In an attempt to maintain momentum and interest over what is after all quite a long period for a conference, by present-day standards at least, each week of the August pliot project was given a different set of working objectives, tasks and themes. Since this is, moreover, a quite experimental undertaking, it was to be expected that revisions would be continuing, often quite unanticipated and,a and occsaionally far-reaching. Well... they were. With August and the pilot phase now behind us, it is nonetheless hoped that critical comments and suggestions are invited in particular from visitors as a key element of site fine-tuning, in what is sure to be an on-going, iterative, and lively process... in response to the demands and needs of the conference and those who make it up. Participants will doubtless find it useful to cross-check the items on this rolling Agenda with the information that is distributed to the meeting daily under the What's New site.

Page Contents

• September's Agenda and Targets
• Progress and Events this Week
• Needed From You
• Next Steps

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Month of September:

• The agenda this month will be one that is entirely decided by those who come to visit and use the conference.
• The first week of the month will be given over to a wholesale overhaul of the Web site in all its details, in response to what was learned in the first month.
• Once this overhaul has been put in place, the next step will be to create a fully automated discussion forum.
• As new members enter the group, they will be asked to introduce themselves, their background and their related activities and plans, all of which will be entered into the appropriate section of the Discussion Forum.
• We will be seeking funding and other forms of support to continue the work of this site (if indeed the response indicates that it is going to serve a use).

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Week 1(1-10 Aug): Opening Sessions.

This is a "getting acquainted" and tool-gathering period. Among the tasks to be addressed:

• Contact & identification of participants.
• Announcement of the conference over WWW and by participant and collaborator relays.
• Registration opens.
• Agenda commentary and development.
• Website review, extension and fine-tuning.
• Communications tools acquisition and testing.
• Submittal of first round of thinkpieces for the Podium, and eventual working papers and backup documents for the Electronic Library.
• This agenda critiqued and modified to reflect revealed meeting requirements.

By the end of Week 1, it is anticipated that the Web site will be sufficiently well developed so that easy entry and use will be possible.

(You may care to think of this first week as something along the lines of the overture to a classic Italian opera. The public struggles in, mills about, catches the eye of a few old friends, finds their place, folds their coats, and chats a bit, all while listening to the opening bars of the main themes of the work itself.)

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Week 2 Exposition (of leading themes)

This is intended to be the week in which inputs and suggestions from participants begin to roll in, and thereby helping to shape the meeting both in terms of its content and organization (i.e., the "electronic environment delivery system" (or non-delivery,as the case may be)).

• Suggestions, contributions and diverse points of views targeting key issues will be sought for the thinkpieces that are to be added to the Podium section.
• First comments and discussions should begin to come in and be integrated in the appropriate sections of the site.
• Continuing critical discussion of the Forum papers and themes will be encouraged and facilitated.
• A concerted attempt will be made to build up of the ftp library via papers and reports submitted by participants (including case studies).
• Likewise, we will seek to extend these library resources by more efficient, direct linking to other electronic repositories and sources.
• The first group videoconference is scheduled for Friday, 15 August at 17:00 Paris time.
• In response to R. Ayres opening request in the Conference Introduction, participants are encouraged to submit information and materials which report on the existence of actual, hands-on 'Third Stage' (i.e., product-to-services)implementations at the firm, business unit, or productive unit level. (This information may be in the form of actual 'case studies' of some sort, or, more likely, simply participant reports on projects and plans for such implementations.
• The entire site will be continuously monitored and controlled for ease of use, with changes to be made as comments and suggestions come in on a close to real time basis.

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Week 3: Development

• At this point, the technical Web site is considered to be entirely operational (if, always, amenable to further improvement and extension).
• Key week for interaction. The week in which it is hoped that the various discussions and exchanges in the various parts of the site will begin to move into high gear.
• By end of week, distribute interim report for comment.

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Week 4: Recapitulation

Critical discussion and editing of interim report. Discussion and vetting of follow-up proposals. Proposals and invitations for next steps.

It is our intention after the formal closure of the conference at the end of the month to maintain the Z/E site under The Commons for at least the remainder of this year.

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Contact us with your ideas & suggestions for the meeting here. >

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