SKILLS NEEDED
DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT SKILLS?
Within your community there are probably more skills than you realise and you will need to draw upon volunteers to run a community broadband project. It is a good idea to look at what skills you have amongst you and what skills you are lacking as a group. You will need to assess whether all work can be done by volunteers or if some paid support will be necessary. Think through how holidays and periods of sickness will be covered.
The buttons on the left take you through a guide which outlines the skills which are needed to run a community broadband project and provide a quick method for analysing which skills are already available within your community. There are two parts to the process, first to implement community broadband in your community, and secondly to run the broadband system once it is installed. The two teams require some different skills, but are likely to overlap, and it is very important that they work closely together to ensure the long term success of the project.
General Tips for a successful team:
Keep the team in touch with one another through regular meetings / updates
Give everyone a clear role
Some people will be able to carry out more than one role
Make sure everyone knows what they are expected to do and when
Make sure that help is available to support members of the team when they need it
Let people know when they do a good job
Avoid overloading people, particularly if they are working on a voluntary basis
Taking these steps will help you to put together a suitable project team for your community broadband solution. It will also show you where you have a gap in skills which may need to be filled by other means for example bought services from a professional.
