The 10th Annual Library Leadership Institute Preserving our Past: Creating our Future

1. Moving Forward Strategically Implementing Assessment in Your Library 邁向前的策略: 在圖書館實施評估 Jeff Trzeciak The 10th Annual Library Leadership Institute Preserving our Past: Creating our Future Hong Kong. 16-20 March 2012.

2. Moving Forward Strategically Implementing Assessment in Your Library

3. The Problem • In libraries, we craft thoughtful, poetic strategic plans • BUT we fall down when it comes to executing and managing the Plan. • Result: Wasted time and resources, frustrated staff, tarnished image…

4. We aren’t alone..studies show… • Only 37% of staff have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve. • Only 20% see how their tasks align with their organization’s goals. • Only 20% are enthusiastic about their organization’s goals Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit, 2006.

5. The FULL Planning Cycle A- B- C-

6. The Back Story • Historically: one of few units on campus with any Strategic Plan. • Carefully crafted but: • Not always that “strategic” • Not always understood (too much jargon) • Gathered dust from year to year • Dreaded and hated

7. Time for Change • New University Librarian appointed in 2006. Jeff brought a new vision (high tech, learning-centred…)

8. Step #1: Employee Input • 2 half-day workshops (50 participants) in July ’07 • Small group discussion, then report back: • A: What will libraries look like in 3-5 years? • B: Draft a vision and mission. • C: Draft lists of initiatives

9. Step #2: Leadership Retreat • 2 days of facilitated discussion with consultant • A: Read staff input from workshop. • B: Crafted draft mission, vision, value statements • C: Re-read staff input • D: Drafted 8 very rough strategic directions (areas of focus, buckets)

10. Went public with mission, vision & values

11. SETTING GOALS & IDENTIFYING INITIATIVES

12. Step #3: Staff Workshop (Strategic Directions, Goals & Initiatives) • Two half-day workshops. • Tables assigned 1 of the 8 strategic directions. Identified key initiatives for each direction. • Used dotmocracy to determine support.

13. Step #4: Staff Teams • Spring 2008: struck 7 teams of staff (1 for each strategic direction). • Teams asked to draft (3-year) goals and action plans.

14. Completion • Teams produced slates of goals and initiatives. • Vetted by senior leadership team. • Held Town Hall for all staff. • Posted on website as our final plan. • Glossy brochure created.

15. What we did right • Lots of big new “out of the box” ideas • Involved large numbers of staff • Linked initiatives to specific goals (at least loosely) • Assigned accountability • Publicized the results

16. BUT….too many initiatives!

17. Resourcing the Plan • September 2008: Created the Organizational Analysis group • A Key Role: Oversee the planning process (including initiative management)!

18. Organizational Analysis Group

19. MANAGING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

20. Regular Reporting • Project leads expected to submit brief reports on their work 3 times a year (then file a final report). • Use Google Docs to submit • For many projects, it’s a 15-minute exercise

21. Sample Project Update

22. On the Public Website Goal Benchmarks End Date Status

23. On the Staff Side Also includes lead, team, start date. Flag changes in red.

24. BALANCED SCORECARD

25. …A new “strategy” for strategic planning… • March 2009 – McMaster embarked along with 3 other ARL libraries on the implementation of Balanced Scorecard. • Lead: Kathy Ball. • Team: Vivian Lewis, Wade Wyckoff

26. What is Balanced Scorecard? • The Balanced Scorecard translates an organization’s mission and strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for a strategic measurement and management system. • Kaplan and Norton, 1996

27. Balanced Scorecard Cycle Strong focus on communicating plan with others Quantify! Only track initiatives that enhance the Library’s ability to meet its targets

28. McMaster University Library Strategy Map Mission: advance teaching, learning and research at McMaster by teaching students to be successful, ethical information seekers, facilitating access to information resources, providing welcoming spaces for intellectual discovery and promoting the innovative adoption of emerging learning technologies Customer or User? Improve discovery of and access to scholarly resources Create world-class teaching & learning spaces Strive for exemplary service that is responsive to user needs Internal Processes Marketing and Communications Operational Effectiveness Services Enhance the Library’s commitment to strategic planning Integrate the Library into the University’s teaching, learning, and research mission Promote the Library’s reputation and role in the discovery, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge Track efficiency and effectiveness of Library programs and services Develop highly-trained, technologically-fluent superlative staff Nurture a healthy, collaborative, and dynamic work environment Learning &Growth Grow an evidence-based culture that encourages innovation and risk taking Secure appropriate financial resources to maintain a world class research library Finances Rev. July 22, 09

29. Mapping the Existing 7 Strategic Directions to the new Strategy Map Customer or User? 1 3 Improve discovery of and access to scholarly resources Create world-class teaching & learning spaces Strive for exemplary service that is responsive to user needs Internal Processes Marketing and Communications Operational Effectiveness Services Enhance the Library’s commitment to strategic planning 2 Integrate the Library into the University’s teaching, learning, and research mission 4 Promote the Library’s reputation and role in the discovery, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge Track efficiency and effectiveness of Library programs and services Learning &Growth Develop highly-trained, technologically-fluent superlative staff Nurture a healthy, collaborative, and dynamic work environment Grow an evidence-based culture that encourages innovation and risk taking 6 5 7 Secure appropriate financial resources to maintain a world class research library Finances Rev. July 22, 09

30. BSC – Will force us to be more disciplined

31. Why have measures in the Balanced Scorecard? • To show progress: how well are we doing in implementing our strategy? • To drive behaviour: what gets measured gets done!

32. Developing measures • Identified leads to develop 5 to 7 possible measures for each objective on the strategy map • Leads created small working groups (staff, faculty, students) to assist them

33. What makes a good measure? • Specific – clear, precise, accurate • Measureable – numeric and quantifiable • Actionable – results easily interpreted, you know what actions affect the measure • Repeatable – you can consistently gather data over time • Timely – appropriate frequency, readily captured and analysed

34. From strategy map to results

35. What happens to our existing stratEGIC plan?

36. Mapping it Over • Once finished, Balanced Scorecard becomes the framework for our Strategic Plan.

37. Mapping it Over

38. Exercise Working as a group share your experiences with assessment. How are you currently showing your library’s value to your university? What do you think works well? What have you discovered that does not work well? What are your future assessment plans?