Project Management Below are 10 articles covering various facets of DNA Project management. There is a summary of each article, to help you decide which ones you want to read. The articles are standalone pdf files that can be downloaded or printed. For each article, there is also a list of anything that has changed since publication. DNA for family history research is a new discipline, and therefore changes and/or scientific advancements occur. Your First Participants Publication: Guild Journal Published: October 2013 Author: Susan C. Meates This article covers your first participant, validating you family tree, determining the ancestral result, and an in-depth look at genetic groups including one easy schema for naming these groups. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2013Q4_Your_First_Participants.pdf Approaches and Expectations Publication: Guild Journal Published: January 2016 Author: Susan C. Meates This is a must read article for anyone with a DNA Project. The different situations that could occur for a surname historically are covered. Validating trees, determining the ancestral result, and creating Genetic Groups are covered in detail with examples. Other topics are tree to tree matches, the problems with interpreting results for haplogroup R1b, and genetic trees vs documented trees. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2016Q1_Approaches_and_Expectations.pdf Matching Publication: Guild Journal Published: July 2014 Author: Susan C. Meates This article covers the importance of setting your participants to “Match” within the project vs match to the whole database. The issue of matches with other surnames is addressed. How your participants are set for matching is very important, and impacts whether you get a lot of match emails to other surnames, or just relevant match emails for your surname and variants. The following has changed since publication: Advanced Matching no longer exists. Just toggle on their Match page to the database to see all matches in the database. Link: Article_2014Q3_Matching.pdf Convergence Publication: Facts&Genes Published: 2002, Updated January 22, 2017 Author: Susan C. Meates This article explains convergence, which occurs with Y-DNA, and an example of the process is provided. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_FG_Convergence.pdf Maximizing Success for Your DNA Project Publication: Guild Journal Published: April 2016 Author: Susan C. Meates This article covers concrete steps for Project Administrators to take to maximize their success with their DNA Project. A few of the topics are: Use the recruiting theme of discovery, keep the message simple, set up a Family Tree DNA website, if you don’t have one, review and update the DNA website annually, as well as the DNA Project Profile at Family Tree DNA, develop a standard recruiting email/letter, and raise donations to offer paid test kits. Special steps are also provided for Guild members, such as updating your Guild Profile annually, the DNA Project qualifying for a Guild logo, inviting those in the Family Tree DNA database to join the project, listing your DNA Project in the Register, purchasing test kits at a discount through the Guild, and be sure your Guild Profile links to the DNA Project website and vice versa. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2016Q2_Maximizing_Success.pdf Tips and Techniques: Genetic Groups Publication: Guild Journal Published: April 2014 Author: Susan C. Meates The article provides in-depth information on genetic groups, including the problem encountered with multiple R1b participants, whose results can be close. Convergence is described as well as approaches for managing genetic groups and the importance of validation and determining the ancestral result. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2014Q2_Genetic_Groups.pdf Drawing Conclusions Publication: Guild Journal Published: January 2015 Author: Susan C. Meates Different approaches to monitoring your progress of testing all the trees of your surname are discussed. It is helpful to have a measurement tool of some sort to evaluate your progress. The article then moves on to cover the issues involved with drawing conclusions, and the important of having tested a significant percentage of the documented trees before drawing conclusions. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2015Q1_Drawing_Conclusions.pdf Helpful Hints Publication: Guild Journal Published: October 2015 Author: Susan C. Meates This article covers Match and email settings, the new privacy and sharing features, and setting the Most Distant Ancestor (MDA). Developing a standardized format for the Most Distant Ancestor is helpful, and examples are given for a MDA format. Authorizing a test kit is also covered. An introduction to autosomal DNA testing is provided, and information about ordering test kits from the Guild. The following has changed since publication: The Guild no longer sells the Family Finder add-on to an existing test kit. You will need to order Family Finder as an upgrade on your Personal Page for your kit. Click Upgrade in the upper right. The other option is to order a Family Finder kit from the Guild. You will save money, though you will have 2 kits. Family Tree DNA shipping is now $12.95 USD per kit. The link to information about ordering test kits from the Guild has changed. For current information, click “DNA kits available from the Guild” in the menu on the left. Link: Article_2015Q4_Helpful_Hints.pdf Project Management, Part One Publication: Guild Journal Published: October 2016 Author: Susan C. Meates This is part one of a series on the project management system at Family Tree DNA, which is called GAP. The article starts with explaining the search function at Family Tree DNA, where you can determine how many people have tested with a surname, and whether a project exists for the surname. An introduction to the Project Management system at Family Tree DNA is then provided. After logging into a project, you will see a menu bar with 6 selections. The first selection, Member Reports, is covered in detail. Example member reports are provided. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2016Q4_Project_Management_Part_One.pdf Project Management, Part Two Publication: Guild Journal Published: January 2017 Author: Susan C. Meates The focus of this article is how to increase your DNA Project participants with invitations to join your project to those who have already tested and are in the main Family Tree DNA database. Almost always there are people in the main Family Tree DNA database who have tested, have a surname covered by your project, and who are not in your project. Following the steps in this article will show you how to determine how many have tested and aren’t in your project, and then the steps to take to invite them to join your project. Getting people who have tested to join your DNA Project is a fast way to increase your participants. It is usually easier to get people who have already tested to join your project, than recruiting people to test. It is important to get them to join the project, to have access to their results and family tree information. For the females, they can help recruit a male from their family tree for a Y-DNA test. These females have taken a DNA test, so they can help erase any fears a prospective participant may have. Two tips are also provided: Checking new participant results against the database to find persons who aren’t in the project whom they match, and retrieving the email address to make contact. As your project grows, consider the option of a separate Family Finder/mtDNA project. The following has changed since publication: None Link: Article_2017Q1_Project_Management_Part_Two.pdf