International RSE Group Organisation Survey
We are gathering information about how RSE groups are managed, funded, and scaled.

To carry out this, we are asking leaders of RSE groups to answer questions about their current group, and to write a brief description of the story of their groups, including what challenges they have had along the way.

We are looking for both a structured survey response, and a prose description of the problems encountered.

What is in it for you?  The results of this survey will serve as a repository of knowledge and experience to help the RSE leaders community through organizational growth challenges and opportunities.  Additionally, you have the opportunity on the basis of this to be paired with a mentor who can help you with your questions - the international RSE community will facilitate this.  There will be a question at the end of the survey to let us know if you’re willing to be a mentor/mentee/peer support.  

We would also like to publish some of these. Let us know in your response if you are willing for your document to be published pseudonymously, and you will be given final approval rights before anything goes public.

In what country are you located?
Are you part of a university or national lab?
Clear selection
How many people (including you) are in your group?
How many management layers do you have within the RSE group/function? (Report a single manager with a number of reports as 1, a manager who managers managers with reports as 2.)
Clear selection
How long has your RSE group existed?
Which one of the following matches the way you are funded? (Tick all that apply:)
What is the day-rate you charge (UKP)? (If you charge in another model, please normalise on a 220 day year):
Clear selection
Which research areas do you support?
Which kinds of research software engineering services does your group provide?
Do you allocate specific individuals normally to specific research sub-domains, or does everyone work on everything?
Clear selection
Do you run a formal performance management system?
Clear selection
How often do you run regular 1-on-1 management meetings with staff?
Clear selection
Do you track time on projects?  If so, what tool do you use?
Do you forecast capacity?  If so, what tool do you use?
How do you choose projects?  Check all that apply.
Do you typically assign one individual, or more than one individual to a project?
Clear selection
What length projects do you accept? Check all that apply.
What is the typical duration of a project?
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What is the typical total FTE of a project?
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As the group leader, how much of your individual time do you typically spend on management activities (e.g. staffing, resourcing, institutional commitments, etc.)?
Clear selection
Do you work with a separate business development / outreach customer relations team to find projects, or do you do it yourselves?
Clear selection
To hire new staff, do you need to demonstrate enough money is in hand to cover them for the duration of the post?
Clear selection
Can you hire permanent staff on finite funding?
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Which of the following types of contracts apply to your staff?
Does your staff have time to work on self-chosen unfunded projects?
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Do you have a conference/travel budget for your staff? (If yes, how much per person, in UKP)
Do you have a training budget for your staff?  (If yes, how much per person, in UKP)
Do you have an equipment budget for your staff?    (If yes, how much per person, in UKP)
Does your staff have root/admin privledges on their laptops/workstations?
Clear selection
Which Operating Systems are on your staff laptops/workstations?
Do you use a technical issue tracking system to manage programming activity?  If yes, what product?
Do you use a service-desk or ticketing system for inbound requests/problems? If yes, what product?
How and why did your group get started? If you have existed for a while, at what stages did you need to change structure?  What are the blockers to growth for you?  What is going well? What has gone wrong?
Are you interested in being paired with a mentor, serving as a mentor, or connecting with a peer?
Would you be willing to have some of your responses published pseudonymously?  
Clear selection
Anything else you'd like to tell us?
Submit
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