RT0604- ALB Committee Report

Assembled Delegates,

The below is the report of the ALB committee:

Background
----------
The October Round Table empowered a committee to review the Armstrong Lunar
Base process. We were specifically tasked to explore methods and options to
streamline the ALB process and attempt to increase retention, most
specifically by using a modified Direct Admission process.

Discussion summary
------------------
The Committee reviewed the process that had been in place since the ALB
establishment. The process required all non-returning players to apply to
the ALB Personnel Office, move through a Holodeck Instruction, and then to
the Fleet for entry into regular game play (posting to CSFO and the to FLEET
CINC). This process worked to move inexperienced players through a series
of gates to prepare them for play.

This provides four distinct gateways for players to move through in order to
enter fleet play, Personnel Officer (rough bio review), Holodeck Instructor
(refined bio review, format and story writing), CSFO (style review), FLEET
CINC (final review). Of this feedback indicated that the Holodeck
Instruction was not necessarily well received by all players, especially
those with prior experience in other play by email groups.

With this in mind the discussion moved to examining various methods of
reducing time before play and thus removing one of the main complaints of
entering players. However, in order to maintain the high quality of ASR
players, the ALB/Instruction process streamlining needed to ensure that
there were ways to properly orient those players who needed holodeck
instruction prior to game entry. Thus, directly admitting all players to
the game was rejected as impractical from a standards point of view;
however, a modified process of directly admitting players with past
experience in internet role-play games was agreed upon and tested.

Direct Admission Process
------------------------
The process decided upon by the Committee for granting players direct entry
into the game was a simple one: when bios were submitted, we looked at the
quality of the submission first and foremost, for bio quality is one strong
sign of prior experience. A discussion between the COMALB, the ALBADJ, the
CINCSF, the CSFO, and ALB's Personnel Officers would then ensue; if the
consensus believed the character to be unusually complete, detailed and
balanced for a beginning bio, the new player would be 'earmarked' for
possible direct admission. Bios that were 'normal' or lacked initial
quality would be earmarked for holodeck training according to the process
with which we're all familiar.

The second test would be the reporting post. Again, a discussion upon
receiving the reporting post would ensue by the same parties, and if the
reporting post was judged to be unusually creative or as having already
exhibited a grasp of ASR-like writing conventions (3rd person past
narrative, descriptive details, etc.), the player would then be moved to the
CSFO for direct assignment into the fleet instead of to the COMALB for
holodeck training assignment.

It was hoped that this process would result in a higher output of players
without a significant drop in writing quality.

Conclusions/Actions
-------------------
Essentially, the statistics look like a wash- the COMPA's advertising is
bringing more applications in, but we're not retaining any larger numbers
than we had been. We've managed to retain 17 new players over the last 6
months as opposed to 14 before, but we're seeing far lower numbers of ALB
grads than we were- this is because we're no longer sending **everyone**
there. So, direct admittance has not really had an impact on the total
number of new players entering the game.

Where direct admission has had an impact is in the overall vacancy numbers
across the fleet:

OPENINGS AND FILLED BILLETS BY UNIT (as of 3/12)
================================================
UNIT (FLEET) OPENINGS/FILLED BILLETS
-----------------------------------------------
LEDA (GREEN)                 5 / 4 OK
-----------------------------------------------
YAMATO (SILVER)              3 / 7 OK
MACRONIN (GREEN)             3 / 7 OK
SAM HOUSTON (SAPPHIRE)       3 / 8 OK
MARRAKESH (SAPPHIRE)         3 / 11 OK
ANDROMEDA (SILVER)           2 / 8 OK
NOVA (GOLD)                  2 / 9 OK
FEARLESS (GOLD)              2 / 9 OK
AKAGI (SAPPHIRE)             2 / 9 OK
DAEDALUS (GREEN)             2 / 10 OK
-----------------------------------------------
SORANUS (SAPPHIRE)           1 / 11 OK
KUSANAGI (GOLD)              1 / 9 OK
AMBERJACK (SAPPHIRE)         1 / 8 OK
COVENTRY (GREEN)             1 / 8 OK
KRONSTADT (GREEN)            1 / 8 OK
KIROV (SILVER)               1 / 9 OK
NEBULA (SILVER)              1 / 9 OK
YORKTOWN (SILVER)            1 / 9 OK
EXCALIBUR (SILVER)           1 / 9 OK
TFS (GOLD)                   0 / 7 OK
CIRCE (GOLD)                 0 / 12 OK
DS13 (GOLD)                  0 / 17 OK
===============================================
                       TOTAL 36 / 198
===============================================

We only have a single unit right now with more than three vacancies. More
importantly, we have more than half of our units showing one or less
vacancies- this means that our units are pretty healthy.

Six months ago, our vacancy numbers were at 51. We've grown by 15 players
despite seeing almost the same number of new players enter the fleet as the
previous 6 months.

We're down to a total of 36 vacancies by fleet; SILVER, the fleet in the
most trouble 6 months ago, is now the second-healthiest fleet (behind GOLD's
5) with 9- they had 21 at last RT. Every fleet has either maintained
status-quo or reduced its number of vacancies:

* GOLD- 5 vacancies [-1 since 10/05]
* SILVER- 9 vacancies [-12 since 10/05]
* GREEN- 11 vacancies (5 from LEDA) [-3 since 10/05]
* SAPPHIRE- 11 vacancies [no change since 10/05]

Some of this is due to command-billet postings; the CSFO and his Chief of
Staff recruited and assigned 7 new command players to fill command openings.


If we take away those 7 command recruits, we are left with a positive growth
of 8 players- this is the exact number of new players admitted through
direct admission since October. That's where the impact is seen- we may not
be getting new players into the fleet in larger numbers, but what we do get
make it to the units far sooner, causing us to grow instead of tread water
or loose players.

There is no way to calculate how much these admissions have affected morale
(keeping units afloat and stocked with players tends to be good for the
perception), nor is there any way to tell whether these direct admission
players would have gone through ALB, graduated and been assigned. But it
seems clear that the direct admission is working, at least by the numbers.

Potential follow on
-------------------
One of the largest pitfalls in looking at what amount to low pass numbers is
not reviewing the content of the applications that have no follow up (i.e.
the players who do not respond when asked to change or add information).
Following up on such players in a timely fashion is a critical task.

Tasks for ALB
-------------
* Following up on potential new players who do not edit bios/report in
* Writing and posting updated process information for review by players
* Updating documentation
* Maintenance on tracking systems
* Increasing numbers of instructors (even though the above process does
limit the need for some classes)


Very Respectfully,

-- Scott Lusby
Delegate, USS CIRCE
Former Chief of Staff, CSFO
Member, ALB Committee

On behalf of

Chris Mayberry
COMALB
Co-Chair ALB Committee, ASR RT

And

Sean Murphy
Outgoing CSFO
Co-chair ALB Committee, ASR RT