Management Staff updates / Zoom

 Groundwater Abstract

We are decompressing after the submission late last night of the Abstract for the Kenya conference -

 unfortunately, we could not get it done early and it has been dispiriting. 

Think I have left AN with a headache last night due to my procrastination. There is still work to be done on this for the presentation that is later this week.  

Procrastinations, Bottlenecks and Commitments. 

Key reasons is I was not at my best last days - with sleep problems - I am good today 

and there were too many things on my plate. Also my PC got stuck and was not able to edit the Word documents even now. Also AN PC was also slow after the update. 

So some immediate and medium term solution is needed. 

I keep wanting to not take on new work with tight deadlines. However, this is hard to avoid as you shall see from below.  

-PEER Dengue 

After the submission, Kelly has written - our last report was fine -RZ / MS have to follow up on the financial side and our next report comes due on April 15 - now that is also pretty much in the next two months deadline. We need to recruit for this and target and get the papers out. 

I told Dr. K that we shall give a computer by Monday - she is willing to work much more now that she has given up on the NDCU gig - we need to interact more with her. 

We have to figure out how to focus some folks on this grant. 

- AQ / EFL wants a report by end of March and has put 3 K Rs on the table - since this work is done - and we want to build the partnership - and they have been pleading, 

 I agreed to go along. We can use an RA to put things together. We need to update our instruments - all this is working fine. 

Need to send Invoice today

Burial / Issue

This is heating up further now - the research was done so we could get a paper done and we can write for the popular press. Am interested in the wider issues of Science and Nationalism - so may tell SLAAS Section F that we can do some work on this - like a seminar. 

- BHC / Communication 

is unable to disburse funds outside their financial year - so that means that we have to finish that grant - in 2 months instead of 4. They have sent the contract. 

This is going to tax us and stress us for next two months. Vidhura is going to do his part. Its about 1.5M LKR - we need to get the funds out. 

Still to follow up with BHC to confirm that what we sent was sufficient. Then RZ has to get the funds so that we can hire. 

Strategic Planning

- The strategic plan is slowly going on - taking a bit of time - think we can use the C&M students for the BHC grant - so we may have to get that done quick. 

C&M - one of the students Dilushi was going to work on Legal, Labour Documentation and Publishing. 

Need to meet with ID and SP end of day. 

- Legal work

 - there is lot of correspondence to catch up on - plan was to use DD for this. 

There is also a need to get prepared for the cases - LT is around Feb 8 or 9 ? Not sure when the CoA is? Things are going crazy at the superior courts now. 

Recruitment

- we need a graphics person and social media person for Communication for the BHC grant and we need scientists for other positions. I shall need to decide and move today with the FOSID applicants. 

Need to shortlist, contact and decide today. 

Staff Review

- The 6 month review needs to get completed - so shall try to focus on that this week. So far given feedback to SS, UA and AJ - and they need to revise. 

TH lets get through AM today, AN lets do KW and then I shall work way through my reports with ZJ and NA before coming to you all.  

CCAA / USAID

- the CCAA is our key grant - and two organizations wrote to me about that - it turns out that one org had my acquaintance from IRI Molly Hellmuth in it - so since I did not respond to the headhunter, I had to write this AM. There is another company that contacted FECT. And I need to reach out to USAID as I have not done this. 

Need to email these folks. 

SMZ to Melbourne on April 1

- Now my sister has bought a one-way ticket for my mother to leave on April 1 - there is a lot I had planned to do with her - in terms of organizing docs, writing some of her stories and learning some things from her - and that is not something I shall get back. Separately, we need her to sign off on various banking materials, organizing legal docs. 

Management Update

 SUPERVISION

We had planned that you would take over supervision in December - but I had continued on account of absences and illnesses.

Now that Jan has come Please take over the daily and weekly supervision for
IT - TH  for SLIATE ppl
Research - AN for KW and SG 
Admin - RZ and FS
I shall continue with NA and ZJ while giving technical inputs to others.

