charting your organization’s course for the future
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Charting Your Organization’s Course for the Future
This workshop is based on national museum standards from the StEPs program offered bythe American Association for State and Local History. StEPs is a self-study program created specifically for small- and mid-sized history organizations.
www.aaslh.org/steps
Funding to develop materials for this workshop was provided by:
“We learned much about ourselves and we are confident that our organization can make effective use of the program.”
George Squibb, Belfast Historical Society, Maine
What is StEPs?• Self-study program• No eligibility requirements• No application and no deadlines • For organizations that do not feel ready for other assessment programs
Flavia Cigliano, Nichols House Museum, Boston
How Your Organization Can Benefit From StEPs
Learn more about standards Plan for the future Support funding requests Justify decisions Track accomplishments Articulate progress Increase credibility Prepare for other assessment programs Be recognized for your success!
“With the basic, good and better levels, the workbook became a valuable educational experience for us and helped us set goals for the future.”
Example
Stewardship of CollectionsStandard: The museum legally, ethically,
and effectively manages, documents, cares for, and uses the collections.
Self-assessment question: Are there written procedures for acquiring, borrowing, and lending collection items?
Performance Indicators
Basic a. The institution uses a written donor
form for artifacts and archives items accepted into its collections.
b. The institution uses a written loan agreement for each in-coming and out-going loan transaction that involves collection items.
c. All loans are for a specified time period.
Gooda. There are written procedures for
acquiring, borrowing, and lending artifacts and archives items included in the collections policy.
Bettera. The institution reviews and updates its
procedures on a regular basis.b. The institution requires condition
reports for all in-coming and out-going loans.
StEPs Enrollment
One-time fee of $150*320-page workbook Active ongoing enrollment Bronze, Silver and Gold
certificates**
Window decal
*Non-members pay $265, includes one-year membership**Must maintain active institutional membership to receive certificates
More BenefitsNational recognition for certificates earned20% discount on AASLH technical leaflets10% discount on AASLH workshopsAccess to StEPs website offering sample
forms, policies, job descriptions and other documents plus discussion forum, and calendar of training opportunities
“We can demonstrate to county officials thatwe are following national museum standards.”
www.aaslh.org/steps
• Link to free info webinar• Enrollment information• Sample workbook pages • Info sheet for boards• “Are We Ready for StEPs?” info sheet
Rob Orrison, Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, Bristow, Virginia
What We Will Cover inThis Workshop
Why is planning essential for healthy organizational development?
What is strategic planning? How does it differ from long range planning?
Planning terminology and how terms fit together and support each other
The elements and sequencing of a planning process Strategies for making a strategic plan stick in your
organization How to establish criteria for success and evaluate
their plan’s effectiveness
Is Your Organization…In a malaise?Struggling with lack
of a direction?Dealing with a
bored board or one going in twenty directions at once?
Unable to stick with critical projects or decisions?
Is…
Staff in a rut, on a hamster wheel or going in twenty directions at once?
Burnout level is high?Leadership weak or directionless?
Do…
Things get accomplished at the last minute or not at all?
You feel like your drowning in new ideas?
If You Answered YES to One or More of These Questions, Ask Yourself
Does our organization have a written strategic or long range plan?
If we do, why aren’t we making it work for us?
Why is Planning Essential for Healthy Organizational
Development? Harness limited resources and put them to best
use Focus everyone on common goals and common
directions for achieving those goals Done well, provides opportunities for
stakeholder input Helps organization achieve greatest mission
impact Provides yardstick to measure effectiveness Attracts support What else?
Planning Can Help Organizations Address Issues of:
SurvivalAchieving the
missionReality checkFocusConsensus &
ownershipEffectivenessLeadership
review
What is Strategic Planning?How Does it Differ From Long
Range Planning?
