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Published on Tuesday, 26 September 2023 02:35

Blueprint Factory Proven Process

Each Blueprint Factory will undergo various of the below activities over the course of its approximately 18 months of activity. The schedules may vary depending on the specific topic of the Blueprint Factory and the schedules of the personnel involved. The activities below will provide a rewarding discovery experience for all participants, and will culminate with a report that outlines both gaps in technology as well as concrete implementation roadmaps to address these gaps.

Phase 1: Initialization

1. Identify and gain agreement for participation from Blueprint Factory team members which will include:

   1. 3-6 leaders in the chosen topic area

   2. 3-6 cyberinfrastructure experts

2. Assemble known resources as a starting point, such as position papers, previous proposals, community surveys, etc.

3. Hold kickoff meeting with an agenda including:

   1. Review the proven process with the team

   2. Review and discuss core problems, challenges, or opportunities

4. Create the schedule for the remaining phases

Phase 2: Community Interviews

1. Collect a list of at least 50 interview candidates chosen for their expertise in the domain and potential for breadth of opinions

2. Draft an interview guide that encourages significant free-form discussion around some of the core ideas identified initially by the team

3. Conduct and record at least 30 interviews, starting with the Blueprint Factory team members

4. Adapt the interview guide to reflect learnings from the core team member interviews

5. Summarize, analyze, synthesize the themes uncovered in the interviews

Phase 3: Small Group Sessions (Optional)

Depending on the findings of Phase 2, it may be useful to conduct additional small group sessions to review the outcomes of the community interviews with broader audiences.

1. Choose necessary topics for the session based on the Phase 2 summary with a goal of specific output, for example:

   1. Community problem/challenge statements

   2. Unmet gaps in capabilities or technologies

   3. “Day in the life of a researcher” problems

   4. Specific recommendations

2. Identify 1-4 opportunities to conduct the session, preferably in person, where several desired attendees from the interview group can easily attend

3. Choose the format of the session from a variety of facilitated models such as focus groups, brain trusts, and other information gathering methods

4. Invite participants with a goal of having 10-12 participants who preferably have already been interviewed

5. Conduct the session

6. Analyze the session activities to summarize the output of the session

Phase 4: Write Blueprint Report

1. Synthesize major themes from interviews and small group sessions

2. Develop new design patterns and/or technological directions needed based on themes

3. SGX3 team write initial draft of report

4. Gather feedback on the report from full Blueprint Factory team

5. Modify report based on feedback

6. Share draft with interviewees and small group session participants for final feedback

7. Author final version of report

Phase 5: Publicize Blueprint Report

1. Submit to arxiv.org

2. Send to relevant NSF program officers and other funding agency contacts

3. Share with the community in appropriate venues including conference papers, panel sessions, journal publications, and other mechanisms of sharing

4. Explore project proposals for implementation of the learnings from the Blueprint Factory with relevant funding agencies