To help guide you in your Catalyst submission and to explain how and why certain decisions are made, please take note of the information contained on this web page which outline the process TM Forum uses to select Catalyst projects as well as offering some rules of engagement to enhance your proposal's chances of being selected.

•   Call for Catalysts opens October 18th
•   Catalyst Submissions due June 1st
•   Decision on Catalyst Submissions due June 13th
•   TM Forum Action Week July 16th-20th
•   Open Call for Additional Participants ends August 17
•   Management World Americas 2012 December 4th-6th 

No system is perfect and any scoring process is subjective by definition. However, given the thorough review process with numerous checks and balances which we use at the TM Forum, the odds are unlikely that a fabulous proposal could slip through the cracks of the Catalyst Selection Committee.

• Existing Community Activity - Experience has shown that Catalyst projects made up of participants where there are already established good working relationships in place within existing communities are most successful. As Catalyst projects operate in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation, no TM Forum member should be unreasonably refused participation in a project where the member believes they can add value. Many Catalyst projects will have competitors working directly with each other on the same project, sometimes even providing the same functionality. This is beneficial to the marketplace as it encourages implementation and adoption.

• Demonstration Environment - The Implementation environment needs to be such that it does not preclude members from becoming involved. For example, if one company is providing a test bed or other kind of environment for the project, then equal access must be available for all members.

• Company Credentials - Everyone likes to see the work being lead by pacesetter companies who are early adopters, innovators or market leaders. Where a Catalyst participant is known to us, has a proven track record and how well they have performed on previous Catalyst projects will be a factor in the selection process. We also welcome and actively encourage submissions from new members or companies that have not participated in the Catalyst program before in order to give the event audience new and fresh perspectives.

• Relationships - The Catalyst Selection Committee will consider whether the Catalyst proposal submission builds on a previous Catalyst, whether it uses or enhances other TM Forum work or leverages other standards bodies or industry groups. 

• Ability to Follow Instructions and Meet Deadlines: Please follow the instructions and complete all sections of the Catalyst proposal submission form. As the Catalyst project solutions are developed in a rapid prototyping manner, normally producing a pragmatic solution in less that six months, it is important that Catalyst participants show they can manage the tight timeframes and deliverables. 

• Is it a Relevant & Compelling Project? - TM Forum events attract a range of audiences including service providers and suppliers, fixed and mobile operators, incumbents and challengers, business executives and technologists, finance and operations personnel. It is critical, therefore, that the Catalyst proposal must feature concepts and solutions that cover the breadth of the OSS/BSS industry from business issues to technologies as well as everything in between. With the telecom's world evolving as it is, we aim for the Catalyst program to examine the management issues surrounding it's convergence with the information and media industries.
   
  Each event focuses on specific themes and a set of cutting-edge issues. Catalyst proposals that do not address these issues or are outside of the scope of the event's themes will not be selected. Occasionally we will select a proposal out of "left field", but only if it presents a unique perspective related to one of our core issues that the Catalyst Selection Committee have not seen before and think would be of interest to attendees.

• Does the proposal demonstrate areas of Frameworx that align with TM Forum's Strategic Plan ? - Catalysts that demonstrate areas that are in alignment with TM Forum's Strategic Plan have a far higher chance of being selected. In addition, if selected, these Catalysts are assigned a TM Forum mentor to provide guidance on the deliverables to be produced from the Catalyst project.

• What is the Business Value being proposed? - While there is some merit in devising wonderful solutions to technical problems, the Catalyst Selection Committee will be focused on the value to business of the Catalyst proposal. As well as economic value add, concepts such as IT capability, employee value, customer value, supplier value, channel partner value, brand value, service quality value, managerial value, and societal value will be considered.

• Catalyst Deliverables - The Selection committee will particularly focus on the results of the Catalyst project that can be reused by TM Forum members. TM Forum conducts extensive research during and after each event to determine what aspects of each Catalyst projects were fed back into the TM Forum standards and frameworks. This has given us keen insight into the types of Catalyst demos that are successful. Among the things the Catalyst Selection Committee looks for are:

• • Case Studies: Catalyst projects that demonstrate real-world examples and solutions.
  • Whitepapers, Best Practices, Lessons Learned as input to other proejcts through to Interface Specifications, Models, Frameworks & Reference Code.Whitepapers, Best Practices, Lessons Learned as input to other projects through to Interface Specifications, Models, Frameworks & Reference Code.
  • Detailed & Specific: We receive some Catalyst proposal submissions that are simply an overview of an issue. High-level presentations such as these are usually not selected unless they are in an area we have not featured before. The more detailed and specific the proposal, the more likely the Catalyst Selection Committee will select the proposal.
  • Solutions-Focused: We receive some proposals that simply describe the problem but most attendees are already aware of the key issues. What people want are proposals that provide insight into a solution or at the very least, probe the issue or problem in great detail.

• Catalyst Proposal Quality: The quality of the submission is an important part of the Catalyst process. We suggest to avoid the following common mistakes:
   
  
  • It appears to be high-level, long-winded or general. A discussion of problems with no apparent solutions being offered.
  • It's a topic the TM Forum has featured before and the Selection Committee does not think the audience will still find it interesting. A lot of these also tend to be high-level and contain nothing that is "news" any more.
  • It refers to customers, examples, or case studies but makes no mention of the customer by name.