Last updated January 29, 2015 Approved by ECC March 3, 2015 ASHRAE Electronic Communications Strategic Plan Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) January 2015
Electronic Communications Committee Strategic Directives ECC Strategic Directive 1: Support policy and strategy to define electronic communication needs to help ASHRAE advance its mission and support its members. (G1, G2, G3, G4) (I1A, I2A, I2B, I4A) ECC Strategic Directive 2: Collect and disseminate electronic communications best practices through evaluation of new and existing technologies. (G1, G2, G3, G4, I1B, I3A, I1C, I2A) ECC Strategic Directive 3: Support the evaluation and definition of new ASHRAE electronic communication initiatives. (I2A, I2B, I3A, I3B, I4A)
Background Who is ASHRAE? ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of over 50,000 members. It is the world s foremost technical society in the fields of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R). Through its meetings, research, standards writing, publishing and continued education, the Society helps keep indoor environments comfortable and productive, deliver healthy food to consumers and preserve the outdoor environment. In 2014 ASHRAE launched a new Strategic Plan. ASHRAE s Electronic Communications Committee s Strategic Plan seeks to advance the Goals and Initiatives of the ASHRAE Society-wide Strategic Plan. Therefore those Goals and Initiatives are noted in this document as reference. Alignment is noted beside each point in the ECC strategic plan, indicated as G for Goal and I for Initiative. The official ASHRAE Strategic Plan and supporting documentation may be found at http://www.ashrae.org/strategicplan There are 4 goals in the ASHRAE Society Strategic Plan (Starting 2014): 1. Foster vibrant, informed and engaged ASHRAE and industry communities. (G1) 2. Create learning experiences that enhance the knowledge and effectiveness of individuals who apply building sciences. (G2) 3. Develop, refine and optimize methods to increase awareness, adoption and application of ASHRAE's offerings. (G3) 4. Work collaboratively within the global community to increase the value, usefulness and accessibility of building sciences and technology. (G4) There are 4 initiatives in the ASHRAE Society Strategic Plan: To achieve its four goals, ASHRAE will embark on the following initiatives. Initiative 1: Market Prioritization Member Passion and Core Market (I1A-C) Initiative 2: ASHRAE Efficiency Organizational Assessment (2A-C) Initiative 3: Applied Product Development (3A-D) Initiative 4: ASHRAE's Role in the Global Community (4A-B) Initiative 5: ASHRAE's Role in the Residential Sector (5A) What is the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC)? As defined by the title, purpose, and scope (TPS), the Electronic Communications Committee identifies the electronic communication needs of the membership and staff, recommends and maintains policies, and ensures that the implementation of information technologies meets the objectives and needs of the
Society. ECC is multidisciplinary and works to meet the needs of multiple groups within ASHRAE that have different roles and goals. Within the ASHRAE Strategic Plan (Directions, Rationale and Strategies amended June 26, 2011), Direction 4: ASHRAE will be a global leader in the building and energy system community, strategy 4.8 is most relevant to the ECC. Strategy 4.8 states Volunteer participation obstacles will be addressed through meeting planning and organization that is sensitive to global participation and incorporates electronic communication technology. History of the Electronic Communications Committee The ECC was founded in 2004 to help ASHRAE embrace and incorporate electronic communication technologies as appropriate to the needs and goals of the Society. It was a market transformation effort to help move ASHRAE into the electronic communication era. See appendix H in the ECC Reference Manual for details of accomplishments and history of ECC The Role of the ECC within ASHRAE The ECC is a general standing committee of the Society and operates under the direction of the Board of Directors and Publishing and Education Council. Responsibilities and duties of the ECC are described in the ECC Manual of Procedures (MOP) and the ECC Reference Manual. Overall, the role of the ECC is to: Create electronic communications policies and guidelines Create, collect and disseminate electronic communications best practices Support the evaluation and definition of new electronic and communication technologies and how they can be used in ASHRAE Recommend and support development of training as appropriate to help ASHRAE staff and ASHRAE groups Provide support to key ASHRAE electronic and communications initiatives including but not limited to ad hoc committees ECC operates at a high level in ASHRAE, and as such, it is important to note what areas do NOT fall in ECC s role in ASHRAE. The following are simply listed as examples, but is not all inclusive: ECC does NOT provide guidance on writing computer code. ECC is NOT the home of ALL electronic tools (including apps ) and detailed processes, however those tools including communication features may be considered. ECC is NOT involved in day to day operations, maintenance and content of ASHRAE websites, social media pages, ASHRAE Wiki, the ASHRAExCHANGE and other ongoing electronic communications tools. However, ECC IS involved with high level policies, guidance and direction regarding those electronic communications tools. Day to day operations, maintenance and
content normally fall under the ownership of the ASHRAE group and / or ASHRAE staff assigned as the owner ECC is NOT the ASHRAE IT help desk for all things electronic. The role of the ECC does NOT include maintaining and owning the technologies. However, ECC can make recommendations about who should own and maintain them. Title, Purpose and Scope of the Electronic Communications Committee The Electronic Communications Committee provides leadership to ASHRAE members and staff to support electronic communication initiatives and the needs of the Society by providing strategic direction and policy guidance to support the implementation of electronic communications across the Society to keep up with the increasing pace of changes in technology to support ASHRAE s goals. Development of the Plan The Strategic Plan was developed collaboratively over time by ASHRAE s Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) and past ECC chairs using the structure of the Publishing and Education Council Education Strategic Plan (April 23, 2012 version) as a guide. It was reviewed in 2014 to align with the most current ASHRAE Strategic Plan. Input was provided by members of the committee, past ECC chairs, ASHRAE staff and others through meetings and email. An initial list of goal topics was formed based on the input and deliberations of the committee. The finalized goal topics are documented in the plan under the strategic directives. Near Term ECC Specific Topics for Development Below are specific topics that are currently on ECC s plate for further development as of the most current revision date of this document: Apps (application specific programs) Language translation websites Emerging and popular IT and industry technologies Data integrity and security Web Meetings / Electronic and Physical (E & P) Meetings o Opportunities beyond paperless meetings and voice and video sharing; such as online forms to record attendance, meeting minutes, motions and votes to more effectively use volunteer and staff time. Social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, etc.). Make high level recommendations to ASHRAE Groups about how to incorporate these specialized websites into their operations. Collaborative Tools Electronic tools that help support ASHRAE Groups to be more effective and efficient in their work both within their group and outside the group. For example, sharing group files and data storage.
Determine how ECC can provide support and better interact with Society groups, such as regions, chapters, and TCs. Basecamp usage by ASHRAE Society-level groups including, but not limited to standing committees, technical committees, Regions, Chapters, and other groups within ASHRAE with a need for electronic collaboration. o Basecamp will allow subject matter experts (SMEs) to post information and communicate more effectively. Basecamp will allow for logging the entire development cycle. Analytics for big data. Understand communications technologies (i.e. private collaborative wiki-type tools) and products useful to Society. Create best practices, whitepapers, and YouTube videos of how interest to ECC and PEC. Identify a high-value search engine method for content. ASHRAE communication feedback tools that can improve user experience and feedback speed. Allow access to basic HVAC information with references to more advanced knowledge in the ASHRAE Handbook or domain knowledge. May include a topic index system. Assist with proper marketing of materials to match ASHRAE materials with customer needs.