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<p class="MsoNormal">The discussion on the list shortly after our WG meeting on Tuesday was pretty well focused on the topics discussed in our WG meeting regarding what elements should be included in ‘thin data’. As time went on it started expanding into many
topics that did not relate to thin data elements; most of the topics will have to be dealt with eventually but it is terribly ineffective to bring them up now and the list volume once again escalated to an unsustainable level.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Several weeks ago we encountered a similar problem. Shortly thereafter we established some WG Discussion Rules that I have attached.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To avoid repeated occurrences of what happened this week, we are going to especially facilitate and enforce the first three rules:<o:p></o:p></p>
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Discussion topics must be narrowly defined. <o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
Responses must focus on the narrowly defined topics. <o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1">
Ok to note dependency on another topic and state assumptions made, but keep focus on-topic. <o:p></o:p></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">At the end of each WG meeting going forward or shortly thereafter, the Leadership Team will provide a narrowly defined list of discussion topics. WG members will be asked to limit
their list discussion to the narrow list of discussion topics and the leaders will do their best to enforce rules 1-3 as needed as well as the other rules.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">It is critical that everyone understand that this is not intended to prevent discussion on future elements of our work but rather to hold those topics until we are ready to have
them. As has been demonstrated many times in our efforts to date, if we don’t carefully break our tasks into smaller subtasks, our deliberations will be unsustainable and it will be impossible for all of us to keep up with them. I understand how passionately
most of you feel about the issues that are important to you but I ask you to have some patience and to trust me when I say that you will have plenty of opportunity to express them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">We plan to institute this approach starting with our meeting next week. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Chuck<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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