Standard Operating Procedure Update

[GunDOS]

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A frequent issue I see with engineering is their ability to creep into science and medical's domain using

 

Just today I saw a full medical setup being produced in front of the bridge. I very much like that.

Quote

I'm in favor of making the IAA under the joint responsibility of the Magistrate and NTR, considering the amount of overlap that the IAA has.

I made a suggestion about something similar a while ago, it was shot down fairly hard. But I love this idea,

[Anticept]

My personal thoughts on SOP:

First, there should be tiers of SOP.

The first tier isn't really SOP, but instead job specific regulations. These regulations are portions which MUST be followed, or punishable by demotion/brig time. These are items with VERY serious implications if not followed. Production of combat mechs, for example, which are not turned into the armory, creating dual+ engines in engineering, or use of contraband. These would be things that require the relevant head of staff's/captain's WRITTEN APPROVAL to make an exception for, if it were even allowed by regulations period. They would get their own crime and punishments written right there in the regulations (brig time, demotion, community service would be examples), and make an entry in space law that mandatory regulations may have their own penalties.

NOTE: Mandatory regulations would essentially be like space law. These are only a few things which, if not followed, present a MAJOR hazard to the station and crew. Mandatory regulations should be kept to a reasonable minimum and and only be written for extreme cases. The reason these aren't thrown in with the rest of space law, is it could result in a huge amount of space law bloat. It would be better to put these in with job specific information while sec continues to be concerned with general criminal activity.

Then, there's SOP which is *recommended*. Engineering backup power generation methods, for example, are *recommended*. Example: solars and turbine are backup when the engine is running ('backup' could be anything the CE decides, like if it's a solars only station and turbine is brought online). However, I do not believe these should be enforceable, UNLESS events occur in which demonstrated incompetence occur (meaning, after the fact). For example, I don't bother with solars and turbines when I have an engine running. They actually make it more difficult for me to respond to power grid problems of way the grid works. I end up having to take extra steps to detect where the failure is as a result, instead of just following the discharging APCs along the station's grid backbone. I don't stop any engineers that volunteer, but I never do them myself as I can reroute power pretty damn fast and I don't like it when captains tell me to do them and don't listen to my reasoning when I recommend against it.

Then there's actually optional SOP. This SOP is standardized suggestions for organizing departments. A head can ask their subordinate to reference it, instead of typing out a big long list of what they want done. But, the department could choose to deviate too. Delegating tasks to the medical front desk, for example, for minor injuries, while major ones are sent back to more specialized doctors, would be an example of optional SOP.

The head of staff needs to be trusted to do the work too. Captain should not be micromanaging. I admit, the captain can still get involved, but it's *recommended* that they follow the proper channels (note that *recommended!*).

Also, we need to change the SOP books that are in game. They need to reference the wiki. I think science robotics has some books that are a little out of date.

Finally, fucks sake we need to address paperwork. People are inventing giant long forms which are becoming an increasing pain in the ass just because they can. That needs to stop. I'd like standardized paperwork forms and that's it.

P.S. we really should put in space law WHY the punishments are so lenient in some cases. It really should explain that it's not meant to take an antag out of the round if they slip up on something minor. It's written around the idea of making it punishing for their mistake, but not round ending.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Anticept

[GunDOS]

Unneeded due to edits! (We really need a delete option for comments :P)

Edited April 14, 2017 by Saul Argon
Unneeded due to edits!

[Anticept]

I edited it a bit.

[GunDOS]

Quote

My personal thoughts on SOP:

First, there should be tiers of SOP. Mandatory SOP are portions which MUST be followed, or punishable by demotion/brig time. These are items with VERY serious implications if not followed. Production of combat mechs, for example, which are not turned into the armory, creating dual+ engines in engineering, or use of contraband. These would be things that require the relevant head of staff's/captain's WRITTEN APPROVAL to make an exception for, if it were even allowed. They would get their own crime and punishments written right there in the mandatory SOP (brig time, demotion, community service would be examples), and make an entry in space law that mandatory SOP may have their own penalties.

NOTE: Mandatory SOP would essentially be like space law. These are only a few things which, if not followed, present a MAJOR hazard to the station and crew. Mandatory SOP should be kept to a reasonable minimum and only apply in such extreme cases.

