Transcript OLA 2006 - Charting New Territory

Charting New Territory
The Library Board’s Role in Planning and Budgeting for a Successful Future
Presented by: Anne Marie Madziak, Consultant, Southern Ontario Library Service
& Debra Jackson, CEO, Haldimand County Public Library
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Presentation objectives:
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Provide an overview of a strategic planning process
Highlight the Board’s roles & responsibilities in strategic planning
Offer practical experience and solutions to some of the challenges
of strategic planning
Identify success factors in strategic plans
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE PLANNING PROCESS:
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THE PROCESS IN MORE DETAIL …
1. Prepare to plan
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Board and staff buy-in & commitment to process & outcome
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Articulate what you want out of the investment in planning;
understand planning is not a license to expect to achieve the
impossible
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Ensure resources are in place for planning process – time &
money
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Agree on process (seek assistance as necessary); set limits
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Establish small board/staff committee to oversee planning
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PROCESS CONT’D …
2. Gather information about your current situation/where you are (the
situational half of Situational Analysis);
3. Collectively make sense of the information gathered (the analysis
part of Situational Analysis).
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Situational Analysis defined:
The collective analysis of a body of information that describes
the library’s current programs and services, the library’s
mission and values, the community served by the library,
feedback from current library users, and external
environmental forces that influence or have the potential to
influence the library.
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2 important components of the definition:
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The collective analysis (“making sense” together)
A body of information coming from different directions
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The work of conducting a Situational Analysis:
PR OFil e
Sc a n
T h e c o m m u n it y
T h e E n v ir o n m e n t
Pu t it a l l
To g e t h e r !
Pr o f il e
Ga t h e r
T h e l ib r a r y
Us e r f e e d b a c k
A r t ic u l a t e
M is s io n & Va l u e s
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Articulate mission & values:
The mission is a declaration of purpose, a concise statement that tells
the community what the public library does exceptionally well that is
unique or different from what other organizations do.
Example:
London Public Library provides equitable access
to the world of information and creative expression.
The power of the statement comes from its simplicity, the fact that these
few words make it absolutely clear why the library exists and what
difference it makes to the community.
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Profile the Library:
Library Profile Worksheet:
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Accessibility of library service
Library roles and mission
Library services
Materials/ resources
Staffing
Library activity
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Gather user feedback:
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Suggestion box/ feedback form
Appeals for feedback on library website
Roaming CEO/ manager
“Talk to us” corner or table
Observation
Topical questionnaires
Exit interviews
Staff questionnaire
Staff focus group
Focus groups
Key informant interviews
Open houses/ public meetings
Surveys
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Scan the environment:
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Trends and issues in the broader library world
Trends and issues in the public/ not-for-profit sector
Social and demographic factors
Economic/ political issues
Technological advances
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Profile the community:
6 Ways to Describe Your Community:
6 ways to describe your community:
1.
2.
3.
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Social and economic factors
Lifestyles and interests
Groups and affiliations
Agencies and services
Changes occurring
Community assets
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Common sources of community
information:
Existing information:
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Census data
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Municipal and/or school planning
information
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Planning documents of local
organizations
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Telephone book yellow pages
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Bulletin board notices,
pamphlets, etc.
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Local directories
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Local & regional newspapers,
radio & cable stations
New information:
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Conversations, interviews and/or
meetings with municipal staff,
community leaders, media
personnel, representatives of
service clubs, organizations, and
agencies
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Public consultation, if needed.
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The Board’s work in conducting a SA:
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Assess type/depth of information needed for planning
purposes
Ensure information is gathered from different directions
Participate in the information gathering process, especially
regarding community information & environmental scan
Spend time agreeing on core purpose of the library and
articulating it as a succinct mission statement
Commit to reading and pondering the implications of the
information that has been gathered
Engage in a group conversation (Board & senior staff) aimed
at summarizing and making sense of the information
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The analysis part of Situational Analysis:
Make sense together:
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Discuss, exchange perspectives & impressions
Identify Key Points
Record questions
Summarize and synthesize.
