S&C internal group meetings
200412
Topics were
- Review of run preparation issues and action items
- Electronic ShiftLog improvements
- ITTF issue: Action plan to converge fast and efficiently
- ITTF opened issues seen by all, opinion gathering
- Production quality
- OA (audit)
200509
Topics were
- Vacation days issue (overdues and penalties when not declared)
- Hiring and budget situation
- Purchase justifications
- Safety issues at BNL
- Cyber-security
- Quality of our data, general QA issues
- ITTF concerns (need for more coordination and more development)
200510
Agenda was:
- Feedback on new appraisal Web-based system
- CHEP06 preparation and who wants to go (or should go)
- Gene's overview of the TIME05 conference
- ITD service evaluation survey
- Team effort: answering issues brought by users in mailing lists
200604
Topics were:
- Team effort reminder - BugTracking use and need to follow up
- Software and computing papers / publications issues
- Praveeen farewell party, what does it mean
- Reactions as per our iterim director
Personal request
- New blinds in 1-174
Polls of the month:
- Shall the group be reshaped toward a more pronounced helpdesk / user support
function
- Shall the S&C papers be reviewed by a god-parent committee
200605
Topic discussed:
- Summary of past meeting action item status
- Result from last polls
- Discussion on paper publication policies
- UEC voting. Overview and scope.
- Engaging in outside activity. BNL regulation.
Pools of the month
200607
There was no specific agenda but topics were at the end
- Follow-ups on past action items and issues
- Statement on meeting format, next meeting target date
- Conclusion on outside activities
- UEC news follow-up
- Vacation days and carry over
- STAR Council report and effect on run
- SVT/SSD overview / next run consequence
- Cyber security news and overview
- Incoming and going or opened/ambiguous position
200612
The agenda was as follow
- Funding profile, path forward and possible scenari
- Run plans and Au+Au focused run explained
- Appraisals discussion, delays and perspectives
- UEC role in issues at BNL, expected response from the user community
- Challemnges for the S&C team - multiple milestones coming at the same time
- Run VII readiness - January 15th
- SVT/SSD efforts - January 1st and 1 month behind to date
- R&D outcomes - 1st week of January
- Additional topics
- SSD efforts, manpower planned
- R&D and future run plan
- OSG, SciDAC funds and SBIR news
Concerns and feedback
- Gym floor broken - desire to have it back
- Skype conferencing discussed
- Lab environment degradation concerns
- Tracking upgrade concerns - management, steering, outcomes
200703
Agenda included
- UML and database table design (Mike gave a presentation)
- Salary review - opened questions, retroactive reminder
- Safety and lightning explained
- CyberSecurity - Incoming Unix tools, goals and rational
- Directions for the near future for the team ; need to wrap current activities
- Embedding
- Trigger simulations
- Forward tracking
- VMC
- Grid
- Project reviews and consolidations
- Reviews - general need and effort for self-critique
- Db review? Reco review? Grid review?
- Publication
- Need to publish, rational and relation to meetings
- Team consolidations
- TPC software coordination
- Catch up
- Gym floor (not yet addressed) - actions taken
200706
The meeting agenda was:
- Past action items, reviews
- Status of the EventDisplay review
- Status of the DB review
- New review: Multi-core era
- Team consolidation and new hire status
- TPC, software and hardware support status
- Quality of life (Gym floor)
- New directions and status
- Embedding team and reshape
- Trigger simulation
- Grid summer milestone
- Forward tracking
- VMC
- New items
- Open floor on quality of life
- Spokesperson's statement and message at the collaboration meeting
- Incoming important workshop and events
- Lab director's message and concerns
200709
Topics which will be covered are
- Past action items, reviews
- Status of the EventDisplay review, DB review
- Multi-core era - (formed)
- Team consolidation
- Cyber Security Audit and general principles
- Director's directives
- Procedure reminder in case of harassment
200712
- Latest Director's message to the employees
- S&C activities
- Team status, growth, reshape
- Past items
- Reviews - status and path forward
- Future group meetings profile
- Round table activity report
- Levente Hajdu
- Valeri Fine
200802
- Group restructuring
- Council issues
- New spokesperson
- New kind of groups in STAR
200805
Group meeting helpd on May 2008.
Free style topic.
- Messages / overview from S&C leader
- Educational topic: RSA encryption and cryptography
200901
Topics included
- Quick review of past year - top project not accomplished
- Issues with trips for 2009
- Salary review process explained
- Incoming action items (medium term plan)
200904
Topics coverred:
- Team status & welcome to new member (Dmitry), team completness
- Mid-year appraisals - review ad summary of the process, note on new R2A2 system
- Past and incoming items
- reviewed status of opened projects, things going well and worked better, incoming meetings and opened reports (and status)
- reviewed ongoing projects, new projects, incoming annoucements and revisit of activities
- Made a special note of p+p 500 GeV and againg of TPC
- Grand highlights of CHEP 2009
- Quality of life round table
201002
Topcis treated:
- Team status
- Appraisal, R2A2, request for work evaluation
- Focus activities, incoming important milestones and meetings
201004
The topics were a "classic":
- Action items since last group meeting + team matters
- Focus activities
- Q&A
201009
Topics were:
- Appraisal process reminder & Salary review (later)
- A few reminder & new BNL policy
- Past action items & Team issues
- Q&A
201101
Topic focused on the Salary freeze situation and aimed to gather feedback from the team as well as concerns and comments. This was held on January 5th 2011.
All concerns were addressed by either:
- Providing answers to question
- Passing the concerns to higher management and feeding back the answers
Follow-up opportunity: director's address to employees.