Then, there's SOP which is *recommended*. Engineering backup power generation methods, for example, are *recommended*. Example: solars and turbine are backup when the engine is running ('backup' could be anything the CE decides, like if it's a solars only station and turbine is brought online). However, I do not believe these should be enforceable, UNLESS events occur in which demonstrated incompetence occur (meaning, after the fact). For example, I don't bother with solars and turbines when I have an engine running. They actually make it more difficult for me to respond to power grid problems of way the grid works. I end up having to take extra steps to detect where the failure is as a result, instead of just following the discharging APCs along the station's grid backbone. I don't stop any engineers that volunteer, but I never do them myself as I can reroute power pretty damn fast and I don't like it when captains tell me to do them and don't listen to my reasoning when I recommend against it.

Then there's actually optional SOP. This SOP is standardized suggestions for organizing departments. A head can ask their subordinate to reference it, instead of typing out a big long list of what they want done. But, the department could choose to deviate too. Delegating tasks to the medical front desk, for example, for minor injuries, while major ones are sent back to more specialized doctors, would be an example of optional SOP.

The head of staff needs to be trusted to do the work too. Captain should not be micromanaging. I admit, the captain can still get involved, but it's *recommended* that they follow the proper channels (note that *recommended!*).

Also, we need to change the SOP books that are in game. They need to reference the wiki. I think science robotics has some books that are a little out of date.

Finally, fucks sake we need to address paperwork. People are inventing giant long forms which are becoming an increasing pain in the ass just because they can. That needs to stop. I'd like standardized paperwork forms and that's it.

 

*cough*

Let me try this again.

This should be added yesterday, please please please please please x9999

Edited April 14, 2017 by Saul Argon

[Anticept]

Edited a bit more. But yeah, you get the point.

[EvadableMoxie]

The only thing I feel at all qualified to comment on is medical (And Brig Doc), so I'll give my thoughts there. I think overall the SoP is pretty solid, but I have some suggestions.

Medical

Syringe guns are not permitted to be carried without express permission from the CMO, or by security to forcibly remove genetic powers from hostile forces.

There is no reason a doctor should be swiping these at the start of the shift. Basically none of the nasty shit like terror spiders or Xenos process reagents which makes syringe guns useless against them. The only legitimate use is stopping a hostile Hulk or antag with genetic powers. That isn't an issue on a majority of shifts and even it it is, just give the gun to security, it's their problem.

Removing surgery tools from the ORs is theft, unless another set of tool is already present.  This does not apply if the CMO gives permission to remove them, or the ORs are compromised and the tools must be moved to a safe location.

Occasionally you get surgeons who want to defend their titles by keeping the tools on them at all times, even when they step out of the OR.  This is selfish, and in an emergency could get someone killed.  This is somewhat covered in space law which states removing things from their departments without permission is theft even if you have access, but this clarifies it.

The Brig Physician is permitted access to Medical comms, unless otherwise objected to by the CMO.

The Brig Physician may request leave from the Head of Security (or Warden if no HoS is present) to assist Medbay in an emergency. While operating in this capacity, the Brig Physician must follow all SoP for Medical Doctors, and any issues involving treatment of patients within Medbay falls under the discretion of the CMO, rather than than the HoS. 

I feel like Brig Physician is already kind of an unofficial member of Medical since they often swipe a medical headset and are active on medical comms. I've never heard anyone have a problem with this and I actually like having a direct line to security as an MD. This just sets guidelines for how the overlap of the two departments should be handled. 

CMO

The CMO is required to secure both syringe guns at the beginning of their shift.

 

See the rant above on Syringe guns. MDs shouldn't have them, so the CMO should be securing them. If they don't, given how high traffic Medbay is, they will by stolen fairly early into the shift.

2. The Chief Medical Officer is permitted to carry a telescopic baton. In case Genetic Powers need to be forcefully removed, they are cleared to carry a Syringe Gun

I would remove this. I feel like this is basically saying the CMO is allowed to go antag hunting as long as it's a hulk. Instead, they should be giving the syringe guns to security for them to deal with it. There's also no reason to add them being permitted to carry a baton into the SoP, as this is pretty obvious and is not mentioned in any other head's SoP.

The CMO is to ensure the cloner is stocked with biomass, and the medicine storage fridge is stocked with needed chemicals by thirty (30) minutes into the shift.  If this is not done, the CMO is to take immediate action to ensure this is remedied.

The CMO is to ensure both operating rooms are maintained in proper condition, and stocked with all tools a surgeon would require to perform surgery.

The big 3 for CMOs are: Drugs in the fridge, Biomass in the cloner, Tools in the ORs. These are the problems the CMO should be looking for and fixing, so they should be stressed in the SoP.

