Guidelines Harmonization Project Charter

Owned by R. Andres Ferreyra (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 2012-08-24Version comment

At a Glance

  • Project Leader: Jim Wilson
  • Project Participants: Carl Bartenhagen, Tammy Creswell, Marilyn Hunter, Victoria Peoples, Bob Whitty
  • Project Sponsor: Standards Director (Jim Wilson)
  • Chartering Council/Committee: Standards and Guidelines Committee
  • Charter Initiated By: Standards and Guidelines Committee as Suggested by the Crop Protection Council

Background

AgGateway has a wealth of resources to help its members connect with their trading partners. Unfortunately for new and even experienced members, finding what would be helpful in a given project can be a challenge. Even when appropriate resources are found there can be conflicting guidance, inconsistent formats, and ambiguous versioning. Fortunately AgGateway is engaged in three projects to address these challenges. One project will improve the website. Another project will move appropriate content to a wiki to enable more effective development, maintenance, and publication processes. The third project has been referred to as the Harmonization Project. The Harmonization Project is the focus of this project.

To explain what the Harmonization Project is, it is helpful to address one common misunderstanding. Ag eStandards implementers must make choices regarding messages and versions used with each new trading parter they implement with. Long-time Ag eStandards users sometimes want to exploit their investment in a particular version as long as possible, forgoing investment in implementing the latest version. New Ag eStandards users are interested in implementing the latest version across all applicable messages. In some cases this can create tension among Ag eStandards users regarding which versions are "supported." While this is an important issue to work through, it is not directly addressed by the Harmonization Project.

With that background, the harmonization project can be properly understood in terms of the objectives set forth in the following section.

Objectives

  • The primary objective of the Harmonization Project is to compile and republish all Ag eStandards-related AgGateway implementation guidelines for the purpose of:
    • Formatting consistently
    • Ensuring that associated standards versions are clearly stated
    • Ensuring that the use scope is clear for each guideline point (e.g., works for seed segment in the US and perhaps Canada)
    • Find points of commonality and points of distinction among segments for each guideline point (would enable, for example, identifying how the seed segment may implement the Invoice message differently from feed segment.)
  • Additionally, the project will:
    • Document and exercise a development and management process for guidelines.
    • Briefly consider how the out-of-scope guidelines could be integrated in a follow-on project.

Scope

In Scope

XML-related Ag eStandards guidelines.

Out of Scope

Anything not Ag eStandards-guidelines related, including but not limited to:

  • Web Services Guidelines
  • RFID Guidelines
  • Bar Code Guidelines
  • EDI Guidelines

Deliverables

  • Wiki content
  • Supporting content in downloadable files (e.g., Excel, PDF)

Timing

  • 2011-09-08: Standards & Guidelines Committee Reviews and Approves Charter done
  • 2011-09-21: Issue call for participation
  • 2011-09-28 at 1:30 PM CDT: Kick-off meeting (1.5 or 2.5 with a break)
  • 2011-09-30: Project plan developed
  • Other milestones as determined by the project plan

Project Resource Requirements

Project Leader

  • Project leader’s name/company: Jim Wilson, AgGateway's Standards Director
  • Estimated required time commitment: 4 hours/week
  • Estimated travel requirements: No incremental travel requirements
  • Knowledge & skills: Same as required by Standards Director role

Project Team Members

  • Number of participants required and description: Ideally one participant per council.
  • Estimated required time commitment: 2 hours/week
  • Estimated travel requirements: Travel to the November 2011 conference would be helpful.
  • Knowledge & skills: No specific knowledge/skills required per individual. It would be helpful if some participants were new to AgGateway and could provide that perspective while being balanced with others who are very experienced.

Cost Estimates

The only anticipated possible cost is that of a technical writer. However that cost cannot be estimated until the project plan is developed.

Risk Factors, Constraints, Assumptions, & Issues

Risk factors

The team may struggle to identify a pattern and format of expressing points of commonality and points of distinction among various segments.

Constraints

No constraints identified

Assumptions

None noted

Issues

No issues identified

Project-Criteria

Project team has achieved all project objectives and delivered all deliverables.