fpOnline Newsletter April 2024
   

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In This Issue

Project Milestones & Phases

  • The Planning phase involves preparation for RFP, team selection and High level requirements. This phase started in May 2023.
    The Procurement phase involves request for proposals, technology budget, vendor selection, and contract negotiations. This phase started in November 2023 and ends in March 2024.
  • The Discovery phase involves determining detailed requirements and ensure common understanding. This phase starts in April 2024 and ends in July 2024.
  • The Configuration phase involves Software configured to meet requirements. This phase starts in June 2024 and ends in October 2024.
  • The Testing & Training phase involves Configuration tested and compared to requirements and Users trained using multiple formats. This phase starts in July 2024 and ends in December 2024.
  • The software will Go Live in Jan 2025.​

Look Ahead

  • Visual Vault will come on board to the project in April and will begin the discovery effort.
  • Save the date for our next Town Hall Meeting! Tuesday, April 16, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. We plan to introduce the software vendor at this meeting. More details coming soon.
  • Monthly, recurring Advisory Committee meetings continue in April.
If you have questions regarding attending informational meetings, please email dnrrefponline@dnr.wa.gov.

April 2024

  • Apr. 2, 2024 - DNR FP Staff Advisory Committee, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
  • Apr. 2, 2024 - Reviewers Advisory Committee, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
  • Apr. 3, 2024 - Landowner Advisory Committee, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
  • Apr. 3, 2024 - *FP Program Coordinator Call, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
  • Apr. 4, 2024 - *FP District Manager Meeting, 8:15 – 10:00 a.m.
  • Apr. 16, 2024 - Town Hall Meeting, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
  • Apr. 16, 2024 - *FP Assistants Monthly Meeting, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
  • Apr. 17, 2024 - *FP Monthly Program Call, 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
  • Apr. 17-18, 2024 - *Forest Regulation Division All-Hands Meeting, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (all day)
  • Apr. 24, 2024 - *DNR Sponsor Coalition Meeting, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • Apr. 25, 2024 - *fpOnline Steering Committee, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
  • Apr. 25, 2024 - Washington Farm Forestry Assoc. Annual Conference; fpOnline booth, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

May 2024

  • May 1, 2024 - Landowner Advisory Committee, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.
  • May 1, 2024 - *FP Program Coordinator Call, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
  • May 2, 2024 - *FP District Manager Meeting, 8:15 – 10:00 a.m.
  • May 2, 2024 - Northeast Region Upper Columbia Basin Meeting 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • May 7, 2024 - DNR FP Staff Advisory Committee, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
  • May 7, 2024 - Reviewers Advisory Committee, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
  • May 15, 2024 - *FP Monthly Program Call, 10:00 -11:00 a.m.
  • May 21, 2024 - *FP Assistants Monthly Meeting, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
  • May 22, 2024 - *DNR Sponsor Coalition Meeting, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • May 23, 2024 - *fpOnline Steering Committee, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m..​
*DNR Internal Forest Practices program meetings

Get Involved

Become a member of an advisory committee. Advisory committees will meet throughout the course of the project. Members will receive updates on fpOnline’s development and be asked to provide guidance. To join one of these committees, please contact dnrrefpon-line@dnr.wa.gov.
 
Committees:
  • Internal DNR fpOnline Advisory Committee
  • Forest Landowner Advisory Committee 
  • Reviewer Advisory Committee 
Read the December newsletter to learn more about advisory committees.
 
You can also attend a Town Hall meeting where we will make major announcements to update everyone who is interested in the current status of the fpOnline project. Town Hall meeting dates and times will be announced through through GovDelivery, through the Region Timber, Fish, and Wildlife (TFW) and Upper Columbia Basin (UCB) email, and on the fpOnline website. The next Town Hall meeting is planned for April 2024.

Question of the Month

Will information in fpOnline be proprietary? For example, can anyone view a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) that an applicant submits?

The information retained in fpOnline is not considered proprietary. Just like the Forest Practices Application Review System (FPARS) works today, once a Forest Practices Application/ Notification (FPA/N) or Water Type Modification Form (WTMF) is processed, others will be able to see all non-sensitive documents associated with the FPA/N or WTMF.
 