Medical Doctor

2. Nurses should focus on helping Medical Doctors and Surgeons in whatever they require, and tending to patients that require light care. If necessary, they can stand in for regular Medical Doctor duties;

3. Surgeons are expected to fulfill the duties of regular Medical Doctors if there are no active Surgical Procedures undergoing;

This could be clarified as:

Nurse, Surgeon and Coroner denote preference or specialty, but all titles are still Medical Doctors and required to treat patients in all areas when necessary, as well as following all Medical Doctor SoP.

That's a catch all that handles it more simply and rolls coroners in.

If a surgeon is present and unoccupied in an operating room, incoming patients to surgery should be transferred to their custody. If no surgeon is present or available, the Doctor who admitted the patient may perform the surgery themselves.

This is just courtesy, but I feel it should be in the SoP.  If a surgeon is waiting in an OR I'll always give the patient over to them to treat. This way they won't have to steal the damn tools, too.

If a patent is being attended to, another Doctor may not take custody of that patient unless the attending doctor chooses to transfer custody.

I don't know why this is but some of you doctors (not naming names, but you know who you are) have a tendency to just grab people who are being treated and pull them away.  Sometimes it's a mass of bodies and it's hard to tell but I've had doctors do this on patients I'm clearly actively treating, while I'm applying medication or injecting them. I've had doctors pull awaly people I'm prepping for SR and throw them into cloning or even drag away toxin damage patients to throw them into un-upgraded sleepers.  It's really annoying.  I understand you may have a different treatment preference but let's not play tug of war with the patients. 

Geneticist

Cloning is to take priority over genetic experimentation in all cases. 

I thought this actually WAS in the SoP, but now that I'm reading it over, I can't find it. I think it might be on the job page or genetics guide.

Brig Physician

The brig physician must obtain permission from the CMO (if one is present) before removing any equipment from Medbay.

It's only polite to ask.  99% of the time the CMO will have no problem with the Brig Physician taking the scanner or even a defib, but they should be asking and ultimately it's the CMO's call.  Sometimes things get blown up or stolen and there can be shortages.

In the event of a harmful viral outbreak, the Brig Physician is required to ensure a suitable supply of cure for the virus is stored in the Brig bay and available to security. If a vaccine is developed, the Brig Physician is responsible for ensuring all members of security are vaccinated.

In the event of an infected prisoner, the Brig Physician must provide the cure to the infected prisoner on request if a cure is available.  If the viral pathogen is airborne or spreads by contact, all infected prisoners are to be cured, and all non-infected prisoners are to be vaccinated, if possible. Prisoners may not refuse to be vaccinated or cured of any harmful virus that is airborne or spreads via contact.

Some logical rules regarding viral outbreak for the Brig Physician, most of which good Brig Physicians will be doing anyway. There's nothing in SOP that says you have to cure infected prisoners but reducing the number of people who can spread an airborne or contact virus, even against their own will, just makes sense. 

[necaladun]

I really like the idea of "tiered" SoP, I think that has a lot of potential.

 

Some form of "don't do other people's jobs" would be nice as well. Stopping engineering from making mechs or cargo from doing surgery would be nice.

[Shadeykins]

Not a fan of tiered SoP, as it makes it needlessly complex.

When we first introduced SoP we made most jobs have a standard SoP across all code levels to reduce confusion - making it more complicated will make it ignored even more and harder to enforce. As always, I am HIGHLY against the NT Rep having control/authority over Internal Affairs Agents; the scope of what the NT Rep is doing and the scope of what the IAA's are doing have little crossover, the NT Rep is only to be focused on command level issues and the IAA's only to be focused on crew level issues, unless no Command member is present. If you are an NT Rep and you are performing an IAA's job, you are not doing your own and this is no different than an MD deciding they're now the brig physician - they even have completely different roles in trials, with the NT Rep mediating for the defense and the IAA being prosecution.

The NT Rep having say over the IAA's is just going to lead to collusion in the already difficult trials, and either the IAA's or the NT Rep won't be able to represent someone in a trial (when they're both supposed to be doing so). If anything SoP should make this distinction far clearer, as the general consensus by the seniors I spoke to when updating the NT Rep guide is that they really shouldn't be dealing with the chef not producing food or the bartender hosting a fight club.

