Contract Discussion Points
September 11, 2006
3:00-4:30pm EST
Margo Izzo, Steve Jacobs, Alexa Murray.
1) Because of the Quality Assurance (QA) protocol, OSURF has asked that we conduct a fixed fee award based on specific deliverables. Therefore, we need to identify specific deliverables for every phase of the project. Thus, the following questions are meant to better understand the deliverables or services being created or conducted for every detailed task description.
o Makes sense
2) Billing is indicated in proposed budget on a monthly basis. If deliverables are the benchmark, do we want to stay at monthly billing, or should it be quarterly?
o In administrating a fixed fee award based on specific deliverables, payment for all deliverables becomes due at the time the deliverable is approved by OSU. In the unlikely event that a deliverable is not approved, a detailed written explanation will be provided to IDEAL Group within a week after the deliverable is presented. Approval should be determined within a week of receipt of deliverable. The current monthly billing cycle, appearing in the current budget was setup for the benefit of OSU. It was not based upon deliverables in favor of spreading out payments through out the two year period of this project. Since payment will be made strictly based upon deliverables, invoices will be submitted for the full amount of the cost of the deliverable rather than monthly invoices as originally setup.
3) Because of OSURF’s request, invoices will have to be itemized in detail with approval from both Alexa Murray and Margo Izzo.
o Understood
OSU Primary Responsibilities based on Grant Proposal (top):
1) Conduct E-mentoring with EnvisionIT as basis.
2) Develop an E-mentoring guide.
3) Evaluate the Access Tomorrow model via usability and outcome data. Outside of data-related evaluation, OSU is not responsible for product development.
4) The AT to be included on the IDEAL SmartDrive is an integral part Access Tomorrow’s three-tiered model. For this reason it is critically important that these applications be installed and used by EnvisionIT students, EnvisionIT mentors, EnvisionIT parents, EnvisionIT teachers and EnvisionIT AT professionals to access and interact with EnvisionIT’s E-Mentoring Student Curriculum. In addition, it is equally as important that the software be identified and well documented in the Mentor Guide. Providing AT applications to students not involved in the Access Tomorrow project will serve no meaningful purpose since the focus of this project is to use freely available, easily installable, high-quality AT in support of improving academic achievement and seamless transition to college/employment for students with disabilities. Consequently, it should be clearly stated that OSU is responsible for facilitating the use of the AT applications by the stakeholder groups listed above.
5) Assist IDEAL Group, Inc. with dissemination of Access Tomorrow model and outcomes.
Subcontractors Listed in QA Protocol (top):
1) Do you still intend to subcontract to the four personnel listed?
o We intend to subcontract to only one of the four individuals listed in the original proposal (Steve Hoffman). In addition we intend to subcontract to the developers of each AT application being integrated into the SmartDrive. Total development team will range between 6-8 individuals and will include developers from the following companies:
§ Choice Technology, UK
§ WebbIE, Manchester, UK
§ Lakefolks, Mt. Gilead, NC
§ NaturalSoft Ltd., Vancouver B.C., Canada
§ Issist, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
§ Digital Mantra, Vicksburg Mississippi
§ NXi Communications, Salt Lake City, UT
2) What will they be doing?
o Re-configuring their AT application(s) in a manner that enables them to be copied to, distributed on and installed from a U3 SmartDrive
o Updating their AT applications and system documentation for each new point release of their software
o Providing ongoing guidance on all aspects of integrating their AT application(s), technical notes, and documentation onto the SmartDrive as well as including same in the Mentor Guide.
o Providing application-specific technical support to EnvisionIT stakeholders as needed.
o Where technically feasible, modifying their applications to harness the power of U3's Launchpad. The U3 Launchpad is designed to emulate Windows' OS start menu. It also controls program installation. This, in essence, enables the application to execute and run off of the U3 SmartDrive.
o Record a detailed feature/function/benefit overview of their application(s) using IDEAL Conference. These overviews will be archived for ongoing and future use.
o When the time is appropriate, promote Access Tomorrow through their normal stakeholder communication channels which include newsletters, website announcements, blogs, mass e-mails, etc.
o When the time is appropriate, grant interviews to the media, focused on promoting the benefits of our Access Tomorrow project.
3) How long will they be involved with the project?
o The developers will be involved with the project (on a part-time basis) for the full two-year term of the project and possibly beyond.
4) What will be their percent time on the project?
o The time each developer (company) spends on the project will be determined by the level of difficulty in completing the tasks outlined in #2 above. Needless to say, time involvement can not be fully determined until the project begins. In any case involvement in this project will not require a major time commitment from any developer… probably less than 5% of their time on a yearly basis.
5) Please indicate above into budget.
Development Team Mentioned in QA Protocol (top):
1) Who is on the Development Team?
o Choice Technology, UK
o WebbIE, Manchester, UK
o Talking Communities, Flint, Michigan
o Lakefolks, Mt. Gilead, NC
o NaturalSoft Ltd., Vancouver B.C., Canada
o Issist, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
o Digital Mantra, Vicksburg Mississippi
o NXi Communications, Salt Lake City, UT
2) Who is responsible for paying them?
o IDEAL Group, Inc. is responsible for paying the developers listed in #1 above.
3) Can we participate in monthly conference calls to observe?
o Of course.
4) Please indicate above into budge or attached documentation.
