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Ops Manual for Geochemistry Program  

This post was edited by Adam Ianno on Jul, 2024
Good morning! I work at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey as head of our mineral research program. I am resurrecting a barely-used geochemistry program with new staff, post-docs, and undergrad research. We're not a university, but imagine I am an R1 professor pursuing much of the same activities.

I am starting from scratch, so all I have is an outline of what I would like in a comprehensive doc. Do you have any thoughts or concerns on how I can make the most inclusive and psychologically safe space for folks to know their roles, be able to speak their minds, and have a structure to support professional growth? Thank you so very much for your time!

Administration
Vision of program
Mission statement of program
Purpose of this operations manual
Program Goals (past, ongoing, near future)
Strategic futures and desires
Perceived challenges and thoughts on how to overcome

Protocols for decision making (authority structure, ensuring we hear all voices, etc)

Personal interactions in our space
Expectations of staff involved, expected code of conduct
What are the unwritten rules of our lab? Can we identify them and assess their practicality?

Promoting feedback and addressing conflicts
Interfacing with broader bureau, agency, Commonwealth efforts

Arrivals and Departures are in Terminal 2
Onboarding
Interns
Visitors
Additional comments for onboarding staff (so infrequent)

Offboarding
Interns
Departing staff

The role and experience of people in our program
The Intern Experience
The Visitor Experience
The Collaborator/Volunteer Experience
The Staff Experience

Standard operating procedures for instrumentation

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I like the outline, Adam. I wonder how you see mission, vision, program goals, and strategic futures working together. Are there overlaps? This has the potential to be a lengthy document. Where do you think it will live? I can see this being a good candidate for Notion.

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One thing that often makes spaces feel safer for me is knowing the “norms of discussion” or “rules of the road” to establish some expectations of what our community norms will be. I like making it in such a way that others can contribute to it or be a co-creator in that space to show that everyone belongs and their contributions are valuable.

This is a GREAT start and I’m so excited to see where it goes!!

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