1. The NanoTrasen Representative is to ensure that Departmental Heads of Staff abide by Standard Operating Procedure. The NanoTrasen Representative is not to concern themselves with Standard Operating Procedure violations committed by non-Command personnel, unless no Internal Affairs Agent is available. If a Head of Staff is not available for a Department, the NanoTrasen Representative must ensure that the Captain appoints an Acting Head of Staff for said Department;

2. The NanoTrasen Representative must attempt to resolve any breach of Standard Operating Procedure locally before contacting Central Command. This is an imperative: Standard Operating Procedure should always be followed unless there is a very good reason not to;

3. The NanoTrasen Representative must, together with the Magistrate and Head of Security, ensure that Space Law is being followed and correctly applied;

4. The NanoTrasen Representative must not, under any circumstances, attempt to interfere or intervene in an ongoing investigation being conducted by an Internal Affairs Agent. Furthermore, the NanoTrasen Representative is not permitted to give orders to Internal Affairs Agents, as they are under the purview of the Magistrate;

5. The NanoTrasen Representative may not threaten the use of a fax in order to gain leverage over any personnel, up to and including Command. In addition they may not threaten to fire, or have Central Command, fire anyone, unless they actually possess a demotion note;

6. The NanoTrasen Representative is permitted to carry their cane, or a Telescopic Baton if the cane is lost

I'm 100% in agreement with the syringe gun and OR room tools SoP suggested above.

[Kyet]

https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure

"Random searches are not permitted without express permission by either the Head of Security, Captain or Magistrate. However, searches are still permitted if there is reasonable suspicion of a crime"
If you get express permission for a search, is it random?

Genetics should be part of Science, and ONLY Science. Medical Doctors can handle cloning. Genetics is, and always has been, a job where people spend 95% of their time doing genetic research, and it is a farce to pretend otherwise. Having it split between two heads just means nobody looks in on what they're doing. They need clear accountability: which means having only ONE boss.


Clearer SOP for security handling vamps/changelings (ie: when it is OK to execute them simply for being what they are) would be helpful.


Civil disputes, xenoarch, etc should be removed from SOP, legal and otherwise, since they are unused. More generally, we shouldn't have things in SOP which are currently useless, and are only there in the hopes that they might possibly become useful one day, maybe.


"Though it does not trigger Code Delta, Nuclear Operative Nuclear Operations should still be considered as a Code Delta situation"

This is a typo? Or just terribly worded.


"In the case of a Malfunctioning AI Unit, all Security personnel are required to drop whatever it is they are doing, and proceed to neutralize the AI Unit. Any relevant help from station personnel (such as Engineers or Scientists) is not to be turned down;"

We no longer have malfunctioning AI units. We only have traitor AI units trying to activate doomsday devices. "In the case of an AI unit attempting to activate the doomsday device, ..."


"In the case of Nuclear Operatives, defusing the bomb is not recommended. Security personnel are to escort all other personnel off-station;"

Should probably be "attempting to defuse the bomb is not reccomended. If it cannot be spaced, evacuate the station by any means necessary."


"Procedures are irrelevant"

Any instance of this can be deleted.


"Emergency Response Teams are not to be called without majority approval from Command;"

Nobody follows this, ever. Scrap it?


"Emergency Response Teams officially outrank anyone short of a Central Command Officer. Unless their actions are blatantly illegal and against the best interest of NanoTrasen, the station and its crew, their orders are to be followed above anyone else's"

This treats ERTs as command authority. Most of the time, ERTs are essentially all-access grunts. Worth keeping, probably, to encourage ERT to take command of the situation... but I still feel like this misses how ERTs are actually played.


"In the event that the NTV Charon is called, all personnel are to wrap up their current task and head to the Escape Lobby within, at most, five minutes before departure;"

Nobody ever arrives 5 minutes early. Even a couple of minutes early is "early". Many people don't even arrive before the shuttle docks.


"Promotion to Acting Head of Staff requires authorization by the Captain or Acting Captain;"

I would add: "Acting heads of staff are to recieve the title of the position they are acting as. For example, someone acting as HoS should get the title 'Head of Security'. This ensures they are properly shown in the Command department on crew manifests."


"In the case of a demotion, Civilian-level access is recommended. Alternatively, jobs such as Janitor or Clown may also be used;"

Perhaps add: "Any Civilian so incompetent as to warrant demotion from the job of Civilian, is, with Captain's permission, to be terminated from NT employment entirely."


"Personnel are to report to the Head of Personnel for dismissal/demotion. Failure to do so will lead to Security detaining them forcefully;"

I would also add: "Heads of staff may help physically enforce demotions when necessary, including seizing department items from individuals being fired from their departments."


Under "Causes for Demotion and Dismissal", I would add "use of department items in a way which substantially inhibits the productivity of the station overall, such as a clown covering the main hallway with slippery items, a geneticist smashing walls, or a HoP giving out access they shouldn't"


"Deliberately opening Hazard Locks during a Fire/Gas Spill in order to open way to the Hazard is to be considered Sabotage/Grand Sabotage;"

This belongs on the Space Law page, not here. Also, nobody follows it, ever. It is arguably pointless.


