Dr Janine Douglas Associate Consultant Information Enterprises Australia
To hone your knowledge and skills in developing helpful strategic plans for your library service .
The nature and importance of strategic thinking and planning The process of developing a strategic plan How to implement your plan How to measure your achievements
Understand the benefits of a strategic plan or framework Understand the importance of planning in the context of your library/school environment Understand and develop the components of a plan Understand and apply techniques for writing a clear and usable strategic plan or framework suitable for your library
A methodology to develop a strategic plan or framework for your school library Templates and tools to assist you in developing your plan Draft examples for a plan developed using the above methodology and the tools
Strategic planning is a tool for organizing the present on the basis of the projections of the desired future. That is, a strategic plan is a road map to lead an organization from where it is now to where it would like to be in five or ten years. (SLA, 2001. www.sla.org)
In short: Its what you intend to achieve Its how you will use your resources and the direction you will set to achieve your goals The timeframe in which you will achieve this
The Present Timeframe (WHEN) HOW you get there Desired Future (WHAT)
Better performance and purpose Accountability Better decision making & use of resources Think about the future rather than the day-to-day Focuses on the most critical issues & solutions Builds a sense of team Communication and marketing Improved understanding of your situation and environment
Cost vs. Benefits Planning can get off track Poor assessments of organisation & environment Lack of realism Too task focussed Poor group dynamics
What you want to do Mission The focus of your plan What you are capable of doing. Strengths Opportunities • Capabilities • Capacity and and What is feasible/achievable • Resources What does the service need Weaknesses Threats • Customer & stakeholder needs • STEEP influences Adapted from Barry, 1997
Get ready and get organised 1. Understand and assess the internal & 2. external environments Identify the strategic issues 3. Develop strategies to address the issues 4. Review & finalise the plan 5. Implement the plan 6. Monitor and review the plan 7.
Be clear on why you are doing this Get commitment Do you need outside help? Steering Committee and/or project leader Decide on time frame and resources Put a project plan together
What are the positives you expect to gain from the plan and the planning process? Do you have any doubts or concerns about the organisational situation at the moment? How can you address these? Do you have any mandates?
Identify your stakeholders & customer ◦ Those with a claim – resources, outputs etc Mission statement – what we do ◦ Purpose ◦ Focus on delivering for stakeholders ◦ Action-oriented Values – our beliefs and behaviours ◦ What we value ◦ How we want to do business ◦ How we will treat our stakeholders
Let’s talk about our stakeholders and customers ◦ Internal and external ◦ Their influence and interest What about your mission and values ◦ Organisational level ◦ Library service
SWOT Analysis Internal Streng engths ths Weakne ness sses Opportunities Threats External
Strengths – resources, capabilities, capacity ◦ People ◦ Skills, knowledge and expertise ◦ Finances ◦ Relationships ◦ Physical assets Weaknesses – lack and deficiencies ◦ Lack of commitment and motivation ◦ Insufficient training ◦ Salaries and conditions
Opportunities ◦ Have a positive or favourable impact Threats ◦ Have a negative or unfavourable impact Do not attempt to identify every opportunity or threat Focus on those that will have the most affect Add to and refine the list
Remember that external influences may be related to: ◦ Stakeholders & customers ◦ Your competition ◦ Your champions and allies ◦ STEEP Remember to identify the critical issues in each element of the SWOT
S ocial T echnological E conomic E nvironmental P olitical
SWOT and STEEP analysis Critical Issues
This is the core of the planning process Builds on Step 2 which identified issues related to your future This Step 3 involves analysing these determine the future directions The focus is on strategic issues – challenges facing you.
Current and existing issues Issues you may face in the near future Issues that need to be monitored – may/may not need attention
Possible approaches to identifying the strategic issues include: ◦ Critical Issues Approach ◦ Goal Identification ◦ Scenario Planning
Consider the information you have gathered thus far: What are the critical issues you need to address? What do you want to achieve in addressing them?
Builds on Step 3 Aims to develop a strategy or set of strategies for the issues To assist you to meet: ◦ Your mandates ◦ Your mission ◦ Your goals/issues
A strategy is: a pattern of purposes, policies, programs, projects, actions, decisions and resource allocations that defines what an organisation is, what it does and why it does it. Bryson & Alston, 1996
Must involve strategic thinking and action Use enough detail to allow consideration, analysis, judgement Will be an iterative process Remember the issue, the stakeholders, the environmental analysis
Think about: ◦ What are the approaches and the alternatives ◦ Are there any barriers ◦ Major initiatives which could be pursues ◦ Key actions – within existing resources ◦ Timeframes ◦ Does the strategy address the issue
Possible presentation of strategies ◦ Issue ◦ Strategic Statement ◦ Objectives ◦ Performance Measures
Possible elements of a strategic plan: ◦ Introduction, purpose, process ◦ Mission and values statements ◦ Mandates ◦ Environmental Analysis ◦ Strategic Issues ◦ Strategy/Strategic Statements ◦ Objectives ◦ Performance Measures ◦ Staffing Plans ◦ Financial Plans ◦ Implementation, Monitoring and Review Plans
Developing strategies to address the strategic issues
Decide who will be asked to review – do at the out set of the project Give them time to do so Respond to feedback Finalise the plan
Get approval from appropriate decision makers May need to discuss resources and support – get commitment Identify champions and sponsors – the earlier the better Communication Plan Celebrate your achievement
Develop yearly operational plans based on the strategic plan Monitor the plan in the light of your external and internal environment Must be aligned with budget process Seek feedback
Argenti, J. (1980). Practical corporate planning. London: Allen & Unwin. Barry, B. (1997).Strategic planning workbook for nonprofit organisations. St Paul: Fieldstone Alliance. The Bookends Scenarios: Alternative Futures for the Public Library Network in NSW in 2030.http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/publications/docs/bookendsscenarios.pdf Bradford, R. & Tarcy, B. (2000). Simplified strategic planning: The no-nonsense guide for busy people who want results fast. USA: Chandler House. Bryson, J. (1995). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organisations (rev. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Earl, M. (1999). Strategy-making in the Information Age. In W. Currie & B. Galliers (Eds.), Rethinking information systems management (pp. 161-174). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2001). The strategy-focused organization : how balanced scorecard companies thrive in the new business environment Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.
Milner, E. M. (2000). Managing information and knowledge in the public sector. London: Routledge. Mintzberg, H. (1994). The fall and rise of strategic planning. Harvard Business Review, 107-114. Orna, E. (2004). Information strategy in practice. Aldershot, Hants England: Gower. Scearce, D., & Fulton, K. (2004). What if? The art of scenario thinking for nonprofits: Global Business Network. Schwartz, P. (1998). The art of the long view : planning for the future in an uncertain world. Chichester Wiley. SLA (2001). What is strategic planning? http://www.sla.org State Library of Queensland (2009). Your library strategic plan: A guide to its development. http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/148688/SLQ_- _Strategic_Plan_Instructions.pdf Treloar, A. (2006). The Monash University Information Management Strategy: From Development to Implementation Paper presented at the Conference VALA 2006 - Connecting with Users, February 8-10, 2006 Melbourne.
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