The DNR Forest Practices program does not retain SEPA documents in our database. Maintaining the repository for all DNR SEPA documents is the responsibility of the DNR SEPA Center. The DNR SEPA Center also notifies all parties that have interest in SEPAs and retains SEPA documents on their web page: State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) | WA - DNR.

Accomplishments

fpOnline has a new Executive Sponsor
  • DNR has named Katie Rose Allen as fpOnline’s new Executive Sponsor. We wish Alex Smith the best in her new role as the Executive Director of the Port of Olympia. See our Team Member Spotlight to learn more about Katie Rose.
fpOnline has an Apparent Successful Bidder
  • DNR has chosen Visual Vault as the Apparent Successful Bidder to build fpOnline. Contract negotiation underway.
Funding
  • Washington state has fully funded fpOnline for fiscal year 2025.

​Nerd Corner

What happens during the project discovery phase?

The project discovery phase is the first step in the project where everyone involved gathers to document the project's scope, goals, limits, and what needs to be achieved. This phase is like plotting the course before starting a long journey.
The project discovery phase is important for several reasons:
  • Helps agency owners make decisions based on actionable information and data instead of blindly following assumptions
  • Allows the project managers to involve specialists from an early stage to find viable solutions to the challenges being posed
  • Ensures the client and the agency are on the same page before work begins
  • Reduces the odds of making expensive alterations as the development process advances
  • Results in a better overall user experience 
  • Increases return on investment
  • Helps streamline work processes 
The discovery team is a cross functional team consisting of:
  • Subject matter experts (in business)
  • Technical experts (in architecture, security, operations, development, and configuration)
  • Administrative support
  • Business analysts
  • Platform vendor team
  • Testers
  • Trainers
  • Quality assurance (if needed)
A successful discovery phase begins with creating a detailed project map that highlights the different stages of the project and the key deliverables. From there, setting up a comprehensive dashboard will make it easy for all parties associated with the project to monitor it whenever they like. The discovery phase requires close collaboration between the vendor and the client to ensure both parties are on the right track. Both parties should agree on the project's scope, goals, limits, and deliverables before the project formally gets underway.

Team Member Spotlight

Katie Rose Allen, Acting Deputy Supervisor for Forest Resilience, Regulation, and Aquatic Resources and Executive Sponsor for fpOnline

Katie Rose Allen is the Acting Deputy Supervisor for Forest Resilience, Regulation, and Aquatic Resources at the Washington Department of Natural Resources, where she supports the agency’s work on forest health, sustainable working forests, and management of state-owned aquatic lands for the benefit of all Washingtonians. Prior to joining DNR in 2022, Katie worked on natural resource and environmental policy in Washington D.C. for nearly a decade, most recently serving as the Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06). She grew up in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys exploring the great outdoors with her furry sidekick Solly.

Future User Spotlight

Carla Fosberg, Program Coordinator for South Puget Sound (SPS) Region

Carla started her career with DNR in 2005, working as a technician in the Product Sales program at the SPS Region. In 2016 Carla moved to the Forest Practices program as the Program Coordinator for the SPS Region.
Carla oversees the reviewing, classing, and processing of FPA/Ns, WTMFs, and enforcement documents in the region. She also provides consultation to staff, other agencies, local governments, and TFW stakeholders on the application process and interpretation of the Forest Practices Act and associated rules and procedures. Carla’s team utilizes the current application systems (FPARS, FPETS, WTA) daily to assist internal and external stakeholder of the SPS Region.
Carla is looking forward to many things fpOnline will offer, but her top three are: electronic payment and signature, one database containing all information associated with a forest practice activity, and the ability to seamlessly communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

Keeping up with fpOnline

Future User Quotes

"As a part of the advisory committee, I have a way to get my voice heard. Kudos to DNR on creating those committees."
- State Agency Landowner Representative
"We have to be able to help our people—anyone who walks in our doors or calls us [for help with an FPA or WTMF]. We’re big on customer service."
- DNR Manager
"Right now, if there is a problem, people call you from DNR and you can fix the problem in a ten-minute conversation. That is my only hope—that fpOnline is as seamless as that."
- Forestry Consultant