In general, SOP pages shoulf follow a consistent format. Either every point should end in ";", or every point should end in ".". Probably the latter. Right now, we have some points that end in ";", some that end in ".", and some with no punctuation at the end. This last category, in particular, looks incomplete.


"Lethal force is fully authorized"

Either it is authorized, or it isn't. There is no such thing as "fully authorized", as that implies there is such a thing as "partially authorized". Which there isn't. So "fully authorized" doesn't exist either. In the words of Yoda: "Do [authorize], or do not [authorize]. There is no try [authorize]."



COMMAND: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Command)

"If a Department lacks a Head of Staff, the Captain should make reasonable efforts to appoint an Acting Head of Staff, if there are available personnel to fill the position;"

This should require proper title for the person being appointed. It might also state that the appointment is temporary until an actual head arrives.


"The Head of Personnel may not leave their office unmanned if there are personnel waiting in line."

I would prefix this with "at the start of the shift". Later on, it is perfectly reasonable to talk to the person over radio before deciding whether to go back to the office. HoPs should not be required to return to their office every single time that someone asks for them. Many (most?) requests later on in a shift are going to be denied anyway, due to code red and other factors.


"The NanoTrasen Representative must attempt to resolve any breach of Standard Operating Procedure locally before contacting Central Command. This is an imperative: Standard Operating Procedure should always be followed unless there is a very good reason not to;"

I would add: "Repeatedly contacting CC about matters they have failed to take up with local authorities is considered to be wasting CC's time, and grounds for CC demoting them."


"Blueshield Officer"

I would add a new point: "The Blueshield is not permitted to ask for all-access, especially at the start of the shift, unless the station is at code red or higher."



ENGINEERING: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Engineering)

"The Chief Engineer is permitted to grant Building Permits to crewmembers, but must keep the Station Blueprints in a safe location at all times"

Do blueprints allow the user to see where pipes/wires/etc WOULD BE in normal layout? If they do, this is a very valuable function that would greatly assist station repairs, and there should be a SOP exception allowing the CE to carry them for this purpose.


MEDICAL: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Medical)

The CMO might benefit from a requirement that they keep the cloner stocked with biomass. It is perhaps their most important job - without it, players stay dead / out of round for ages. Just like the RD has to ensure research is done, as it is their most important job, so the CMO should have to ensure the cloner is stocked, as that is the most important thing in their department.


"Xeno Organs may be harvested at will, but may not be implanted without express permission from the Chief Medical Officer"

RD, surely? Do we even want to allow Xeno organ implantation in SOP? They're usually used to listen to alien hive comms and totally wreck xeno infestations. Or to allow crew to play as pseudo-queens.


SCIENCE: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Science)

"The Research Director is not permitted to authorize Anomalous Artifacts to be brought onto the station prior to full testing and cataloguing;"

There are no such things as "anomalous artifacts". Xenoarch was removed. SOP should reflect this. "It might get re-added one day" is not a good reason to keep it in SOP now.


"The HONK Mech is not to be constructed without full approval by the Research Director and Captain;"

The Reticence (mime mech, that can create invisible walls, and has a silenced light machine gun) should be classified as a combat mech in point 2.


"The Roboticist is freely permitted to construct Cyborgs and all assorted equipment;"

What about illegal borg modules? They're VERY powerful - they give sec borgs an infinite lasergun.


"Scientists are not permitted to bring Anomalous Artifacts aboard the station without express verbal consent from the Research Director. Regular Xenoarchaeological artifacts are permitted;"

Delete, as above.


Exotic Implants

THis section should be its own page, and it should be linked to by both the Medical and Science SOP pages. That way there is only one copy, and we don't risk two copies getting out of sync with each other.


SECURITY: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Security)

"3. Security Officers may forcefully relocate crewmembers to their respective Departments if necessary;"

This never happens, ever.


SERVICE: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Standard_Operating_Procedure_(Service)

3. Botanists are not permitted to cause unregulated plantlife to spread outside of Hydroponics or other such designated locations;

Perhaps add "this includes glowshrooms". It should be obvious, but everyone ignores it.


Chaplain

Perhaps add: "The Chaplain is not permitted to act as a crusader, e.g: wandering maint carrying a weapon and wearing templar armor, unless authorized to do so by security."