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Synthesize with SWOT:
A quick, effective way of synthesizing information about the library and
the community is to identify the library’s:
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STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Strengths & weaknesses are internal, things the library has some control
over;
Opportunities & threats are external, the library controls how it responds.
The Strategic Plan will endeavour to build on strengths and opportunities,
and eliminate or minimize weaknesses and threats.
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PROCESS RECAP …
Now that you have conducted a thorough Situational Analysis and, as a
result, have a good understanding of where you are right now, it is
time to turn your attention to the future.
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What will the community look like 10 years from now?
What will the library look like 10 years from now?
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PROCESS CONT’D …
4. Endorse a vision of what success will look like in the future
– Take the time to imagine various future scenarios and develop a
shared one that everyone can buy into (board & staff); the preferred
future, describing a compelling picture of success …
“Attractive visions of the future have great power. We call the
organization that is organized around a deep sense of values,
mission and vision the essence-driven organization. This kind of
organization has tapped the energy that results from its own clarity
of direction and focus. The essence-driven organization has a
greater capacity to weather changes in marketplace and customer
demand because of the clarity of its core purpose.”
Cynthia D. Scott
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PROCESS CONT’D …
5. Identify 3-5 strategic directions
– What is the work that will close the gap between where the
library is right now (Situational Analysis) and where it wants to
be (Vision)?
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What are the major themes or thrusts that emerge when you
review the important points from the Situational Analysis?
What about your vision is not yet true?
Put it all together and identify no more than 5, preferably 3 or 4
areas of work which will serve as the building blocks for the
strategic plan (this stage is crucial Board work)
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PROCESS CONT’D …
6. Write the plan
– Writing best done by small group of staff & board (need
ownership by both)
– Develop no more than 5 objectives for each strategic direction
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An objective is a milestone that gives you information about your
progress in achieving the strategic direction
An objective:
– Makes something about the library different
– Represents a worthy expenditure of library resources (cost
benefit analysis)
– Addresses the gap between where the library is and where it
wants to be
– Serves to either improve service or build the library’s capacity
to improve service
– Is conveyed in descriptive terms that make the achievement of
it recognizable.
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6. Write the plan (cont’d)
– For each objective, identify the concrete actions necessary to
successfully achieve the desired outcome
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Assign responsibility and time line
Include measures/ indicators of progress/success
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PROCESS CONT’D …
7. Allocate the resources needed to achieve the plan
 Advocate and budget for new funding as necessary
 Reallocate existing resources as appropriate
 Consider staff time necessary to carry out the activities
outlined in the plan
 Plan and budget for capacity building as needed, eg. staff
expertise, training, technology, etc.
 Be prepared with contingencies should new resources not
become available
 Use the strategic plan to support the budget, and raise the
library’s profile, credibility and accountability
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PROCESS CONT’D …
8. Use the plan to create the future you’ve imagined
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Communicate internally as soon as the plan is endorsed by the
Board
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Make the document short – a ready reference tool!
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Develop key messages for the community and funders based on
the strategic plan
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Create annual operational plans and annual board objectives
related to the plan
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Tie strategic directions and objectives to individual performance;
give people the resources they need and hold them accountable
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Monitor progress; report regularly at Board meetings
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Reference the plan in every major decision; keep it on staff radar;
refer to it in reports & at meetings
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Celebrate successes
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Revise/ update to reflect changing circumstances, new
opportunities
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Principles of an effective (‘able-bodied’)
strategic plan:
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Futuristic – responsive to emerging trends
Desirable – appealing and worth aspiring to
Imaginable – conveying a picture of the desired future
Practical – full of concrete tasks with timelines & responsibility
assigned
Achievable – realistic; do-able and affordable
Defensible – responsive to service demands and external influences,
(ie) the plan makes sense, given the circumstances
Measurable – objective language defines success through the use of
descriptive milestones/outcomes and quantitative indicators
Memorable – concise and relevant; easy to remember and apply
Flexible – adaptable to new ideas and/or changing circumstances
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Check out … www.library.on.ca
the OLS Clearinghouse
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& the Index to Public Libraries …
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