R2O | Research to Operations

All applied research teams that support an organization or community with operations-minded constituents should have a member that specifically guides the research tasks toward the transition. The role of this member is to support the team leader or project manager with advice on the scientific and technical work that is necessary to position the research for a fleeting chance in the R2O cycle. Ideally, this analyst would lead or assist in guiding the applied research through the R2O cycle as the operations-facing interface for the effort. As that occurs, the nature of the role may change, however. This analyst should bring two important skills to the team. First, the analyst must have experience working with operations or be able to align the team’s work with one of the operational mission areas. This experience will help the analyst support the project without engaging operational partners too early in the cycle, which could endanger the success of the transition. Second, the analyst...

Establishing processes and procedures that control the R2O cycle is important to ensure effort is allocated appropriately and priorities are maintained, especially when it comes to organizational initiatives and major community programs. What about those smaller efforts that are ongoing and organic, though? It is easy to crush grassroots innovation with monolithic processes and governance structures that require effort solely to navigate. They can also discourage eager employees who seek to improve their organization or contribute to the community. Most grassroots innovations and small research transitions are of only marginal cost to the organization but have the potential to modernize operations like larger efforts. More importantly, it is often in these situations that the essential R2O relationship exists; that is, there is a will for research and operations to partner together to solve a problem. That relationship is important to foster. Effective R2O governance should scale and ...

The concept of research to operations (R2O) is quickly becoming a ubiquitous term in the atmospheric sciences, especially within the federal government and amongst its academic partners and contractors. However, there is misunderstanding within the meteorological community about what activities contribute to or fulfill a R2O cycle. The R2O cycle is about adding value and solving needs. There are benefits for all participants in the cycle – not just operations, as might be implied. R2O is more than an isolated process for a single deliverable. An organization or community that is adequately immersed in a collaborative framework between the research sector and operations realizes the benefits of tight linkages that drive it forward. Part of a successful R2O culture requires the operations side to invest in new research and development that will ultimately support their mission. This may be a monetary investment, but also should include time of management and practitioners to understand w...