Janitor

Perhaps add: "When cleaning main hallways, and other high-traffic locations, space cleaner is to be preferred over water whenever it is available. Making primary hallways unnecessarily slippery is an unnecessary interruption for crew. Janitors should strive to clean unobtrusively, rather than being an inconvenience."


LEGAL: https://nanotrasen.se/wiki/index.php/Legal_Standard_Operating_Procedure

For IAA, perhaps add: "The faxing of crude or insulting material to Central Command is grounds for the immediate termination of the IAA's employment contract, and life."

For Magistrates, "Magistrates have the final say on whether or not Trials take place" conflicts with "Security can and should refuse legal representation to a person, even if the Magistrate orders a trial".

For trials, "4) Find a location. Normally, this ends up being the Holodeck" should probably reference the courtroom, added in brig remap, not the holodeck.

[EvadableMoxie]

7 hours ago, tzo said:

Genetics should be part of Science, and ONLY Science. Medical Doctors can handle cloning. Genetics is, and always has been, a job where people spend 95% of their time doing genetic research, and it is a farce to pretend otherwise. Having it split between two heads just means nobody looks in on what they're doing. They need clear accountability: which means having only ONE boss.

 

 

If this is going to be the case, Medical needs another way to acquire humanized monkeys for transplants and brain transfers.  It's hard enough sometimes with Genetics on medical comms and answerable to the CMO.  MDs shouldn't be dependent on an entirely seperate department to do their job.

Edited April 15, 2017 by EvadableMoxie

[Purpose2]

@TullyBBurnalot - it might not get merged, but so far has a ton of support, https://github.com/ParadiseSS13/Paradise/pull/7014 - making Coroner a full role in itself. Probably worth reviewing their SOP too as part of this.

[Sothangel]

8 hours ago, tzo said:

"Personnel are to report to the Head of Personnel for dismissal/demotion. Failure to do so will lead to Security detaining them forcefully;"

I would also add: "Heads of staff may help physically enforce demotions when necessary, including seizing department items from individuals being fired from their departments."

This does not sit easily with me; giving head a license to baton, cuff and strip people. We're getting legally grey there.

[Shadeykins]

@tzo Genetics is completely unessential for science, yet has mechanics that are absolutely required for medical procedures that *need* to happen in a lot of instances. This isn't even to mention science creep. Genetics should be a part of medical if anything, because it contributes nothing necessary to science but it has things that are absolutely necessary for medical (Clean SE's, and humanized monkeys).

[Dinarzad]

Quote

 As always, I am HIGHLY against the NT Rep having control/authority over Internal Affairs Agents; the scope of what the NT Rep is doing and the scope of what the IAA's are doing have little crossover, the NT Rep is only to be focused on command level issues and the IAA's only to be focused on crew level issues, unless no Command member is present.

This is almost literally saying that the NT Rep is the IAA of Command and the IAA handles everyone else. That's *far* from "Little crossover" if anything that's an almost complete crossover, and even MORE reason the NT Rep should be the one to oversee the IAA in addition to/instead of the Magistrate.

[Love-To-Hug]

Shared department, imo. Here's what I'd do: Magistrate has priority on law. NT Rep has priority on SoP. Both can do terminations, but if one disagrees with a termination the HoS or Captain is the tiebreaker.

[SomeGuy9283]

1 hour ago, Love-To-Hug said:

Shared department, imo. Here's what I'd do: Magistrate has priority on law. NT Rep has priority on SoP. Both can do terminations, but if one disagrees with a termination the HoS or Captain is the tiebreaker.

The representative should be staying out of normal SOP violations, he has a bunch of moronic command staff.

The magistrate is in charge of the IAAs because he actually has authority behind demands for arrest. That and SOP and SL infractions tend to go hand in hand.

And, just speaking generally, I do not foresee any sort of joint-department solutions going well, both 'heads' will be pulled away from their intended duties.

[Jovaniph]

I'm against any job with shared departments. Who the hell wants to be under two or more bosses? Let's keep it simple and state that in the SoP.

