An important principle in application design is modularity, or enabling specific functions to operate independently in either complete isolation or as a delegated piece of a bigger functional pie. Modularity can serve multiple goals, including: i) supporting security and privacy (carving out sensitive operations by role, data storage locations, etc.); ii) achieving operational efficiencies (precise resource utilization and allocation); and iii) enabling the safe delegation of specific tasks and roles.
Within the context of high production value, enterprise communications, this three-part series will examine the importance of delegation across all three areas – security, operational efficiencies, and task/role delegation. Part 1, below, focuses on how task delegation factors into nearly every step of planning and successfully executing a large, live webcast event. Specific examples of where delegation can be critical include: i) assigning and sequencing specific pre-check and pre-production tasks; ii) delegating role-based responsibilities during live events; and iii) producing post-event reports for specific business functions including: quality of service, quality of engagement, and audience on-boarding and interactivity behaviors, to name a few.
Producing an “halo” event worthy of a Global 2000 brand takes planning and cooperation across multiple disciplines. At the planning stage, we frequently see the need to safely delegate 3 key responsibilities:
- Content distribution responsibilities, including networks analyses and pre-tests, configuring distribution rules, and remediating any issues found during the technical testing. This role is frequently delegated to IT/network operations.
- Content storyboarding, including sequencing of layouts and speakers, potential pre-recording of video to run as simu-live, and creation of surveys and polls are likewise tasks that are often delegated to specialists on the production team.
- Additional responsibilities that can be delegated during the pre-production phase include testing encoders, cameras and audio equipment, connecting to video sources, and testing video switching capabilities.
If pre-production is about preparation, then production is about execution. And the more high profile the event, often the more logistically complicated the execution. As a consequence, it is important not only to be able to delegate, but also, to ensure each cook has their own kitchen as opposed to dangerously throwing them all into the same workspace. Role based responsibilities that are often delegated during these complex productions include:
- Green room manager where last minute planning and coaching can occur
- Event start/stop responsibilities (either central producer or distributed presenter)
- Layout and supplemental content (e.g. polls, slides) publishing
- Presenter Coaching based on quality of engagement and polling/survey responses
- Video switching, audio/mute management, and related traditional production responsibilities
- Quality of Service monitoring to ensure optimal network performance
- Quality of Engagement monitoring
- Optionally, enlisting help to review and respond to submitted questions and/or moderate chat.
And while everyone enjoys a few minutes to celebrate after a successful event, very quickly attention turns to “How does the data say we did?” and “What can we do better next time?” Therefore, it’s important to be able to precisely slice who has access to the raw data and what data gets shared with whom. Examples include:
- For presenters, getting to see the number of live attendees, on boarding and exiting trends, sentiment voting, questions comments and other forms of engagement tracking, as well as a non-technical assessment of audience experience.
- For IT/Network Operations, a network performance review based on audience size and location, number of buffers, and a whole host of additional quality of service metrics to help assess audience experience and possible tweaks to improve network quality and reliability.
- The communications groups, such as Corporate Communications and Marketing, will want precise data on who attended, duration of viewership, levels of engagement, and survey and poll responses to ensure suggestions are captured and addressed.
Within the context of modular platform design and delegation, the above just scratches the surface on how best to enable subject matter experts to apply their skills while ensuring they don’t trip over people in a shared environment. As we continue to examine the role importance of modularity, the next article will focus on how these design principles can be used to reinforce security and protect privacy.