. 

Most of the staff have appointments to be updated.
We have to think through how to provide new 

 
Recruitment 
 - Clear the priorities are PA / Writer / IT (Hardware +) - lets focus 

No progress with finding the priority folks as above - we are drawing a blank with our advertisements and submissions to institutes and a couple of visits. 
 
Have to give responsibility to individuals for this. 

 
Collaboration Boards 
 - systems for monitoring and updating are not working. 

What is working - what is being updated  and NOT ? 

Re-org 
  - there is a need for clarity when you do this - since you have attended many of these we need to do better 
  - precise documentation / outputs are needed - else the discussions shall go to waste
  - follow up needed
  - Too much time has been taken on IT and Admin work 


We cannot go for too long without doing the Re-Org - for other areas - and overall. 
We should get the communication and publications re-org done. 
We can try to arrange for a date after the submission on the 15th for this. 

Remaining Urgent Tasks
- AQ grant - seeking partnership 
Dropped the ball there. 
- TCG set up in NYC 
Not yet - also pending. 
- NDB bank
Moving very slowly but positive feedback so far - but never know. 
- Gettin 1&1 accounts back 
pending 
- NWP Permissions &Visit AN + TH
Sending documents is pending. 
-  OSF - LZ needs to create on Monday
Pending - shall take it on. 
- DSC submissions pending - FS
ZJ has given draft need to fix that. 
 
- writing up papers for Mickey Glantz - AN coordinating 
Advanced last week - shall try to finish SL draft  tomorrow. 
Digana draft for MV by Tuesday. 
- AQ write up’s pending. 
NCPP social and environmental assessment review document pending. 
In addition, we should write up a paper on COVID and Air Pollution 

- LEGAL 
With NP, I have been working on a work plan for the legal side - we have to dedicate him for this for next two month - there is a lot of built up work there. 

- Trying to see how to manage the 3 different cases we have - CoA / MC, LT, & DC. With the stay order, we can pause the MC and if we prevail in CoA then MC case by the Labour Dept is dismissed. 
LT - the complainant is interminably going on abetted unfortuntely by people in charge. 

- For the DC,  RZ and I have to try to review and fix an affidavit tomorrow, Mufliya is trying to get a postponement on the DC case, if not granted have to go to cmb on Wed to finalize the affidavit and get it translated. 


Some new things Needed. 

WORK REPORTING 
- How is work reporting working out? 

STAFF REVIEW 
- Review of Monthly Progress reporting 

- Staff Progress Review for 6 months 

APPOINTMENTS 
- How to provide appointments for staff - what happens if there is 2nd wave? Structuring reports - learning from problems during the shutdown. 

PEER AMJ submission for July 15. 
- this is due next week - we shall need to work on this. 
FS and AN shall need some help with this - may have to see what others such as 
CC, KW and PE can do. 

ICTA 
- ICTA award submission for July 30 
 - Thinking of submitting disease.lk,  slelect.net and an air quality portal in the different categories. 

- INSTRUMENTATION SUSTAINABILITY 

Marikkar CEO of LTL visited Nachchaduwa Site with our instruments - he is taken up sending me pix of the Instruments. He wants us to do Jaffna and Kerawalpitiya as well on their dime - and Bangladesh is open too. 

Should we pursue this - its good to diversity from science grants - so that our staff have funding beyond the dengue grant ending in one year.  Such instrumentation is an opportunity now. We don’t have funding for AQ work - but have a lead and a big body of work on it and the competencies to interpret it. 

If we are to pursue, it has to be done in a business like fashion - doing things on time.