[Deanthelis]

Fax Machine Operation Standard Operating Procedure

1. Transmission of a message utilizing the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine implies that the individual(s) transmitting the message (hereafter referred to as the 'User(s)') agrees to follow the Fax Machine Operation Standard Operating Procedure and consents to the punishments, restrictions, limitations, bans, or other consequences, negative or otherwise, listed herein or within any official response by Nanotrasen Central Command to the aforementioned User(s) or those empowered by an official response to carry out the will of Nanotrasen Central Command at that time. A 'Message' is any information, be it visual, text, auditory, olfactory, telepathic, trinary, encrypted, unencrypted, in a quantum state, or any other form, so long as it is possible for information to be passed from the User(s) to Nanotrasen Central Command, that is delivered to Nanotrasen Central Command by a Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine.
2. User(s) will verify their identity in any outgoing message to Nanotrasen Central Command by providing the following information and adhering to the following steps. Nanotrasen Central Command may terminate, demote, ignore, deny, or penalize User(s) who fail to properly verify their identity in this manner.
   1. Written messages must be addressed appropriately; an appropriate address includes, at the minimum, a header containing the vessel, outpost, station, or facility of the message's origin and the intended destination of the message;
   2. Written messages must include the current date in an appropriate format, i.e. DD-MMM-YYYY, and time relative to the location of the User(s), i.e. HH-MM-SS-MS. If possible, the User(s) should include the reference frame of the vessel, outpost, station, or facility of the message's origin, to assist in location triangulation in case Nanotrasen Central Command deems intervention or assistance necessary.
   3. Written messages must include the full name and account ID of the User(s). Attaching a photo showing the User(s) and their surroundings is not required, but is highly recommended to prove that the User(s) is/are not under duress.
   4. Written messages must be stamped in triplicate with a stamp representing authority at or above the workstation the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine is located in. If a message is at all related to a Nanotrasen Standard Issue Clown, the Clown stamp is required in triplicate in addition to any other authorization stamps. Similarly, any written message transmitted to Nanotrasen Central Command by a Nanotrasen Standard Issue Clown, even tangentially or via another individual, must be entirely composed of yellow or rainbow crayon. See Nanotrasen Workplace Morale Association Document #2282-33-45-A for additional information.
   5. Written messages must be signed by the User(s) in at least two places, one of which must be at the end of the message, followed by the Nanotrasen logo. Failure to include the logo represents a direct compromise of security and may result in termination of the User(s)' contract.
   6. If the User is a member of the Nanotrasen BureauClone Program, they must provide their Clone Identification Number in addition to part 2.3. Failure to provide this information will result in termination on grounds of programming malfunction.
3. Messages must be clear in their intent and provide reasoning within the message justifying the cost of transmitting the message.
4. Messages must be free of spelling and grammar errors, and may only be transmitted in a language other than Galactic Common if it utilizes another language as part of a form of encryption, and this encryption may only be used if the User(s) have tangible evidence of a malevolent entity or entities capable of spying on the messages in transit.
5. Messages may not, under any circumstances, be written in blue ink. Red ink should be used in place of black ink during a nuclear emergency only. In all other circumstances, ink used in a written message must be black; crayons do not use ink and are not subject to these restrictions, but may only be used in yellow or rainbow, and only by or on behalf of a Nanotrasen Standard Issue Clown; see part 2.4.
6. Messages may not, under any circumstances, include a photo of a posterior or synthetic QR code. The Automatic Interstellar Disintegration System (AIDS) will attempt to terminate the User(s) with Bluespace Artillery rounds should this occur, and the cost of repair and sanitization of the workstation containing the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine used to transmit such a photo will be taken from the User(s)' credit account and Nanotrasen Life Insurance policy. Similarly, such a photo automatically voids the User(s)' Life Assurance Policy, and an individual reviving the User(s) may be subject to termination.
7. Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machines may not, under any circumstances, be used to send trivial or unimportant messages to Nanotrasen Central Command. Failure to adhere to this protocol three times may result in termination.
8. The appropriate procedure for transmitting a message via a Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine is as follows:
   1. Compose the message.
   2. Ensure the message meets all of the above protocols and regulations, as well as any additional protocols, rules, procedures, regulations, instructions, orders, or other authoritative commands specific to the User(s)' occupational responsibilities or tasks, species, or special circumstances.
   3. Repeat part 8.2.
   4. Attach any supporting documents, photos, transcripts, etc. in the order they are referenced in the message (if any).
   5. Place the message in the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine, footer first, with the content of the document facing the front of the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine.
   6. Insert the Identification Card (ID) with the highest authorization level among the User(s) authorizing the message in the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine, in the appropriate slot. The slot is keyed; do not attempt to force an ID into the slot in the incorrect orientation, as this may damage the ID, the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine, or the User(s).
   7. Press the 'Log In' button with one to three fingers. If the User(s) do(es) not possess fingers, a substitute may suffice so long as it will not damage the Nanotrasen Standard Issue Fax Machine.
   8. Ensure the connection to Nanotrasen Central Command is established. If a message has been recently transmitted, this may take several minutes.
   9. Submit the message.
9. Once a message has been sent, a photocopy of the message in its entirety is to be created (if possible; avoid attempting to photocopy olfactory or telepathic messages) and stored in a secure location, preferably a Nanotrasen Standard Issue File Cabinet or Nanotrasen Standard Issue Secure Briefcase.
10. Nanotrasen Central Command is not obligated to respond to any given Message. Do not send a duplicate message more than once every 30 minutes relative to the User(s)' location, to avoid scrambling by spatial distortion.

