Minutes of Meeting: January 25th, 2009
Agenda:
a) Transfer of Knowledge (TofK) Initiative – Take it to next level
b) 2nd Annual ICT Development Conference at ANA 2009 Convention
Members Present for TofK:
Bineet Sharma (BKS), Deepak Neupane (DN), Sanjeev Shreshtha (SS), Pukar Malla (PM), Nabin Acharya (NA)
On the phone: Bijay Niraula (BN), Anata Risal (AR), Prajesh Shrestha (PS), Ksheetij Thapalia (KT), Nabin Khanal (NK)
Introduction: (All introductions has been written at the end of MOM)
TofK:
BKS: Transfer of knowledge initiative should be given priority conclusion one of the thing we need to do today is we establish the goals we should establish who are going to be our target audience. We should write proposal paper so that there is a kind of template as working document, we are not going to write proposal right away. We should agree on the Need to talk about infrastructure, how to establish the infrastructure. And next step.
Some background: We started this talk two/three months back especially when Sanjib ji was here, the person who caught the bull by the horn is Bijay ji and Sanjib ji is ready to provide the infrastructure to us, he has been so instrumental, without his help the video conference would not been possible during CAN InfoTech 2009 in Kathmandu during inaugural even where Prime Minister was also present.
NA: I think we can use his help. He has resources he as infrastructure he has human recourses to make happen any of these things happen.
BKS: Exactly. So it started from that time and we have identified who would be our instructors:
Nabin khanal from Microsoft for Program Management
Nabin arachara and Kumar Pandey for Cloud Compiting
Then we added many more subjects. Sandeep Giri wants to help with Business Intelligence courses. He is going to Nepal on this Friday. And he is asking what he could do. I will elaborate more later on that.
He has his own company here and he has established joint venture company there in Nepal as well.
Also Sanjib Ji said instead of going for project management or cloud competing as our first TofK courses go with something like which look popular in the like windows 7, which is new coming and which would be really interesting for Nepali to think about, more attracting to in the beginning
So that w people in Nepal might be more interested to join the training course. They will see what is going on and they will be interested in other topic. So that is how windows 7 came in the picture. As I said SG came with BI thing and another guy Anata ji came with other plan so we have lots of thing in our plate.
So, now we have 35 minutes left in this meeting and what we really want to establish within 35 minutes is have some kind of structure given to this and what is the best to do, what kind of subject we want to do. We can leave the details to smaller working group to sort out.
Let us open the floor for the discussion.
PM: Lets talk about the vision first. What goals should be kept , goals of knowledge transfer project and who are our target audience. As next action item we can discuss about other small group
BKS: So we want to talk about vision, and goal? Ok. So is there anything before we talk about vision
AR: Transfer of knowledge what does this exactly mean. How do we define knowledge? It is vast. Are we talking about Nepali products or software and to make us as market what exactly is our purpose, I think we need to define that first?
BKS: Idea of knowledge transfer is two ways, From US to Nepal and from Nepal to US. For example: Does wireless technology actually worked in rural area. Or may be some University’s Researcher have some idea and wanted to share with us so that it is beneficial to us. We can have many other things
To narrow down we are going to concentrate on Technology first. And once the infrastructure is established or the process is established we want to take it to the tele-medicine , rural education and many thing.
Can-usa does not have or should not be the gate keeper (Sandeep Giri proposed). We should be facilitator, provide a platform where people come with idea to run a project we provide a infrastructure. We should not have one session of windows 7. We should create curriculum (Like Pukar Ji said once)
For example:
Advertise for Windows 7 by announcing in a paper in KTM (give two weeks’ notice). Windows 7 actual sessions will be for three weeks. Most important , we will ask CAN to come up with local expert in Nepal about win7 who will be a contact person who can take it to the next level and we will have expert here and we will have constant contact through emails, blogs etc, so that after three sessions they will have question answer. So they will take over in Nepal.
And next month we will have next session. We could as well have two sessions going in parallel.
NA: I think the key thing here is audience right? Who is the audience in Nepal? Sanjib Ji (Mercantile) is saying windows 7 is going to be very valuable to us , next month it might be different , some of the stuff we are talking, relevant to some audience whom Sanjib Ji met. Program management may be very interesting to some other folks. The thing is you are not able to reach to that audience.
Audience may be larger than we have seen. We have to figure it out. I am talking about a concrete example. I met a person who complained to me that they have hard time managing PM. If you ask me that is the hot topic. Audience is larger than we understand.
