Minutes Records
Client MEETING 1
Date of Meeting: 2014-01-20
Duration Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM
List of Attendees: Andy, David, Phattrick, Kenneth, Matthew, Jon
Meeting Location/Communication Medium Used: ICCS Room 104
Meeting began with discussion of the history of Pitch’n. Client wanted to see
what we know regarding their company. David read through the given information of
the company given to us in lecture.
TWO BIG PROBLEMS:
1) Organizers can’t find volunteers with specific skills
2) Management of volunteers to give them information and notify them. You would
need to be able to import data into your system (usually CSV). Parsers mainly
target for CSV.
Pitch’n Current System:
Pitch’n is a system used to find volunteer opportunities based on volunteer
qualification and interest. What they need is a management system. Currently,
management has been done by excel, printed paper spreadsheet and a contacts list
is stored much like in the Outlook format. PHP is used for the programming and
CVS format is used for the database.
System Requirements for Volunteers:
- Volunteer system has to be able to display and manage parsed individual
registered volunteer info from Pitch’n database for volunteer profiles.
- Volunteer users must be given access to a dash board that allows the
volunteer to see “on boarding process” steps once they’ve accepted a
volunteering role (ex. introduce who is the volunteer coordinator)
- Volunteer must be able to see documents regarding the volunteer position
information with the system. System must be able to share this document to all
associating volunteers so that it can easily and quickly shared online without
need of manual distribution to each volunteer.
- The volunteer emails would be used as the main identifier for each
volunteer so if they use their email for another volunteer group, this
information can be linked.
- Volunteer should be able to check out task lists once they are complete so
that it is easier for the manager to see what is done.
- When a task is complete by a volunteer, it is better that a notification can
be sent to the volunteer coordinator so that they can double check and review
your work.
- Volunteers need to be able to see a list of tasks they are registered to do.
- Dashboard design would be targeted towards the volunteer.
- Note that volunteer should NOT have access to progress reports though they
can have small notifications.
- Volunteer signup information can be access on the Pitch’n site.
So login to the system and display has to be able to work with that.
System Requirements for Organization Coordinators:
- Simple sign-up for organizations: Org Name, email, password. There should be a registration
feature for people without accounts.
- Each associating organization needs functionality in the system that can search registered
volunteers in the database by filtering by fields. Example of fields that are filterable
include: skill, location, availability, and projects that they are associated with (who do we
have that is working on project A, B, C). It can be said that the most important system
feature is figuring out how to manage a big database of 1400 people in BC Vancouver alone.How
to find someone with a specific skill set? (ex. Find people with accounting abilities that is
available on Saturdays in the Vancouver areas)
- Pitch’n needs a solution that allows volunteer coordinators to find another available
volunteer efficiently and notify them when another volunteer can’t or does not go to their
assigned work shift. This feature would also require volunteer to reply confirmation.
- The system needs to be able to provide scheduling by seeing which volunteer is available
and schedule them with a notification.
- Volunteer coordinators need to be able to see a list of newly applied volunteers or
volunteers that meets their requirements or ones currently volunteering for them that they
need check.
- Volunteer managers need to know and be updated on what is going on with events or
assigned tasks so that there needs to be an organized task list display.
- The system should also have a statistical manager that can graph and show volunteer
efficiency and etc that should only be accessible by the associating organization coordinator.
- Possible features that would be useful for these organizations would be easy import of
volunteer information to the system.
- Ideas are requested for some sort of way for project management in regards to estimating
time commitment on assigned tasks for volunteers.
General System Requirements:
- On the dash board, users must be greeted by a welcome message upon entry
- Communication notifications like the ones on facebook. They want to keep messaging in
the system rather by email so that it can be all safely stored in the system and is well
organized to access.
- This program shouldn’t be something that the users have to install in order to use but is
available to use directly on their company site.
- This system is going to be the cloud system.
- Documents and messaging regarding a specific project should not be placed on the home
dash board but only displayed when selected to avoid clutter.
- Usability is crucial but not too dumb down as well.
- System focus should be on the volunteer organization. The system in general should
be a tool target towards the organizations.
- Communication should be able to go between volunteers and also organizers so that
it is “All-Way”. In terms of contact from volunteer to organizers, the volunteers
should be only be able to contact the volunteer organize coordinates.
- Each volunteer profile can be linked and removed from organizations.
- It would be great if this system can be sync to a mobile device. It doesn’t have to be fully
functional but has to be able to able to access information (could be mobile app, ipad app etc).
Mobile functionalities includes being able to search volunteers and filter them on the go and
see reports.
- In terms of the database, it is open to ideas; however it would be easier if it’s stored in
the Pitch’n main database. Security is VERY IMPORTANT as it protects many personal information.
Most of their app building is done on AWS server. Sean has agreed to ask Jason what is the
existing database so we can build it the same way.
Summary Main Parts of the System:
1) Volunteer Database - need system to add or import volunteers to them, they would need
to be able to search and filter for volunteers.
2) Messaging for in case when someone can’t show up or in need of contact.
3) Document sharing for the project as whole is also needed so that the organization does
not need to use outside emails as a way of commutation.
4) There should be a setting for daily digest for users to check out their user profiles.
Weekly reviews are also a possible idea to do.
Programming Preferences for System:
Up to now, the system is developed in PHP. However node, ruby and server side java script
is also fine. First preference would be PHP just so that it can be compatible with the
existing system.
What Pitch’n will see as determining factors in Project Selection:
Priorities for selecting the project:
1) Usability – fun and easy to use , auto-animate functionality, how easy it is to find a
specific volunteer, good and fast data management , manage volunteers by assigning tasks to
them, document sharing between volunteers in a common task. Scheduling the volunteers and
reporting is also nice but optional. Communication is focused on specialized messaging but
how the messaging actually work is preferred if it is in system. (think CRM)
2) Backend – code will be looked at
3) Design – you can look for references from the current site, buttons,
(specs available on request)
Systems Pitch’n looked at for reference:
1) Kin HR
2) Volunteer2 – made in Ontario (their biggest competitors, but they are expensive and it
looks confusing due to overwhelming functionalities. Suggestion to visit their site and
videos)
3) Catchafire
4) Linkedin – Linkedin is building their own system as well. It is also suggested that we
provide integration to Linkedin.
One of the biggest problems for volunteer organization is making sure people show up and
train them so that they can work. Kin HR is an example of software that Pitch’n is looking
at that can register volunteer information and provide them in return with volunteer work
information. With the early provided information, it allows volunteers to be quickly updated
with volunteer work information beforehand before their required work period to save the
organization time on volunteer training.
What kind of licensing, is the code going to be released under?
- Probably open –source
- GPL
- Sean will get back to us regarding this. If you have an input as to what to do,
you can send him an email. Main source of contact is Sean. IF you have technical questions,
it is preferred that questions are asked before planned meetings so that he can research
beforehand.