**MINUTES FROM THE 29 Apr 03 ABC STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING**

[Note to all Steering Committee Members]{.underline}: Members are
encouraged to submit agenda topics for future ABC Steering Committee
meetings to Dorothy Sugiyama

This Steering Committee meeting was a multi-site video teleconference
between MIB, USGS Reston, BOR/BIA Phoenix, USGS/NPS Tucson, and FWS
Albuquerque by phone. The meeting had one agenda item - reports from the
Arizona ABC Pilot Core Team on pilot results.

Lessons learned from the pilot are listed below. Summaries of bureau
experiences follow lessons learned. Written reports from the ABC Pilot
Core Team were distributed to Steering Committee members prior to the
meeting.

-   Definitions were not written for field use. Definitions did not
    describe what field practitioners do.

    -   Break out general management activities in greater detail

    -   Law enforcement activity definitions were clean

    -   Maintenance activity definitions need work e.g., what
        constitutes deferred maintenance vice preventive maintenance

-   Activity titles should capture the work being done more accurately -
    use "headline" approach since most participants will not bother to
    read the definitions.

-   Must accommodate employees with no access or limited access to
    computers. These employees will continue to code time by hand on
    spreadsheets and pass timesheets to timekeeper for entry into the
    time & attendance system.

-   Training should focus more on how to code time than on justifying
    why the department is implementing ABC.

-   Training should include bureau-specific examples

-   Training delivery via CD is a good idea - allows training to be
    tailored to students understanding of ABC and accommodates students
    work schedule. But don't depend on delivering training via CD only -
    need "live" help

-   Involve bureau chain of command in ABC implementation

-   Must determine how volunteers will participate in ABC

-   Must determine how to capture labor "loaned" to another agency

-   Develop a list of frequently asked questions about ABC to consult
    online

[FWS]{.underline}: Many participants tried to code time to pilot
activities, but could not fit all their work into the activity
definitions given. They did not fully understand that they were supposed
to capture only the time for work performed that fit into the activity
definitions - not all work done. Many participants tried to log onto the
ABC pilot website from home to access the time & attendance system.
Connectivity was sporadic and unreliable. Other participants resorted to
manual recording of time against activities. The time sheets were given
to a timekeeper or secretary for entry into the ABC pilot time &
attendance system. Online help was not always available. Supervisors
were not always available or able to answer questions about how to code
time.

[BIA:]{.underline} Pilot objectives were not clear. Many did not
understand that they were not supposed to try to code all of their work
against the activity definitions given. Definitions were not written
with the field in mind. Pilot start was delayed because HQ BIA did not
have the ABC pilot software loaded onto their servers on time. Many
participants became frustrated due to their inability to access the
pilot software over the BIA intranet. Those who persisted learned how to
code their time against activities; manual time recording on
spreadsheets was done in most cases. Timekeepers or secretaries entered
the data into the ABC pilot software.

[BOR:]{.underline} Majority of participants did not use the ABC pilot
software - recorded time against activities manually and handed their
timesheets to a timekeeper to enter into the software. Training should
focus on explaining the activities/definitions. Spend less time
justifying why ABC is being implemented. Definitions needed work - not
focused on field.

[NPS:]{.underline} Many connectivity issues. Regional directors were not
kept informed of ABC pilot implementation. Training needed to focus on
how to code time, not justifying why ABC is being implemented. Use
"headline activity" titles to capture what the work is about in the
activity title - most won't read the online definitions, so the activity
title has to accurately capture what work is included in the activity.
Law enforcement activity definitions/outputs are clear; maintenance
definitions need work - define the difference between deferred
maintenance and preventive/annual maintenance. General management will
be the "catch all" category for recording time in NPS. The general
management activities should be broken out into greater detail - focus
on certain (important) management functions. Delivering training via CD
is a good idea, but don't discount the need for online help desk. ABC
should capture contributions from volunteers and labor loaned to other
agencies.

[USGS:]{.underline} Activities should capture research benefiting a
specific purpose/problem. Link between activities, outputs and measures
could not be tested - activities did not capture work of USGS
participants. Pilot training was too long and should focus more on how
to code time against activities and who will be involved in
implementation. Capturing volunteer work is also a concern for USGS.
Delivering ABC training via CD is a good idea, but don't discount the
need for online help, and don't depend solely on the CD to deliver
training.

**ATTENDEE ROSTER**

**ABC STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING**

**29 APRIL 2003**

**NAME BUREAU PHONE**

**MIB**

Nina Hatfield OS/PMB (202) 208-1829

Scott Cameron OS/PMB (202) 208-1738

Alan Webber OS/PPP (202) 219-2001

Beres Muschett OS/PPM (202) 208-5284

Dave Anderson OS/PPM (202) 208-7339

David Behler OS/PEP (202) 208-4305

Diane Shaugnnessy OS/POB (202) 208-6851

Bob More OS/OHA (703) 235-3810

Bill Webber OS/PFM (202) 208-5684

Chris Richey NBC (202) 208-4687

Dennis Locke NBC (303) 969-7200

June Hartley NBC (303) 969-7490

Bob Veltkamp NBC/DOIU (202) 208-3441

Lynn McPheeters NBC/DOIU (202) 208-5616

Kathy Tynan FWS (202) 208-0191

Carol Sampson OSM (202) 208-2546

Ruth Stokes OSM (202) 208-2611

Larry Frey OSM (202) 208-7840

Betty Buxton BLM (202) 452-5181

George Triebsch MMS (202) 208-6213

Barbara Desiderio MMS (202) 208-3973

Marty Heinze MMS (202) 208-3880

Jim Giammo NPS (202) 208-4280

Debra Burrell BOR (202) 513-0648

Katherine East Grant Thornton (703) 837-4406

**USGS Reston**

Bob Doyle USGS (703) 648-7412

Charlene Raphael USGS (703) 648-4145

Daryl Koncer USGS (703) 648-4498

Barbara Newman USGS (703) 648-4625

Becky Bageant USGS (703) 648-4328

Dorothy Sugiyama OS/PAM (202) 208-3433

**USGS/NPS Tucson**

Cyndee Matus USGS (520) 670-5505

Bill Halvorson USGS (520) 621-1174

Terry Hechter USGS (650) 329-5471

Mark Anderson USGS (520) 670-6671

> X 222

Pat Hamel USGS (520) 670-6671

> X 234

Ann Rasor NPS (520) 398-2341

> X 22

**BIA/BOR Phoenix**

Tom Davis BIA (602) 379-4511

Maria Ramirez BOR (928) 343-8293

**FWS Albuquerque**

Ken Edwards FWS (928) 783-3371