Terms used interchangeably, but each is different
They Share Basic Elements, such as:
Mission as plan’s overall driver
Strengthening internal weaknesses
Setting targets to meet over time
Primary Differences:
Strategic planning requires tough choices about using resources for greatest mission impact
Long range planning assumes all current activity will go forward as long as it supports some aspect of the mission
Planning Terms
VisionMissionGoals: strategic goals and
business goalsStrategies: activities chosen to
meet goalsTasks: specific steps that make
up each activity in a strategy
Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process
Step 1: Do Your Research Internal assessment of strengths and
weaknessesExternal assessment involving community
and stakeholders
Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process
Step 2: Invest in Deep Discussion
• Melds your research with future hopes and dreams
Critical opportunity for outside voices to be heard
Builds momentum for the work ahead
The Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process
Step 3: Goal Identification
The Elements and Sequencingof a Planning Process
Step 4: Strategy Development and Timeframing
Some Criteriafor Choosing Strategies(helps with goals, too!)
Is the need for this critically important and/or will continue to exist over the longer term?
We can measure this by the level of response from surveys and focus groups we regularly conduct this year.
Is it likely to receive full commitment from key stakeholders - are its benefits explicit and compelling?
We can measure this by the # of stakeholders who underwrite and/or volunteer for this project.
Does it enhance our reputation, credibility and leadership position?
We can measure this by: # of people and organizations who contact us for information, advice, opinions; the # and quality of requests we receive to be part of other organizations’ work; the # of loan requests we receive in a year.
Are we uniquely positioned to make a significant contribution - is this better done by us than someone else?
We can measure this by: the # and quality of partnerships we are asked to engage in.
Does it provide an entry point to other strategic relationships or work?
We can measure this by the # and quality of new relationships started.
Is it consistent with or does it complement existing initiatives and/or priorities?
Can we measure this by the # of existing projects that were refreshed, enhanced or expanded by new projects; was there seamless integration?
Did workloads ultimately remain the same or lessen while the product got better?
Making Your Plan Stick
The annual work plan is the glue for making this all stick
Tasking short-term and ongoing strategies annual work plan
Making Your Plan Stick
Timeframe your strategies!Short-term: strategies to be
undertaken in years 1-3 of the planMid-term: strategies to be undertaken
in years 2-4 of the planLong-term: strategies to be
undertaken in years 3-5 of the planOngoing
Making Your Plan Stick
Annual Work Plan consists of only the first year of short-term and ongoing strategies
Tie Annual Work Plan to annual budget development
Review/update strategic plan at the same time
Making Your Plan Stick
Every planning committee member serves on or leads a committee
Making Your Plan Stick
Restructure standing committees; add new committees to meet plan’s needs
Job descriptions for committee and task force members mirror plan’s goals and strategies
Orient all of the organization’s committees to the plan
Making Your Plan Stick
Build board and staff meetingagendas around the goalsand strategies ofthe plan
Making Your Plan Stick
Develop easy ways to track key achievements
Making Your Plan Stick
For the first year, formally review the strategic plan at both the 6-month and 12-month intervals
Establishing Criteria for Success
Determine performance criteria in advance, then use it as the yardstick to measure how well you’re meeting criteria
Evaluating success becomes performance-based, not personal
Provides critical distance for making decisions about staff, committee and board member responsibilities
Is the need for this critically important and/or will continue to exist over the longer term?
We can measure this by the level of response from surveys and focus groups we regularly conduct this year
Is it likely to receive full commitment from key stakeholders - are its benefits explicit and compelling?
We can measure this by the # of stakeholders who underwrite and/or volunteer for this project
Does it enhance our reputation, credibility and leadership position?
We can measure this by: # of people and organizations who contact us for information, advice, opinions; the # and quality of requests we receive to be part of other organizations’ work; the # of loan requests we receive in a year.
Are we uniquely positioned to make a significant contribution - is this better done by us than someone else?
We can measure this by: the # and quality of partnerships we are asked to engage in.
Charting Your Organization’s Course for the Future
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