Who is on a Task Force and what levels of expertise are represented?
Since the primary job for the Task Force is to carefully document the nature of the problem, it must be small (say 5 – 8 members counting its leaders), drawn from a range of campus units, and contain members committed to keeping an open mind on goals and alternatives, carefully documenting its work, and analyzing the problem without succumbing to the temptation to make design decisions based on premature assumptions about resources and “value”. All members need to have a high degree of technical expertise, but none needs to be “the expert” on any topic. In fact, it is critical that everyone understand that X being picked as a member does not imply that X is or is not “the expert” on anything. What is important is the collective expertise of the group in doing its job, which involves much more than technical expertise. For example, a group that is competent and confident enough to determine when outside expertise is needed and seek that expertise without hesitation is likely to be much
