Q. What is the purpose of your CoP?
A. The Natural Resources Management (NRM) Gateway is one of the most important communication tools for our CoP. This site is the place where Natural Resources Managers and Staff go for information that enables them do their job more effectively, providing information the way managers manage. The site integrates people, policies, programs, and practices.
Q. What are your CoP's functions?
A. The NRM Gateway provides information in three contexts; internal, external, and exportable. In all three types we focus on improved communications, identifying procedures, best practices (good enough to share) and providing tools for managers to assist the public.
Q. What are your priority sub-CoP's that you are working on?
A. There are four areas the NRM Gateway supports: Recreation (business line), Environmental Stewardship (ES, sub-line of Environment), Environmental Compliance (Civil Works ubiquitous) and Partnerships (Recreation and ES).
Q. What are the specific roles in your CoP/sub-Cop?
A. The NRM Gateway is maintained by a network of NRM folks, one Project Leader and Webmaster, one Gateway Technical Coordintor, multiple HQ proponents, Technical Coordinators for each of the CoPs, Steering Committees (PDTs) for each of the four areas, Field Reviewers, and Content Subject Matter Experts. The requirements of our SMEs are provided on the site. We also have protocols for the Technical Coordinator positions.
Q. What are the products and services that are offered to the CoP?
A. NRM program history and current practices are posted using Knowledge Management (KM) principles.Each of our program areas provides a key to Policies, Program Summaries, Good Enough to Share (Best Practices), Lessons learned, Frequently Asked Questions, District and Division POCs for each area.
Q. What are the tools that you provide your CoP to be efficient?
A. Periodic Leadership Team meetings and support to a variety of project delivery teams and special topic committees. (See Recreation Leadership Advisory Team and Stewardship Advisory Team as well as the Park Ranger CoP Advisory Board).
Q. What processes or techniques do you use for your CoP success?
A. Identification of and posting of information by Subject Matter Experts vetted by Headquarters point of contact. Content Development Workshops and periodic page reviews are used obtain information from the SMEs.
Q. What behaviors or cultural traits does your CoP exhibit that makes it a success?
A. CoP members make an effort to share practices and utilize tested procedures. Members use creative ways to expose other CoP members to the Gateway to increase participation and incorporate Gateway participation.
Q. What are the major items that cost the most in your CoP activities?
A. Staff time to support content development workshops, Knowledge Management training, and Website maintenance.
Q. What are do you believe are your best practices or pitfalls that you would want to pass along to others who are starting up a CoP?
A. The key to the success of the Gateway is that we engaged field staff in the design and development of the site. It has become "their place" to find the information they need to do their job. We were careful to not overreach by starting too many things without finishing them in a timely manner. We tied our activities into frameworks developed by professional organizations (e.g. National Recreation and Park Association) to attract participation by non-Corps CoP members. The culture of the Natural Resources Management staff is one of sharing information; this sharing culture has contributed greatly to the success of the Gateway.