BKS: In Nepal there might be people not have seen what is next either. But we can say what is important for the International companies. They might not have heard about Cloud Competing but that might be very important for them to compete in international market or might be important for Nepali company as well. It saves lots of money.
PM: Technology and development hand in hand perhaps thinking about target audience we can have larger audience we can think about what are the issue in Nepal currently or challenge areas which can have the highest impact within the 1 year 2 year so we can define near term audience, just a suggestion
BN: The target audience is very imp. Instead of us determining what could be important for them, if we can do small survey within 10/15 companies. We can send questionnaire what are your problems and research and internationally create a roaster and start matching here are requirements and here are resources and if we don’t have resources, that would be benefit everyone and they will buy into,
NA: What you suggested you is good but it will take time
BN: We have to start one or two from our side to get the traction, and Sanjib might have some people to join, but in longer term we have to plan well
PM: 3 mo targets is high-tech, windows 7, cloud are high tech stuff. After that when we get survey we can further identify and enhance this vision statement
BN: Couple of things, dedicated person in Nepal, we don’t have time or resources, half hazard is not going to be sustainable. We really need a dedicated person, just example for roaster, getting resume, compile in a spreadsheet, and if we don’t have system and if we try to go further it is not going to be sustainable. I am trying to see how we can get funded. We have to have documentation. Couple of things today we want to decide, one, a dedicated person, I am willing to pay some money and if someone wants to donate money, concrete conceptualize document is ready (I told Pukar as well) we can even circulate in Stanford, Berkeley major Universalities. So, let us plan on what we want to do in next three months, who will do and next let us make concrete written document after three months
BKS: Sure. So by the end of the first half of the meeting let us decide on who the contact person is and who is going to do what. 1 Minute let us introduce two more important people who have just joined. Who else is in the telephone? Nabin Khanal
NK: Seattle, working at MS. 10 year Program Management
SP: Representing upcoming ANA convention and I am with CAN-USA also (have not contributed much). CSCO, 10years as Architecture
SG: First time in CA-USA. NASA Aims. Sr Engineer
BKS: Excellent core of engineers here. That document is very important and we should have it ASAP. My worry is the document more than the fund if we don’t have it we will lose interest of stake holders especially Sanjeev Raj Bhandari.
BN: Yeah! I don’t think we will lose him, but let us make the document. He is pretty much committed. But we need that document within three months for our own sake.
BKS: This is very exciting project and all of us can contribute, without taxing on our own work. For next three months, let us agree on what is most important on our own: PM (Nepal Lacks program management), Windows 7 (Let Nabin K talk about – what he had session with Sanjib Ji), Cloud computing would be other. Nabin, what we want to know is we are trying to decide come up with a plan for TofK for at least next three months, so that first session gets started. I had commitment from CAN to join as well to know how fast they can arrange first session. But, you had first hand meeting with them so tell us how the experience with Video Conference, and talk with Sanjib ji
NK: My assumption is it went pretty well, and was a limelight of the event. If you ask anyone what you remember in that event, everyone will say live from US they explained what CAN-USA was all about. Second part is I talked with CAN executives, and they are very much interested in TofK and asked me how can they help us? Probably to sync up with a meeting in CAN and CAN-USA and agree on the framework. Then I had three meeting with SRB, he said two things: He mentioned that developers when promoted to Manager they fail, that he said, and biggest concern in S/W development? He said PM and QA. For TofK, do something new for the first time so that people will have a feeling of going and joining, Windows 7 work. I will sync up with Windows 7 lead in MS and see how much information I can get and I will update you all.
BKS: If you can team together with MS windows lead to co-host during TofK.
NK: Exactly. I will try to get the lead. I will show him the CAN-USA prospectus. I will keep updating you all.
PM: Nabin ji to help you out I will put a proposal within a week. I suppose it will help.
NK: I will start pitching. Yes that will help. Also, I am leading a diversity group for Nepalese in MS and I am chairman of that and I have some visibility. I will talk to couple of Managers. And when I had talked with them in the past, they had soft corner for doing something for Nepal. So if I get a proposal from CAN-USA then it will be more credible, I think.
All: Excellent
BN: If I tone it down. One PM/QA goes together (importance of QA in development) might be interesting, PM, and Cloud computing.
NK: Yes cloud computing will be very attractive
BN: Yes these three will be for next three months, and let us focus on it and after that I will get onto write the proposal. There will be traction, and we will have some data and we will know where we are after three months.