You need to insist that the tasks match with what are the priorities and you review the previous weeks plans and see whether they are
Measuring up.

IT STAFFING
Seems the SLIATE folks are learning to manage us rather than the other way around.
This is partly because we are neglecting them. So TH shall have to prioritize that and others should not try to pull him in for this.
There Internship runs out in 2 months - so good to give them detailed feedback and see whether they correct themselves. 

We shall also need to recruit urgently there - we have 1 person ready to start on Jan 8 - Isuru Dissanayake
And made offers to two others - asked them to confirm by 5th.

There are also NIBM, ESOFT persons applying - lets look at them too.

Delegating Supervision and Work Review

 29.11.2020

5.30 -7.00

Participants - LZ/RZ/TH/AN/FS

In principle 

 - Delegate to RZ, AN and TH on 3 areas and to FS on some cross-cutting areas. ZJ to help in 1 & 2 to plug gaps. 

Immediate Tasks for each Leader 

Go Through and review the follow

- update the SWOT and Priority Tasks 

- Documentation is on OSF 

- Identify Priority Tasks 

- Need to update the TB / FC 

- Monthly Reports 

- Reporting - Output Oriented. 

- Come up with 

          A format for Monthly Reporting 

1. Staff Allocation 

1.  Admin, HR, Legal - RZ - FS with inputs from TH and ZJ

2.  Research + Publications + Conferences + Data Acquisition - AN - KW + inputs from ZJ

3.  IT + Communication

 

Can Delegate (Communication - NA  + MV Communication - NA  + Instrumentation - AJ  +  Hardware - ZI + AJ +  Data Management - AJ + UA,  IT - TH )TBs

                       FC - Website  - TH - with Disease (NA), UA, AM, SS, AJ  

                          + other websites 

2. Decide on Targets by Theme for the Month of December 

   - what is pending - see TB and FC 

   - what are the targets for Dec 

                 Admin - Operational Tasks  

                 HR -  Appointment + Communicate the Vacancies + Obtain Suitable Responses 

 Finance -  Salaries + Seylan Bank Documentation (FS) + Obtain Reserve 

 Legal - 

Cross-Cutting - Visit Digana Office + Get Mail + Pay Bills + Check Video + Clean Office 

                       - Work Reporting + OCW 

   - review 

3. Allocating Work  + Deciding on Resources Needed + SWOT 

4. Monitoring Work  TB 

Cross-Cutting - FS + ZJ 

Digana Office - TH 

Akurana Office - RZ + FS 

Re-Org - RZ + FS + AM 

OCW - AM + SS + ZJ  

Work Reporting - FS 

5. Communicate with the other staff members - and get their feedback. 

6. Knowledge Management 

  - OSF + Blogs - decide what we are going to maintain 

7 Personnel Needed 

Wishlist for Hires - HR needs to undertake a campaign - 

Graphics / AV person - TH 

Writer - Non-Scientific - LZ 

Writer - Scientific - LZ 

Admin - HR / Accounts - RZ / FS

Legal - Junior Lawyer  - RZ 

Researcher - Quantitative - LZ 

Personal Assistant - LZ 

REPAIRS IN AKURANA / BANKING / TCG in NYC / LEGAL

 REPAIRS IN AKURANA 

Over the weekend, we had the electrical engineering team here and Farook Nana helping with the carpentry. 

They

- added two cameras for CCTV - so now there is more coverage of the road - still to move the camera for the gate

- sorted out some of the material that is mixed up - telephone / electrical / TV  / Internet cables and supplies and equipment 

- set apart places to put these materials - some in the pantry, some in the tool room at the end - we have to all work in that framework 

- took out some materials that was misfiled - or dumped in boxes without any labels 

- Pl pay attention and we shall have to get the 5S system to work not only for the materials and tools but also our keys and stationery 

https://www.leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/5s/

Farook Nana from Varakamura has fixed some of the cupboard doors - 

KW table door re-fixed. 

The drawer from the wooden table was being used as a box in the kitchen to hold knick knacks and the mousetrap  - so we put that back. 

