Geologists are busy – at site the number one priority is ensuring cohesion and completing the daily / weekly / monthly(?) task list. The introduction of new technologies and even the interpretation of relatively standard programs, such as 48-element geochemistry data can be incredibly difficult to implement. 

This is the role of the project champion. This person could be the youngest geologist on staff, but their mission is to make sure that data does not fall to the wayside. They are the point of contact for vendors/consultants and should become subject matter experts – passing this knowledge to their team. In an 80+ work week they should be setting aside at least 10% of that time towards making sure everything is moving smoothly and helping plan the integration of data into a site’s workflow (assuming that it has passed the proof of concept phase).

Before embarking on your next program, ask yourself: how am I going to guarantee that the data I am collecting will not gather dust, but rather change the way we are exploring or mining? The answer: your endeavor needs an on-site champion who has the capacity to carry-out the tasks and the desire to effect change.