Strategic Plan Interview/Report

Due Thursday, September 20th, 11pm CST

• Final Report
• Interview Results
• Follow-Up Meeting Notes

Interview a Director who has strategic planning experience. Select a Library Manager who has done strategic planning and some activity to understand customer needs (so you have something about which to write!) and interview her/him about the planning and execution of their library's strategic plan. Ask about the processes to develop the plan - how did they collect the data on which the plan is based? Who participates in developing, reviewing and revising the plan? Does the Vision, Mission and goals map to those of the parent (university, city or state, corporation or agency, etc.) organization and how was that accomplished? How were the plan's corresponding objectives and tactics prioritized and are they viable (sufficient resources)? What measures will determine the plan's effectiveness or even when it has been fully implemented? Does the plan include provisions for routine review? What period of time does the plan cover - 1 year / 3 years / 5 years or longer and why? Lastly, ask the manager what could have been done differently to produce a better plan.

Write a report of your findings and, using what you have learned from your readings, evaluate the quality/effectiveness of the planning process, the plan and its components, and measures of success of the plan. What, if anything, do YOU think could have been done to produce a better plan? While there is no required specific length to the report, as a minimum, content should sufficiently demonstrate you obtained answers to the above questions and have included the requested, carefully thought out argument justifying your evaluation and opinion. Submit as a Word document - see FORMATTING directions under Course Syllabus section in WebCT.

Interview Questions

1. What were the processes to develop the Libraries’ strategic plan? Was the plan based on collected data of some kind?
2. Who participates in developing, reviewing and revising the plan?
3. Do the Vision, Mission and goals map to those of the university? And if so, how was that accomplished?
4. How were the plan's corresponding objectives and tactics prioritized? Are they practical and attainable, according to the Libraries’ resources?
5. What measures will determine the plan's effectiveness -- or signify when it has been fully implemented?
6. Does the plan include provisions for routine review?
7. What period of time does the plan cover: 1 year / 3 years / 5 years or longer? Why was this length of time chosen?
8. What could have been done differently to produce a better plan? Or, what has the Library learned in this process?