Transcript E&TM Strategic Plan

“Can We Bail Out This Boat?”
Technology & Society Technical Division
Bi-Annual Operating Report
2002 Congress
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Executive Summary
The T&S Division is in trouble - it has a small and largely inactive membership
base, no secure revenue source and several threats to continued viability…
• Our primary members only total at about 550
– About a third a new members with six years of membership duration or less
– There are five identifiable customer segments
• We have no revenue source outside of our subsidy, but we are expected to start
generating revenue to meet our costs
• The division is running on a skeleton crew with many basic administration tasks
neglected
• We are delivering value to some members, but this is currently targeted at those
who attend Congress, leaving a large portion of our base unserved
• We might think we have potential to improve, but we are facing several threats to
our existence:
– Externally, our very right to exist is now being debated at the highest ASME levels
– Internally, the lack of active volunteers, knowledge of customers and a sound
management and succession plan
… If we are serious about turning this division around, we must commit
ourselves to a long term campaign and begin taking immediate action.
1
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Contents
•
Division Report
•
Appendix - Functional Assessment
2
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Membership
Our primary members total about 550 (0.5% of all non-student Society
members); Nearly a third have been Society members six years or less.
Primary Members By Age
Primary Members by Region
40
30
No. of
Members 20
Region
Location
#
%
I
New England
40
7
II
Hudson
42
8
III
Mid-Atlantic
95
17
IV
Blue Ridge
33
6
V
Great Lakes
74
13
VI
Central
38
7
VII
Northern Plains
22
4
VIII
Northwest International
30
5
IX
Pacific
52
9
X
International Southwest
46
8
XI
Southeastern
44
8
XII
Rocky Mountain
21
4
XIII
International ex NA
19
3
556
100
10
0
20
30
40
50
60
70
Member Age
80
90
100
Primary Member By Membership Duration
40
30
No. of
Members 20
10
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
ASME Membership Duration
TOTAL
Source: ASME Membership Database, July, 2002
3
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Membership
The T&S Division serves five primary customer segments from among its
primary members; only a third are practicing engineers and educators.
Primary Members By Job Title Category
Consultant
3%
Attorney
5%
Membership Segmentation
• We appear to have five primary
customer segments:
Other
5%
Project
Mgmt
6%
– 25% - 30% are business decision
makers
– 25% - 30% are technical decision
makers
– ~20% are retired
– ~10% are educators
– ~5% are attorneys
Practicing
Engineer
27%
Education
8%
• What does each segment need?
Executive
11%
Manager
14%
• How can each segment resource
be tapped?
Retired
21%
Total Members Anaylized1 = 460
Note 1: Remaining primary members did not indicate their job title
Source: ASME Membership Database, July, 2002
4
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Finance
Our means are limited; we are expected to start generating revenue in
exchange for transferring knowledge to our members and other customers.
Year to Date Financials1, through 9/30/02
Net Income:
Net Investment Gain (Loss)
($
25)
Net Expense:
Request for member data
$
35
Custodial Account Balance:
$2,990
Future Expectations2
• The Council on Engineering will undergo a
dramatic reorganization beginning with the
2004 fiscal year
• Divisions will become ‘technical units’
• Group VPs will have P&L responsibility,
accountability and ultimate authority for
their divisions
• Focus will be on cost efficiency
• Technical units will be expected to use the
most “competitive means” available to deliver
technical content
• The COE will be actively seeking opportunities
to reduce expenses, including division
subsidies
• Group VPs, with the support of their divisions,
will be expected to develop business models
that work
Note 1: ASME Fiscal Year begins on July 1
Note 2: Source: Retreat Highlights & Training, 2002 TEC Presentation
5
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Administration
The division is now running on a skeleton crew with many basic
administration tasks neglected…
• Only four active volunteers
– Three serve on the executive committee in addition to holding 1 - 3 other positions
• Several unfilled volunteer positions
– Two executive committee positions - Vice Chair and Treasurer / Secretary
– Six program and administrative chairs
– One CPA representative
– Several At-Large positions
• No current strategic or operating plan in place
– Group plan includes specific T&S objectives and high level financial targets
• Most website content last updated prior to 2000
– Several gaps in content compared to other divisions’ sites
• Victor Paschkis Founder Award not issued since 1994
– Only two known recipients since award establishment in mid ‘80s
• By-laws last revised in 1978
– Includes a laundry list of objectives, but no coherent mission statement
– Officer duties defined by a COE document that is no longer published
– Many title and name references out of date
6
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Recent Accomplishments
…But despite these obstacles, we do continue to deliver value to some
members.
• Formed a new intellectual property program committee - gathering momentum
– Critical mass around Washington, D.C. patent office and courts
– Several T&S members at the core, with more coming forward to join
• Delivered technical programs “punch well above our weight”
– Expected to deliver total of 12 technical sessions and a joint dinner with
management division at 2002 Congress
– Two sessions planned for 2003 National Manufacturing Week (March, Chicago)
• A number of other initiatives are beginning to emerge
– Technical journal, external collaborations, new conference opportunities, others
• Full T&S representation continues on several external ASME units: BPPE, H&H,
Congress Technical Committee
• Contributing to E&TM Group administration
– Well represented in strategic plan development
– Contributed Group volunteers for Nominating Committee, Congress Program Rep
(Hiroshi Honda) and At-Large member (Susanne Tinker Jones)
7
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Current Issues
We might think we have potential to improve, but our very right to exist is
now being debated at the highest levels.
