Consideration 1: Logistics

Logistical considerations for developing and sustaining a tech collaboration vary by county. Identifying these ahead of time ensures long-term success. Examples of common logistical considerations that your county may wish to consider include:

1. Meeting Coordination: Schedule regular meetings (monthly, bimonthly, quarterly) in advance (6 or 12 months). Agendas should focus on achieving collaboration goals, not just updates. Distribute agendas a week prior to meetings.


2. Note taking and dissemination: Note taking for the collaborative is an iterative process. Typically, the notes are first taken in real time by assigned note takers in the meeting. These notes are then reviewed by the tech collab leadership team (e.g., the co-chairs) and revised to include any missing information as well as modified to summarize key points from the meeting in a way that is brief and comprehensible for collaborative members. Notes typically include discussion recaps, project updates, next (action) steps with member assignments, and next meeting date.


3. When disseminating notes, it is good practice to have the notes distributed within a week of the most recent meeting while the meeting is still fresh on collaborative members' minds. Typically, the notes shared with collaborative members are briefer with summarized key points and only action steps identify members names/roles. Outreach for member buy-in and sustained engagement:


• Checking in regularly (via email, calls, texts) in between meetings with members is key.


• For example, when members receive these check-ins they tend to stay more connected with the collaborative (especially if they are the only member of their agency participating), even if they do not have direct involvement with a current project or immediate actionable goal. Meeting attendance is also likely to be enhanced by these frequent check-ins.


4. Navigating individual agency policies to effectively collaborate:


• It is important to identify what those policies and mandates are and how they might relate to the mission and vision (and project goals) of your Tech Collab.


• For example, sharing data between agencies to improve collaboration was brought up in the discussion of a few different projects. Between privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA, FERPA) and logistical barriers (e.g., different agencies use data management systems with different technological infrastructure), there were multiple legal and system considerations for data-sharing projects that directly informed project feasibility.