September 20th 2006

From National P2 Results Data System

Measurement Call Minutes: Wednesday 20th September at 1pm.

Attendance: Rick Yoder, P2RIC, UNO Sarah Hatch, USEPA Marie Steinwachs, OWM, UM Bruce Dvorak, P3, UNL Jeff Fiagle, IA DNR Sue Schauls, IWRC, UNI

Agenda:

1. Walked through the inventory results. Results can be seen at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=253039673192

This inventory was established to help the regional workgroup http://www.p2ric.org/Roundtable/measurement_workgroup.cfm identify differences between their existing data collection efforts and the proposed National P2 Results data base. The data elements of the National P2 Results data base are best described at their dictionary: http://www.p2.org/workgroup/DataDictionary.cfm

Comments/issues will be forwarded to PPRC, the National P2 Results Data System project director after P2RIC captures the sense of the group discussion in a document, and the regional workgroup has a chance to review and amend the document, posted at the National P2 Results Data System Wiki, http://lib.wmrc.uiuc.edu/np2rds/index.php?title=September_20th_2006

In no particular order, the comments, questions, and/or recommendations from the regional workgroup are these:

1. Will the National System capture efficiency results? Doing so would help to capture savings that could otherwise be lost if only a total impact is captured. Example: An organization receives a recommendation for a change which would result in a reduction in materials used and in energy use. The organization decides to incorporate the recommendation in a subsequent process change that also increases the rate of production. If the National System captures savings on a per unit of production basis, then the results of the recommendation are captured. If, on the other hand, the National System only looks at the total amount saved, then no savings are captured due to an increase in production that overwhelms the savings tied to the recommendation.

2. Will there be a good/thorough/usable guidance document for the data entry personnel? Data consistency will depend on shared understanding of terms, scope, etc….

3. What is the process for handling nuanced differences of understanding in the data definitions? How will data entry personnel raise issues that need to be resolved by the group? How will they learn of resolutions that have already occurred?

4. The National System ought to allow capture of reductions in Greenhouse Gases that are due to energy reductions.

5. The data entry pages ought to have tabs or breadcrumbs or some way to let the data entry personnel know of upcoming page topics – a user may try to enter energy or air impact too soon if they do not see that a place for these will be available later in the process.

6. The data entry form ought to allow for project/activities that take place in more than one state or region.

7. What opportunities will be available for training in a non-formal setting (not a classroom or at a training event)? On-line? Call-in help to a person or persons to “walk them through” an issue?

8. NOTE: Data collection difficulties pose varying institutional barriers to a successful project. As one example, one technical assistance provider (TAP) collects operating cost reductions two-five years after the initial assistance, and they only report information provided by the client. If the National System asks for savings information that occurred within the last two years, then this information would not be included. As another example, personnel at a facility may have changed, so the information may not be reported at all. Will the National System have some way to identify these information losses and to inform the user of the corollary impact on actual quantities?

9. The National System ought to capture the number of people educated in P2.

10. Some of the TAPs have a data infrastructure of their own that captures much of the information which is sought by the National System. Will there be an opportunity to build data crosswalks which will support data export from the existing program information banks to the National System?

11. The National System ought to capture the number of implemented P2 suggestions that have worker health & safety benefits.

12. While the National System does identify behavioral changes as an impact measure, it does not currently capture changes in analysis or measures by the client organization, for example, a change in accounting changes to full cost accounting.

I cannot recall the sense of the comment which I have in my notes as “reporting to stakeholder; success stories; applying for award.” Sorry. Any help which you can offer would be great!