• Harry Armen, ASME Governor, has recommended that COE sunset the
Engineering & Technology Management Group1. His rationale includes:
– Appearance of insufficient focus to the Group’s activities
– Lack of significant recent accomplishments that suggests lack of contribution
– Activities such as those associated with Technology and Society are highly important
and coordination and collaboration with CPA’s Boards on Government Relations and
Public Information is expected; however, this is not occurring
• Others senior leaders beyond our Group do not yet support this view; but Harry’s
views require a response; the debate will continue until the new COE organization
design is approved
• The T&S Division must contribute to the argument to keep E&TM alive by making
rapid progress toward increased focus and contribution
Note 1: Source: COE Annual Report Review Presentation, BoG Planning Meeting
(July, 2002) and subsequent communication with E&TM Vice President and others
8
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Current Issues
In addition to this immediate external threat, we have several other internal
issues that demand our prompt attention.
• The majority of our division’s mandate is not being addressed
– We currently fulfill less than one third of our required division functions (see
appendix for assessment)
– We have few customers, and our most important customers’ needs are not known
– Our current programs are largely delivered to a small fraction of our membership
who happen to attend the Congress
• We do not have a management plan in place
– We lack a coherent vision, mission, strategy, objectives or operating plan
– Our current business model results in value destruction even as we are mandated to
develop a “P&L-like” cost structure
• Number of active volunteers is well below critical mass
– Current volunteers are “overloaded” with maintenance duties with no time to create
new programs
– Numerous volunteer positions are needed but remain unfilled
• We do not have a plan for leadership succession, thus violating our bylaws
– Two executive committee positions remain unfilled
– Other members have not been confirmed by nominating committee
– We are not following the committee’s required rotation plan
9
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Near Term Strategy
If we are serious about turning this division around, we must commit
ourselves to a long term campaign and begin taking immediate action.
• First priority must be to actively seek new volunteers - without more hands, we
can not bail this sinking ship
• Our stakeholders must be sought out and their needs identified
– Division members
– Other internal ASME units
– People outside of ASME (remember, this is the Society in our division name!)
• We must initiate new programs to serve these stakeholders; the programs must
have several key characteristics:
– Real programs delivered by real people - good ideas are not enough
– Collectively support a new business model that can lead to elimination of our
subsidy
– Sustainable - heroic efforts on the part of one are not as valuable (in the long term)
as a sustained process that can be transferred to others
• We must renew our leadership by seeking our replacements now and mentoring
their development while we still have time
• Finally, we need a coherent management plan
– We must develop a compelling vision for ourselves that will drive us forward in
pursuit of a mission that we need to identify
– We need a medium term strategy to achieve this vision, and an operating plan that
supports this strategy
10
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Contents
•
Division Report
•
Appendix - Functional Assessment
11
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Division Functional Assessment
The Council on Engineering mandates 17 distinct functions for a technical
division; The T&S Division currently addresses only 6.
T&S Division Functional Assessment1
Function
Description
Rating
Comments
Conferences
Sponsor conference sessions to achieve technology
transfer
We perform consistently well in
this area
Coverage
Cover Division constituents’ entire technical area of
interest
Only one program committee is
fully functional
Learning
Promote life-long learning by developing seminars,
tutorials and, continuing education courses
No activity
Recruitment
Applications
Cooperation CMA Units
Viability
Committees
Leadership
Seek out, identify and encourage individuals interested
in new technology or applications to organize under
ASME
Cooperate with other Divisions and Societies to identify
how basic Division output may be used in products and
designs
Actively seek and implement sponsorship of joint
meetings, lectures or other functions of mutual interest
with Sections and Technical Chapters
Seek ways to become financially viable while providing
quality technology transfer through short courses,
conferences, exhibits, directories, reports, etc
Establish a sufficient number of technical committees to
cover the division's technical scope and attract more
active members
Provide active leadership in incubating, shaping and
developing the ideas, technologies, disciplines and
areas of application represented by the Division
Note 1: Based on Council on Engineering Operating Guide (1997), section 4.2.1 “Division Functions”
12
No activity
No activity
No activity
Costs greatly exceed revenues
Five committees named, two
chaired, one fully functional
No activity
2002 Congress T&S Division Report
Division Functional Assessment
The Council on Engineering mandates 17 distinct functions for a technical
division; The T&S Division currently addresses only 6 (continued).
T&S Division Functional Assessment1
Function
Description
Cooperation COE Units
Seek opportunities to cooperate with other technical
divisions through joint development of sessions, workshops,
special meetings, etc.
Identify research needs, foster their fulfillment and translate
the results by working with group Vice Presidents and the
Center for Research and Technology Development
Active relationship with other
E&TM divisions
Publication
Encourage and assist in publication of significant information
related to Division technology
No activity
Recognition
Recognize individuals with outstanding achievements in the
Division's technical field
No activity
Students
Encourage student participation in Divisional activities
No activity
Journals
Maintain quality publications and journals
No activity
Actively promote the participation of minorities and women
in the activities of the Division and its Executive Committee
Women and minorities are
represented
Research
Minorities
Rating
Provide information on new technologies and describe the
activities of the division and its officers and members by
publishing a newsletter
Note 1: Based on Council on Engineering Operating Guide (1997), section 4.2.1 “Division Functions”
Newsletter
13
Comments
No activity
Jointly with E&TM; technology
information not provided