Managing the databases and sources

[John-in-KC]

I've managed Advancement for a while now... even through several other Scouting assignments.

 

I've seen the piecework done on advancement reports at the Council Office: Each clerical staff member has a pile of reports to do when he/she doesn't have another task. It's their ongoing C priority.

 

I've heard of internet advancement... but no one in our District has actually offered training and the passcode.

 

I'm waiting to see the now VAPORWARE of "My Scouting"

 

I've trusted my scribe to feed me info. I've also known the various Scribes have lives outside the Troop, and do take vacations.

 

Even so, now and again, I've found an ongoing, multi-layered crosscheck (book to TM to ScoutNet report obtained from DE) to be a huge blessing for making sure the Scout is getting all the credit he's properly entitled to get.

 

I'd like to hear from other unit and District Advancement people on this, and share thoughts.

[Gunny2862]

I don't have much to say on the subject yet, but I've already encountered the "Boy must have book and Blue Cards" and if it gets lost Doom on him because the adults(any adults) aren't able to provide a reliable authoritative backup. You can reconstruct records, but will they match what the boy had purportedly, and by SM memory, accomplished.

 

I will be in the process of getting the cross-check done to provide a "this date" baseline soon but I'm not sure how reliable my committee advancement person is yet either.(This message has been edited by Gunny2862)

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm...

 

I figure da error rate and "dropped records" in ScoutNet is about 10%, eh? Seems like every year there's stuff to fix or re-fix. Not sure whether that's a staff problem from da paper forms or a ScoutNet problem or both.

 

We're workin' hard on unit electronic advancement. Interface-wise, it's still a bit of a mess.

 

It can be really tough on kids if the units don't keep bulletproof records and/or aren't good at submittin' reports. As you'd expect, our active, on-the-ball troops also tend to be the ones that keep solid records. Our weaker units get to be a bit of a mess, and often play "catch up" at Eagle time. Being stricter about badge purchases requirin' a report form has helped, but only a little bit, eh? Yeh can't stop people from buyin' for a second uniform and such.

 

Da "advancement overhead" is pretty high, eh? Multiple cross-checks are still necessary around here.

 

Beavah

 

[Mrw1]

We have recently begun using Troopmaster to track things and that has helped a whole lot. Greater Cleveland has been on-line with advancement reporting for about two years now and that has helped tremndously.

 

Previously, I regularly found errors in the ScoutNet records for the troop. I would have them print me a copy about every 4-5 months and then submit a list of errors they needed to fix. Adding information that was missed the first time was easy enough. Getting things removed that were wrong is darn near immpossible.

 

I currently have a scout who had an erroneous date for Star rank put on his record for the week before he earned Scout. He will actually earn Star in the next month or so and I can put in a reasonable and correct date for this. I have not been able to prove to them that they have his brother's date and that it needs to be removed!

 

I have been very happy with on-line advancement as I can double check the dates as I enter them and the error rate is now extremely low.

 

I keep the large advancement posters and most of the boys regularly bring their books when they get stuff signed, so replacing lost book data doesn't hurt them too badly - and we replace a couple books a year. Most blue cards come direct to me as advancement chair so they get recorded properly as well.