BILC Conference 2014 Belgium 5 – 9 May 2014, Bruges

SHARING THE BURDEN Pitfalls and Opportunities of Bilateral Collaboration Jean-Paul van den Heede Royal Military Academy, Belgium Gerard Seinhorst Language Office, Netherlands Armed Forces

PRESENTATION OUTLINE The Belgian-Dutch project Successful bilateral partnerships Lessons learned Conclusion 3 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT Belgium obvious partner: – Similar testing needs – Historical links – BENELUX – Geographic and cultural proximity 4 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT 5 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT 6 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT 7 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT Belgium obvious partner: – Similar testing needs – Historical links – BENELUX – Geographic and cultural proximity – Similar size (nation, Armed Forces, resources) – Official NLD defence policy Full partnership, development from scratch 8 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT Expected benefits: Savings in time and money Utilise strengths of each partner Increased validity  better pretesting possibilities  comparable scores / ratings Increased recognition and acceptance  stakeholders  candidates 9 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT STΞPS - Standardised Test of English Proficiency IAW S TANAG 6001 Bi-level English STANAG test (Levels 2 and 3) 4 skill modalities, computer-delivered Project completion Sept ’14 Test development team PPart-time involvement FFrom 4 x BEL, 3 x NLD to 2 x BEL, 2 x NLD 10 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THE BILATERAL PROJECT 11 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

SUCCESSFUL BILATERAL PARTNERSHIPS 1.Reality check Investigate and recognize the need for partnership 2.Choose a suitable partner Trust: unconditional and mutual Similar (testing) needs Compatible working styles Complementary skills and expertise 3.Agree on a shared goal / project outcome 4.Ensure commitment of senior management 12 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

SUCCESSFUL BILATERAL PARTNERSHIPS 5.Ensure effective communication Meeting schedule and location(s) Interaction: face-to-face and Storage/accessibility of materials Senior users as sounding board 6.Find the right balance Resources (investments) Responsibilities and work load Accountability > dual ownership 13 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

SUCCESSFUL BILATERAL PARTNERSHIPS A bilateral partnership is likely to be effective if:  same interests and values are shared  equal risk, responsibility, accountability and profits are shared  inequalities in resources and expertise do not affect their relative influence in decision making  partners are chosen carefully 14 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

SUCCESSFUL BILATERAL PARTNERSHIPS A bilateral partnership is likely to be ineffective if:  one partner has all the power or drives the process  hidden motivation present, not declared to all partners  established “to keep up appearances’’ or to meet political goals 15 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

LESSONS LEARNED 1.Establish a Partnership Agreement  Formally approved by senior management: shared ownership and commitment  Continuity 16 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges Project goal and outcome Time Lines Resources Responsibilities Leadership Communications Product ownership Sustainment after project termination Exit strategy

LESSONS LEARNED 2.Carefully consider team composition and qualifications of team members and support  Strive for diversity  gender, mother tongue  all stakeholders represented  Ideal team size  Start with a fully trained team  LTS alone is not enough  Ensure technical (ICT) support 17 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

LESSONS LEARNED 3.Avoid part-time involvement of team members  loss of continuity, motivation and commitment  risk for project being marginalized  dedicated resources needed!  go for short and sharp 4.Avoid being overly optimistic about savings in time 18 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

LESSONS LEARNED 5.Make use of testing expertise among BILC colleagues  item/prompt review  consultations  rating / norming activities  help from CAN, DNK, EST, FYR, ITA, LVA, ROU, USA THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE! 19 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

CONCLUSION Many forms of collaboration  from exchanging views between individuals to a full partnership Full partnership not in all cases the best solution More partner interdependence means more risks and less control 20 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

AREAS OF COOPERATION More partner interdependence 21 Less partner interdependence Item review (moderation) Pretesting Trialling/Piloting (Re-)norming activities Data collection & analysis Test specifications Item development Dedicated software applications Item banking Exchange of testers/raters Standard setting BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! 22 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges

23 BILC Conference, 5-9 May 2014, Bruges