PM: To make it sustainable: outreach is through CAN. First CAN/CAN-USA’s meeting. Sanjib Ji is providing his own office in Durbar Marg. He wants CAN members to be energized and explain the complexity. Let us plan for that in next two weeks. BN’s idea is to bring someone for the leg work. CAN wants to hire more and they have a position for outreach person who works directly with us.
BN: Ok
BKS: If we summarize. We give roughly each month for one course (give and take a week). Bijay Ji PM has everything including QA
NK: QA can be in PM or not.
NA: Q/A can be a track on itself.
BKS: Ok, so for next three months: Windows 7, PM, and CC
BN: Decide order letter. First NK will decide about Windows 7. Then we will decide on first and then after the feedback second and third
PM: So we will plan on first TofK within 2/3 weeks if can get the CAN on board. Because we have to have a first action item going.
BKS: Can we start third week of February. I think urgency of this is important. Everyone agrees on that?
All: OK
BKS: We can be little fluid. We have to start the first one. Who is going to write the first proposal?
BN: What kind.
PM: Just like ANA, let us have a first page. But, later we will have a broad paper based on the research and outcome of our sessions
BN: Bineet dai I had sent you one.
BKS: Ok I will share that with you
BN/Pukar will work on that by weekend.
BKS: Action Item: CAN/CAN-USA meeting – co-ordiantor Bineet Sharma
Proposal writing: PM/BN
Point of contact: Bhim Ji in Nepal
CAN need to be owner of these projects. They have good budget to spend money on them. We are going to deliver the service which benefits CAN members in Nepal.
We will talk with CAN to decide the audience and the time table.
BN: You should really push for getting someone for 10 hours to work on these. We need someone to send out emails etc.
AR: Can we have some intern and sponsor to do the leg work.
BN: We should put money where our mouth is. I do agree that initiation come from CAN Nepal.
BKS: Ok we all agree, let us give them a week and find someone to do the leg work. Last time they had given us one person. But, let us talk to them; idea is to give them the ownership.
BN: Our idea is to get someone dedicated to us we think the project will take traction and will fetch some project money. As soon as that happens then more people will be interested. Let us start small, and we need one person at least for 5 hours
BKS: Ok, let me take lead on that? Anybody has any other idea?
SS: I am new here still trying to understand what is going on, so, what I understand you are trying to pass TofK from US to Nepal. Is demand coming from there?
Small discussion went on to summarize what we talked about already.
SS: it is like a pilot project….
PM: Please send email etc for discussion and let us not wait for last meeting
BKS: We are open organization; please post your thoughts, ideas and grievances in our website.
This concludes our first round.
==============Introduction======================
Bineet Sharma: President of CAN-USA work in a small startup in Silicon Valley (OnTick, LLC).
We have done introduction in can InfoTech
Deepak Neupane: Consulting in S/W and financial consulting
Sanjeev Shrestha: Silicon Valley, working in a small company.
Pukar Malla: Bay Area Work for MedaPhys a startup company making Mobile TV Chips.
Bijay Niraula: Sunnyvale: Working internet marketing Space
Ananta Risal: I won a startup company and have a second full time business. Financial company- knowledge management consultant (Xavier 82 batch).
AR: NJ I won a startup company and have a second full time business. Financial company- knowledge management consultant: How to make system intelligent, focus on work flow obligation
Ibm – demone technology, Microsoft –sharepoint, Secure module framework built these thing
Position Lead architect , Business aspect just started company “knowledge interface “ (company name) new jersy “ www.knowledgeinterface.com, Second venture (In Nepal in 1985 first company ). Share some idea. I would like to sponsor project for particular knowledge based stuff, let see what CAN-USA can do.
We need lead as project given obligation, it has to materialize. Not to make it only as product but as project so that we can really transfer our technology and drive, not only as nonprofit but it has to generate revenue so that it can support back there in Nepal
Bijay: What do you do in knowledge management?
AR: How to make system intelligent. Focus workload, domino ws, ms sharepoint, secure model, and framework. Lead architect. Knowledge Interface. I totally agree with that there has to be revenue component that will make sustainable
BKS: Lets us finish the introduction first.
Nabin acharya: Bay area, Was in Yahoo now in different company. Was in Nepal during CAN Inauguration witnessed Bineetji’s Video conference which went very well extremely well received. Everyone was very excited, the PM Pranchanda picked up two phones in the middle of Bineet ji’s presentation; don’t know how much he gathered, but he looked interested. Overall it was very good, there was lag in the sound which you might have figuredout. I have some ideas for improvement (Xavier 85- Atulya’s Batch).
BKS: (smiles) 15 minutes for socializing…
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