Documentation/Development of Product (top):
1) What steps/phases/milestones do documenting technical requirements entail? ($13,000 is being allocated to it, according to budget).
o For clarification purposes the “technical requirements” referred to here have nothing to do with the AT being distributed nor the functionality of applications. It has to do with modify applications in a manner that enable them to:
§ Be copied to, distributed on, configured and installed from a U3 SmartDrive;
§ Where technically feasible, modifying their applications to harness the power of U3's Launchpad. The U3 Launchpad is designed to emulate Windows' OS start menu. It also controls program installation. This, in essence, enables the application to execute and run off of the U3 SmartDrive.
§ Be customized and compressed so as to fit on the SmartDrive along with other AT applications (we plan to use a 1-2GB SmartDrive);
§ The usability of the documentation.
2) Likewise, what steps/phases/milestones does development of final product and documentation entail? ($8,000 is being allocated to it, according to budget).
o Tailoring all documentation, from each vendor, so that it is easily accessible on the SmartDrive. This is the documentation that will be used to learn about, install and configure each AT application so that it best meets the needs of the individuals using it. Our goal is to standardize the look, feel and conventions used when developing documentation for inclusion on the SmartDrive even though the originals were developed by eight different companies.
o Testing the installability, launchability and compatibility of the applications being integrated onto the SmartDrive. This will only require a small test group.
3) Please indicate above into budget or attached documentation.
1) What does testing actually consist of per embedded AT? Steps/phases/milestones?
2) Who is responsible for recruitment?
o Both IDEAL Group and OSU
3) How many participants per each testing of embedded AT?
o As many EnvisionIT students as reasonably possible given that EnvisionIT students, mentors, teachers, parents and AT specialists already have a lot on their plates.
4) How much (and how) are participants being compensated for their involvement?
o Unlike classical development projects where new software is being developed… All of the software being integrated onto the SmartDrive is already mature, fully tested, fully documented, fully supported, fully maintained, updated on a routine basis and being used on a daily basis by thousands of individuals. This was criteria for selecting the AT applications in the first place. It is for this reason that the AT applications themselves do not need to be tested for anything. Each application will either meet a particular student’s needs or it will not. This is no different than any other AT application. What does need to be tested, from a development standpoint, is whether or not the applications:
§ Be copied to, distributed on, configured and installed from a U3 SmartDrive;
§ Where technically feasible, modifying their applications to harness the power of U3's Launchpad. The U3 Launchpad is designed to emulate Windows' OS start menu. It also controls program installation. This, in essence, enables the application to execute and run off of the U3 SmartDrive.
§ Be customized and compressed so as to fit on the SmartDrive along with other AT applications (we plan to use a 1-2GB SmartDrive);
§ The usability of the documentation.
5) How much (and how) are participants being compensated for their involvement?
o Payment for individuals “testing” the AT applications was not factored into the development budget for the reasons given in #4 above. However, it was anticipated the SmartDrives will be used by the students participating in the EnvisionIT program and would be used to complete existing EnvisionIT exercises. Teachers will need to partner with IDEAL Group to determine which SmartDrive applications are most appropriate for each of their students.
6) Why does the testing amount allocated in proposed budget vary per embedded AT?
o Keep in mind that what is being tested here is not the software but the success with which the software installs correctly form a SmartDrive. The testing amounts vary due to the differences in complexity of each AT application and the degree to which it will need to be modified in order functions correctly when installed form a SmartDrive.
6) What steps/phases/milestones does testing and verifying Alpha product with stakeholders entail? How many & how much will they be compensated?
o See #4 above.
7) Please indicate above in budget or attached documentation.
Technical Assistance (TA) (top):
1) What kind of TA is being provided to 480 stakeholders?
o We are going to be available, via online conferencing, to support EnvisionIT teachers selecting applications for their students to use.
2) Who are the stakeholders (i.e., E-mentoring participants)?
o As previously listed in our Focus Group Discussion Points document
o EnvisionIT Students;
o Parents of EnvisionIT Students;
o Mentors of EnvisionIT Students;
o Educators of EnvisionIT Students;
o AT staff supporting EnvisionIT Students
3) How can 480 be recruited by January, ’07? Who is responsible for recruitment? From where are they being recruited?
o 480 individuals can not be recruited by January. Originally it was anticipated that the students participating in the EnvisionIT program would be provided AT software determined by their teacher to be of benefit. As mentioned during our previous meeting… you do not need to wait until the final version of the SmartDrive is developed in order to use the software. The software is available immediately.
o We need to revisit the need for the 480 “test subjects” mentioned in the proposal since this number was based on every student involved in the EnvisionIT program trying to use one or more of the AT applications to see if any of them can help them learn more effectively.
4) Why does TA start before an Alpha product is developed?
o It started due to my understanding that students currently enrolled in the EnvisionIT project would begin, immediately, to use the AT software targeted to be included on the SmartDrive.
5) Please indicate above into budget or attached documentation.
Conference Calls & Meetings Related to Technical Development/Testing (top):
1) Who is coordinating them?
o IDEAL Group
2) How often will they be held?
o For the first month or two… probably weekly. As time progresses the meetings will spread out to bi-weekly and then monthly or on an as needed basis.
3) Who should be involved?
o Initially, so long as IDEAL Group and OSU are in agreement with what is to be accomplished, only IDEAL Group. OSU is welcome to participate in conference calls. However, the subcontractors are to be dealt with through IDEAL Group and not directly as they are IDEAL Group sub-contractors.
4) Please indicate above into budget or attached documentation.
Next Steps (top):