|
| 1 | +(arranging-meetings)= |
| 2 | +# Arranging meetings |
| 3 | + |
| 4 | +It is common to receive queries in the mailbox that require a short |
| 5 | +meeting with the querier in order to clarify their question, their |
| 6 | +needs, and their expectations. If the query isn’t answered by a quick email response (which is usually a signposting or very quick code fix), you should arrange a meeting. The Ask-JGI student who has been |
| 7 | +assigned a query is responsible for setting up this meeting. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +Please see instructions below on the following: |
| 10 | +- [How to set up meetings](meeting-setup) |
| 11 | +- [Following up after a meeting](meeting-followup) |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +(meeting-setup)= |
| 14 | +## How to set up meetings |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +If meeting with the querier seems to be the most productive next |
| 17 | +step, reply to their email (including the tracking identification |
| 18 | +number) and suggest some times that you are able to meet. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +- If you use your university Outlook calendar, you can either suggest that they book a meeting directly into your calendar at a time convenient for them. |
| 21 | + For example: |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | + > Dear XXX, |
| 24 | + > |
| 25 | + > Many thanks for getting in contact with Ask-JGI. Would it be useful |
| 26 | + > to have an introductory Teams call (30 minutes, say) to go over your |
| 27 | + > query in a little more detail and see how we might be able to |
| 28 | + > support? |
| 29 | + > |
| 30 | + > I can also explain how we might go about assisting and work out |
| 31 | + > which of our team would be best placed to help you. |
| 32 | + > |
| 33 | + > I’ve cc’d my email address into this email – if you can get access to |
| 34 | + > my calendar then I’m happy for you to schedule something at a time that |
| 35 | + > suits you. |
| 36 | + > |
| 37 | + > Kind regards, |
| 38 | + > XXX |
| 39 | + > {AskJGI-XXX} |
| 40 | +
|
| 41 | +- or, you can ask permission to book a meeting in their calendar at a time where their calendar shows them as being free. For example: |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | + > Dear XXX, |
| 44 | + > |
| 45 | + > Many thanks for getting in contact with Ask-JGI. Would it be useful |
| 46 | + > to have an introductory Teams call (30 minutes, say) to go over your |
| 47 | + > query in a little more detail and see how we might be able to |
| 48 | + > support? |
| 49 | + > |
| 50 | + > I can also explain how we might go about assisting and work out |
| 51 | + > which of our team would be best placed to help you. |
| 52 | + > |
| 53 | + > If you'd like me to set up a meeting then please let me know. I |
| 54 | + > could do tomorrow afternoon or the following morning, for example? |
| 55 | + > Alternatively I can try to find a slot in your calendar if it is up |
| 56 | + > to date? |
| 57 | + > |
| 58 | + > Kind regards, |
| 59 | + > XXX |
| 60 | + > {AskJGI-XXX} |
| 61 | +
|
| 62 | +## What to do in a meeting |
| 63 | +Meetings can be arranged online or in person depending on what works best for the participants. You could start by briefly introducing yourself both of your background relevant to data science (e.g. I’m a PhD student working in Statistics to do with healthcare) and that you work as one of the Ask-JGI PhD students. |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +We’ve found that it can be good to measure expectations early on. If you tell the person that you’re an expert in something and then you can’t help, it’s not a good look. If you tell someone you’re familiar with the area but not an expert, then they’ll be pleasantly surprised if you can answer their question immediately but they won’t be put out if you can’t immediately solve the problem. We do not expect Ask-JGI students to have deep knowledge in all topics of data science and neither should the people we do work for! |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +Before you get into the technical requirements of the problem, it’s important to state the limitations on the workflow, in particular that each Ask-JGI query has at most a day (~7 hours) of free support, which includes this meeting. Setting this expectation early can save the awkwardness later of having to say no to requests. |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +Once you’ve done this, you can get to the query. How you do this is down to more personal preference and what the query involves. If you’ve booked a meeting, you’re likely going to have a bit of a back and forth discussion where you asking clarifying questions to address this problem. Whilst you do this, you should take notes of the discussion and any extra details you learn about the query. |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +If the query will be more involved, you can agree on how much/what work will be done and any restraints (e.g. timeline) on that work. Sometimes, the fact that the queries are limited in time mean that researchers might have to decide how to best make use of Ask-JGI to support them. |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +(meeting-followup)= |
| 74 | +## Following up after a meeting |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +Once you have had a consultation meeting with a querier you should begin to compose a |
| 77 | +summary email to them as soon as possible. Doing this sooner rather |
| 78 | +than later helps to ensure that everything is fresh in your mind, |
| 79 | +making it less likely that you will forget something. You should take notes during the meeting and use these to help you write this email. |
| 80 | +Sending summary emails are important: |
| 81 | +- It is helpful to repeat your key takeaways from the meetings to make |
| 82 | +sure that everyone attending the meeting has left on the same page. |
| 83 | +- Having a written record from the meeting is helpful for any future |
| 84 | + follow-up with querier (particularly if the follow-up is handled by |
| 85 | + another team member). |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +When composing your summary emails try to include the following: |
| 88 | +- restate the purpose of the meeting, the key questions that the |
| 89 | + querier needed help with. |
| 90 | +- if there was some level of ongoing support or action agreed, make |
| 91 | + clear in this email at what level that the JGI will be able to |
| 92 | + support this. |
| 93 | +- sometimes these meetings help to clarify exactly what the querier is |
| 94 | + asking, and there might be several questions mixed up in |
| 95 | + there. Break the query down into its constituent parts in the email. |
| 96 | +- review what you discussed, using subject headings if appropriate to |
| 97 | + separate the different aspects of the problem. |
| 98 | +- link to any resources that you discussed during the meeting, or that |
| 99 | + you think might be relevant. |
| 100 | +- finish the email by stating the next steps, e.g.: |
| 101 | + - perhaps you agreed that the querier will take away this |
| 102 | + information and get back to Ask-JGI if they have any follow up |
| 103 | + questions. |
| 104 | + - perhaps you agreed that the querier will send you some data to |
| 105 | + look at, or perhaps you already have the data. |
| 106 | + - if there is further action already anticipated, from either you or |
| 107 | + the querier, include a timeline for when the next contact is |
| 108 | + expected. |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +If in any doubt, ask for help! Your peers, the Ask-JGI coordinator and the Ask-JGI lead will be happy to review any email before you send it. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +```{note} |
| 113 | +Remember to update the Ask-JGI tracker after a meeting to reflect what has |
| 114 | +happened and what is expected to happen next (if any follow-up is expected). |
| 115 | +Update the status field to indicate whether the query is |
| 116 | +resolved or still in progress. |
| 117 | +``` |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +(time-allocation)= |
| 120 | +## Time allocation for queries |
| 121 | +Although Ask-JGI team members have up to one day (7 hours) to spend on Ask-JGI |
| 122 | +queries, it is expected that most queries should take half a day or less |
| 123 | +(approx. 1-3 hours). If you have a query that you think might take longer than |
| 124 | +this can be discussed with the Ask-JGI shift coordinator. |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +```{tip} |
| 127 | +Remember that the |
| 128 | +Ask-JGI Teams channel is there for you to ask for help and to discuss |
| 129 | +your queries. |
| 130 | +``` |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +Shifters are responsible for recording honestly the time that is spent |
| 133 | +on each Ask-JGI query. This time can include time spent preparing for |
| 134 | +and participating in meetings with Ask-JGI "customers," as well as any |
| 135 | +time spent researching the query and preparing email responses. |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +Once a query has been resolved the Ask-JGI team member should note the |
| 138 | +number of hours spent on the query on the tracker ticket. |
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