[Anticept]

@tzo I still vehemently disagree with your belief that genetics should be science. They do fit a duality, which is probably how we got here in the first place, but the end result, as well as some of the important mechanics, are medical. Same with virology; t's a research type of job (RNG heavy but none the less), but it is ultimately still medical. Further, they often need to deal with radiation and mutation treatments; something that is a better fit for medical access for the refrigerator, than using scichem.

If not made as part of medical, then honestly, I think that we should stop interpreting the fact that the geneticists answer to two heads as a "requires both of their approvals," and instead state simply that they have two bosses, both with full and INDEPENDENT rights.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Anticept

[Jovaniph]

@Deanthelis That's too much snowflaking for sending a simple message to the admin. The only thing that should be required is grammar/spelling, sign and stamp. In addition to making sure your letter is well documented of issues and not a demand for something. Request are accepted.

[GunDOS]

@Deanthelis as somebody who plays NT Rep every shift. I can tell you that is not feasible. Even if you copy-paste your paperwork like I do. From my own experience, it takes 1-3 minutes for me to write a fax to central. If we used your message formatting I could see it takeing upwards of ten minutes.

Quote

Written messages must include the current date in an appropriate format, i.e. DD-MMM-YYYY

Sadly, this is impossible in the game at this minute. As we do not have anything to reference what day it is. (E.G, is each shift a day? Or is it just one shift in a day)

[Shadeykins]

On 2017-04-15 at 1:59 PM, Dinarzad said:

This is almost literally saying that the NT Rep is the IAA of Command and the IAA handles everyone else. That's *far* from "Little crossover" if anything that's an almost complete crossover, and even MORE reason the NT Rep should be the one to oversee the IAA in addition to/instead of the Magistrate.

No, it isn't.

This is the same damn thing as the Captain not being allowed to micromanage departments and there being a barrier/separation between the Captain and the regular crew. The NT Rep isn't on the station to deal with the chemist's pissing match with the Coroner, that's what IAA's are for. Honestly if the NT Rep is caught up in stupid little complaints instead of making sure Command is following SoP, they should probably be bwoinked for taking a job and then faffing around and not doing it. By not making this important distinction you give the NT Rep carte blanche over the entirety of the station, a person who can't be fired without admin assistance to boot.

This isn't even to get into the absolute nonsense that is karma-gating someone who runs a department or having "joint departments". You do realize the NT Rep is subordinate to the HoP, yes? And by allowing the NT Rep control over the IAA's you by extension grant the HoP de facto control over them as well? This isn't even to get into the fact that IAA's will suddenly be able to tell both the HoS, Magistrate, and NT Rep to fuck themselves because they've got three bosses - none of which are ever going to all agree together to do something about a problem IAA.

And no, Magistrate does not set a good precedent for "karma-gating" departmental heads. It leads to entitled behaviour where people think they're the ultimate boss and have been granted gods power to shout down from the heavens at the peons. Probably 50-60% of magistrates I've ever seen have job bans.

There are damn good reasons why NT Rep's don't have control over IAA's.

[Doukan]

Can we throw something in there about who is responsible for civilians and what their expected (if any) behaviour is? if only to have to something to point to when greyshits pull the old "it's my job to do nothing" card.

They're technically not crew, or are they? They're semi-stateless ATM. Ideally they'd be given minimum rights of course.

[Happy Tim]

Tiered SOPs sound kinda cool, although we are stepping in a territory that bugs me a little bit: our station is sometimes trying to be more lawful than God damn Federation from Star Trek. And yes, I know - it's a game and we need rules, but I feel that dertain violations of the SoP should have more IC consequences. I really like, when CC takes action against something or when tension exist but I understand how annoying it can be for admins. I'm just wondering how much can we stretch the SOP to not actually loose that bit of shadyness that we love in NT. 

As for the Civies, HOP has already ton of stuff to do and while technically being responsible for civvies... well, we all know how it is. Maybe we should assign a new role/authorize existing one to be able to do something about so called "human resources"? How about making Heads of staff being able to recruit people to their departaments on their own? I know it may be crazy, but maybe there is a way to handle it.