Note to self: flex time, telecommute is believed to be unwelcome in the Physics department (this is based on non-written yet repeated statements made by the Physics chair including a denied case for flex time) is orthogonal to director's part solution
201102
Meeting held on 2011/02/23 to discuss the budget situation and answer employee's questions and address concerns.
Slides provided are attached.
201203
This meeting was held on 2012/03/28 to discuss
- Employment related rules (attendance, vacation, sick leave, ...)
- DOE review and findings (FTE support level)
- Directions / project focii
201210
Topics
- Rules reminders, changes
- Recent reviews, incoming issues, focii
- Open topic – group meeting
201301
An opened (non-mandatory) group meeting was held to discuss the ePerformance system and the Tribble committee report on 2013/01/30.
Attendees: Jerome (chair), Leve, Jason, Lidia, Victor, Dmitry
Not-attending: Yuri, Wayne
Excused: Gene (on leave)
While a general EMail was sent to the team on 1/29/2013 with the date of the 11th set for meeting and discussing the defined goals, the following issues were covered for the ePerformance:
- The discussion I had with Bob Lincoln, HR manager and information I got from it (how the process was organized, why the process was started, what was the objectives of the changes, ...)
- Answering questions on what constitute a goal and gather feedback on the process
- Indicating the possible problems with the system (a few technical ones as well as organizational)
- Indicating the possible gain from the system (clarity could be gained in some cases)
THe Tribble commitee report discussion coverred for
- Answering remaining questions and concerns
- Provide a second reading of the findings, consistent with laboratory position
- Provide some of the "behind the doors" information
- Remind of the action undertaken for making sure the team could transit to new responsibilities
- Cover for our options in case of a "over the cliff" scenario
- Discuss budget profiles and reasoning (cost projections for NPP were explained)
- Discuss consequence of budget cuts, budget sequestration and related processes
- Answer questions and gather concerns
- Note the action items and path forward undertaken by lab management and STAR management
The team present was also informed of the second pass discussion with Bob Lincoln (benefits).
201305
Attendees: Jerome, Michael, Jason, Lidia, Dmitry, Leve, Yuri, Gene, Victor
Excused: Wayne
Discussion included a question why NPP was asked for the early retirement benefits (SSVSP). Answer is to create the possibility of job (re)placement (move HEP people elsewhere where there is a leave if skills match) and create a budget need drop (younger hire, lower cost). The decision of Physics was to do this as an "integrated approach" and not target HEP alone.
Michael agreed to discuss and describe his work as requested on the last slide. Also had a brief viewpoint on the ticket system usage comparing Light Source to STAR. Overall, works fine (Light Source - all is in a ticket; in STAR more of a "project" oriented).
Personal note: Comments well inline with meeting "Fact based" comparison (slide 8).
There were no other volunteer to speak of their work.
Victor brought that the interactive nodes are still slow + all users may be able to log onto the low number (Yuri seeing peole submitting jobs from there).
20130612s
This meeting was held with a new format - people who immediately and positively responded to the new format (as explained at the
201305 meeting) were the first test group.
Not all topics discussed are part of the slides.
Those meeting swill be post-fixed with the letter "s" to separate from the all-hand S&C group meetings.
Invited: Jerome, Michael, Jason, Levente,
Gene
20130710s
This was the second meeting of the kind.
Attendees: Jerome, Michael, Jason, Levente, Gene, Lidia & Wayne
Contributions
- 2013/07/10 - Leve - HTML5
- ...
20130731s
Meeting #3.
Attendees: Jerome, Michael, Levente, Gene, Wayne, Jason
Team presentation contributions
20130911s
Meeting #4.
Attendees: Jerome, Michael, Gene, Wayne, Jason
There were no team presentations ready this time. Past contributions below
201312
Attendees: Jerome (chair), Jason, Leve, Lidia, Dmitri, Gene, Yuri,Dmitry, Michael
Call was made to remind all of the performance process.
201403
Attendees: Jerome (chair), Levente, Michael, Dmitry, Lidia, Gene, Dmitri, Victor, Jason
Follow-up questions included
- Are SFM and FMLA entitlements
Answer: yes but this does NOT wave you from informing yur supervisor (who can still mark the undeclared days as Unauthorized Absence) + you have to provide proof
- Is SFM Up to 40 hours of Sick Leave / calendar year or rolling 12 months?
Answer: To be accurate, it is per payroll year (Dec. 21 to Dec. 20 of following year)
- Is there a time limit for the traffic tickets and Alcohol and Drug Abuse?
Answer: Yes, the number of offenses are per calendar year - beware that a later year renewed offense may be considered as aggravating AND all records will be kept in PeopleSoft
- Can a suprvisor decline JD time?
Answer: NO but as usual, if yu do ot inform your supervisor well in advance, it will be his right to mark the days as Unauthorized Absence
- Isn't the Blood Alcohol Content so low that special food consumption may make individual reach the limit?
Answer: it is correct that 0.02% is the lowest possible level and set by NYS as the "zero tolerance" level. Fermented products (including fruits) or cough syrup may make you reach this low level easily. However, doubt this will come in a breathalyser ... and blood tests would be conducted essentially under reasonable suspicions. BNL rule is not unique.
- Can an expempt employee with a doctor appointment > 2 hours be able to use sick-time to compensate for the excess time?
Answer: No - the time lost beyond 2 hours would need to be made up for.
- If the doctor's appointment is < 2 hours, do I need to mention it?
Answer: Yes, you need to inform your supervisor.
201407
Internal group meeting.
Attendees: Jerome (chair), Leve, Michael, Dmitri, Jason, Lidia, Wayne, Victor, Gene, Dmitry
Excused: Yuri
201410
201509
20161026
This meeting was about a few reminders but is mostly focused on CHEP 2016 lesson learn from the team who attended.