Drawers should not used for heavy things - and so some more rearrangement is needed. 

Library cupboard  on the stairs and other cupboards need to be fixed. So Farook of V shall be around the whole week. 

We may do several things we had planned 

- such as put a roof at the concrete patch on the backdoor upstairs 

- repair the roof in front of the house - as it is leaking 

- repair the leaks at the back of the house 

A SAD DISCOVERY 

A chair was being used as a temporary or even permanent stand  in the balcony in room 1 - shows no plan or thought or sense of permanent arrangements. It is a waste of a chair. 

Worse, I see that the wooden frame in the Windows had been crudely cut to carry a wire out for the Air Visual. 

Lets try to be a bit more professional in our work. It is very sad for me as I took a lot of trouble with all the wood work there - hunting down timber which was mature and the carpenter who did the work was also so attentive and skilled - it is so easy to hack it - if you damage the window frames we cannot repair  it without a massive cost - that shall cost about 100,000 SLR and we still won’t get it right. 

BANKING 

Hope that Seylan Bank comes through. If they do we should set up FECT, Inc as well. 

TCG in NYC 

We need to do the paperwork for this - partially done and FS handling. 

LEGAL 

Review of the Writ submission by SZY - Amani to work on this with input from FS and LZ - 

FS has converted to text  - so we need to cross check with our Writ and see the issues to highlight to the lawyers. 

I emailed our lawyers with some notes just to see whether they had an urgent deadline for it - but they did not revert. 

RZ has already sent the document copies to Heshan and to Faisza + Hasna. 

DEPARTURE 

With CC due to leave on Friday - UA is in Digana to help with learning the DL - 

Both AM and UA can work on this 

NA can help with the Climate reports - but we are not going to have a smooth transition on the Statistical analysis.  

RR  

ZJ  can compile the various articles we had and print them and handover to RR - and ask feedback about follow up. 

ICTA Submissions & Other Deadlines

 ICTA work 

Think we were Able to sort out problem with drought.lk submission - we have been in touch - but don’t think we got acknowledgement yet as we have for the other two. We were told that the original attachments and mail  did not make it. 

DS was looking into some matters - About Us changing the advisors - he may be adding some translations for drought.lk 

CG was ill in the AM - so incorporating the new inputs paused. 

Translations proceeded - with KW, ZJ, FS and inputs from CC - not heard from MR 

VIDEO 

The recording for 

Disease has been done by TK 

Drought is in progress by ZJ today 

Cleanair - has to be revised for recording by TK 

Social Media 

Work remains  to make the three new portal lists work - lets get a few new folks involved 

While there was good progress with the three sites in the last four days. 

Shortcomings remain on the sites - so shall write that individually for the 3 sites in separate emails. 

Proposal on Dengue Prediction 

Odds are very long - only 1 grant globally 

- but it is on exact work we are doing for dengue 

- so we can try to do without too much disruption.

AN and I went through the RFP later and decided to proceed with this. Deadline is August 21 - 

but if we give a sub-contract to Ramesh - then U of Missouri may need to have documents well before. 

I have also written to Rashed for Marshall Island and Bangladesh and Shaky for Nepal and asked Dr. Kusum whether she knows of any place. 

Need Audit statements for the org - so may have to go with FECT and TCG 

RFP on Bioplastics for SL and MV 

Came across this on a news website 

- this is in the domain of AA work 

- Also Hudha and Mizna may be interested. 

- so 

SATREPS / AMED 

Link in Google calendar is not working to AMED 

https://www.amed.go.jp/en/program/index08.html. 

If we were to pursue SATREPS, now is the time - but seems too big of an effort - as it has to be led by someone in Japan. 

Worth looking at AMED to see whether they have smaller grants. 

FECT - Inc / TCG -Inc 

INS registration has to be done again. Must do next week - for above RFP

TCG registration to be done with GW 

Staffing 

- PE is effectively gone - but we have some closing shop to be done with her. 

