Overview

Date:  September 5, 2015

The following annotated outline lays out the basics of the planned Metropolitan Library System strategic planning process for fall 2015 and spring 2016. A list of additional notes and definitions follows the outline.

1. Draft Strategic Outline and Principles (08/21/2015 – 09/16/2015)
   The Executive Director will draft and present a preliminary version of a document known as the Strategic Outline and Principles (SOaP) to the Leadership Team and the X-Change (All supervisors). The purpose of the SOaP is to provide the organization with a set of enterprise-wide statement by which all Library activities, projects, and goals will be governed. The SOaP will include the Library’s:
   
   1. Mission statement, which articulates the organization’s reason-to-be;
   2. Vision statement, which outlines the better future for which the organization is working;
   3. Values statements, which express our shared beliefs and behaviors that guide our actions and decisions – they are non-negotiable, and all staff must accept and live them;
   4. 20-year goal (what Collins and Porras in Built to Last called the BHAG - Big Hairy Audacious Goal), which serves as a clear and compelling finish line that underlies our larger aims.

      The Executive Director will present the initial draft of the SOaP to the Leadership Team for initial review and comment at the group’s , September 16 meeting.

2. Distribution of the SOaP to Metro Library staff (09/17/2015)
   After the Leadership Team’s initial revisions are made, the Executive Director will distribute the SOaP to the entire Metro Library staff for consideration and comment. This version will include an explanation and rationale describing why each part of the document was created and how it will be used by the Library staff to create goals and craft action/business plans.
3. Visit regions/departments and strategic partners (09/15/2015 – 10/09/2015)
   Following the distribution of the SOaP to all staff, a page on the Intranet will be set up to record comments, questions, concerns, and other ideas regarding the document. The Executive Director and appropriate (and available) Leadership Team members will visit with the staff of departments and libraries (in as many regions as possible) to discuss the purpose of the document and get feedback. Notes will be kept on each meeting and posted on the intranet for review by all.
4. Leadership Team Retreat (10/12/2015 – 10/13/2015)
   The Executive Director will visit with a number of the Library’s strategic partners to get feedback on the SOaP. This feedback will be shared with the Leadership Team during its retreat at which the group will discuss the proposed changes. The finalized draft of the SOaP will be prepared for later approval by the Metropolitan Library Commission (MLC)’s Long Range Planning Committee at regularly scheduled meeting.
5. Review SOaP with Long Range Planning Committee (10/15/2015 – 12/01/2015)
   The Executive Director will present a draft of the SOaP to the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) for review and comment. This will be an interim step to ensure that the Committee is involved in the planning process. Additionally, the LRPC will make a recommendations for edits or areas of focus.
6. Creation of Strategic Goals and Measures (10/16/2015 – 12/01/2015)
   Once the finalized draft of the SOaP has been completed, the Leadership Team will begin working with Orange Boy to develop the organization’s Strategic Goals and Measures that will be used to set direction and determine progress. The 5-year Goals will be the basis for all annual and shorter-term business planning and budget development, while the Measures will provide us with a framework for organizational assessment. The Goals and Measures will be presented to the staff for feedback prior to the Leadership Team signing-off on them and combining them with the SOaP for approval by the LRPC and the MLC .
7. Review SOaP and Goals with Long Range Planning Committee (12/01/2015-12/10/2015)
   The Executive Director will present the updated Strategic Outline and Principles and the Strategic Goals (collectively known as the Strategic Plan) to the LRPC. The Committee will make revisions and will approve a recommendation they will take to the MLC at the December 17, 2015 meeting.
8. Approval by the Commission (12/17/2015)
   The Strategic Plan will appear as an agenda item for consideration by the MLC.
9. Develop the Business Plans (12/18/2015 – 3/01/2016)
   Following the approval of the Strategic Plan by the Commission, department heads and staff will work with Orange Boy to develop the Departmental Business Plans. Each Business Plan will identify specific initiatives and projects designed to achieve the Goals and to fulfill the SOaP. The Business Plans will be presented to the Leadership Team for approval. The Library’s annual budget will be built around the approved Business Plans, ensuring that resources are allocated to deliver the planned results. While the Commission will not approve the individual Business Plans, the Administration will provide them to the Commissioners and will include supporting documentation to the Finance Committee and the full Commission as part of the FY2016-17 Budget process.
10. Quarterly Assessment (09/10/2016; 11/10/2016; 02/10/2017; 05/10/2017; 08/10/2017)
    The Leadership Team, assisted by Orange Boy will develop quarterly planning and budgetary assessment meetings using metrics designed during the business planning phase. The Leadership Team will utilize these meetings to adjust tactical efforts to achieve strategic initiatives. The results of these meeting will be presented to the Commission as informational items on its agenda.
11. Annual Assessment (08/17/2017)
    Following the close of the fiscal year, the Executive Director will provide the Commission with a full review of organizational achievements and budgetary compliance to assess the Library’s ability to deliver on planned results.

Additional Notes and Definitions:

1. Public Input – Unlike many strategic planning processes which gather customer input on the front end of the plan in order to establish the organization’s mission, vision, goals and objectives, this process gathers public input in order to create tactical business plans after the strategy has been adopted. This approach is based on the belief that the Commission and Library Leadership – informed by staff across the System -- is best positioned to understand the Library’s strategic opportunities and make high-level decisions that impact the organization’s direction. Likewise, customer or member input will be most informative the closer it is to the prospective service, program, or initiative. Therefore, the Library will utilize public input through surveys, focus groups, and other market analysis tools to help select, design, and customize products and services that will fulfill the needs articulated in the Business Plans.
2. SOaP as Policy – The Strategic Outline and Principles will be adopted by the Library Commission, and will therefore become policy. We will use it to inform all system-wide decisions, including hiring, performance management, and partnership development.
3. Members – Organizationally, we will be moving to the word “member” and away from “customer.” This change is based on the belief that a member is engaged for multiple reasons and in a variety of circumstance, while a customer is only engaged transactionally (when they are getting or using something). We believe that this will open up new opportunities to interact with our members.
4. Consultant – Library Administration has been working with Orange Boy, a consultant that focuses on identifying opportunities based on market and business data. Orange Boy has worked with dozens of libraries including Pioneer Library System, Tulsa City-County Library System, Austin Public Library, and Columbus Metro Library System in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to providing and assisting staff in culling through data, Orange Boy will also be assisting in the development of departmental business plans that will identify specific targets for the organization. This will be monitored through a data dashboard to provide us the ability to analyze our ability to achieve our tactical and strategic goals.
5. SOaP – The Strategic Outline and Principles, or SOaP, is the first part of the Strategic Plan, consisting of the Mission, Vision, Values, and a 20-Year Goal (what Jim Collins and Jerry Porras called a BHAG – Big Hairy Audacious Goal, in their book Built to Last). The purpose of the SOaP is to set the stage for the full Strategic Plan which will also include the Strategic Goals and measures.