- DS is also effectively gone 

- NP has not been in touch whole of this week

Hiring  -  

Priorities established before for positions remain. 

Digana recruiting a priority. 

To add to our priorities hires  - it shall be important to get an IT person who works on Linux 

We may have to seek someone high end if we cannot get the profile we are looking for. 

We decided on an Advt in the Sunday Observer. That was done later by the Admin team. 

My two interviews in person last week did not yield a good match. 

There are two persons who are not sure but we can see. 

There are two SLIATE IT Diploma students who are available in September. 

Administering Recruit Search 

Seems that our tracking system for work under Hiring needs improvement - or getting distracted. 

FS and TH 

 - to keep track of progress with Institutions and Next steps 

 - Other work on Engaging with Institutions - NAITA Matala / Kandy, SLIATE, NIBM/ CoT Aruppola + Hardware place in Kandy - for IT and Hardware  / Potential Reviewers 

 - Effectiiveness of our efforts - outcome mapping is needed for example in relation to Advertisements - and we need people following up. 

Instruments - AWS 

With PE leaving need someone to keep track of aspects in addition to TH 

- CC can do some of PE tasks for now. 

 - went through work on AirVisual Registrations and Access database 

We need someone to keep track of all this in addition to CC and TH  - the hardware /electronic technician 

All Staff Meeting / Lunch 

Next Week Tuesday had been proposed 

Given Proposal Deadline for 21st and carryover of work on ICTA to next week and MC case on the 18th Tuesday 

And the fact that it shall take 2 days to prepare, deliver and recover

- we decided to postpone to next week. 

Transfer 76/2 Electricity Bill 

File on that is still not complete - so thats on the table. 

Banking 

NDB has asked for a letter - we need to follow up. 

Bu letst also try with a better bank. 

Finance 

Pending payments to 5 individuals 

SLAAS 

- was able to clear some confusions - about the evaporation submissions - the AQ submissions to E1 are fine and under review 

- Not heard from the Section C, D and F regards the RS, Dengue and Economy submissions. 

- Memberships to be submitted - coming week. 

Legal 

Need to review and revise the Affidavit on Monday to discuss with Mr. SGS on Tuesday 18th - 

Ask HT whether that date of September 3 works for him. 

RZ: Need to ask Hidaya as to why there is a delay in the Federation Registration as a Trust. 

PEER project on Dengue 

Officially extended till September 2021 

Not to forget 

Data - MR went to Teldeniya alone with elections 

Freedcamp - we have to do a review of how it fared with ICTA 

NWP Visit - needed to relocate AQ instruments and to submit Ethics proposal 

Mubarack Visit Follow up - need to send the addresses and contact lists - am tempted to follow up with some website 

DSC - Write up’s remain to be  done. 

STEM - Bill to be paid to Dhiraagu - ask someone in MV to do this. Need to get feedback on document for STEM - there is a call for proposals on bioplastics for MV 

Dilmah - need to write to them acknowledging funds - also to Dilhan and follow up with PW 

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. 

Management Meeting

1.     AGENDA 

1.  Recruitment
2. Trello/ OSF/Re-org
3. Instruments
4. Effort Reporting
5. Admin Operational Tasks
6. Banking & Trust
7. DS

 

1.       RECRUITMENT

-          Emailing letters to NAITA/ICBT/ESOFT

-          In person visit – Hand delivery

-          Figure it out who is going to give

-          Add this on What’s app

-           List of referees – Provide it to TH

SOP

-          Develop procedures for admin

-          Management handbook

 

2.         ADMIN OPERATIONAL TASKS

-          How it happen

-          How we know that task is complete or not

-          How much time it take

-          Monitoring as Admin/IT/ Finance/ Management

-          Daily/Weekly/Monthly – Add the duration

 

3.       INSTRUMENTATION

-          Work plan

-          Maintaining & Monitoring the instruments

-          Fixing the instruments – Wednesday

Maldives Online payment - ?

VSO Reporting

Legal – To get signed the affidavit by Sooryarachchi