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Planning with numbers
- 1. Planning with Numbers: Building Assessment into Projects Ready, set, assess!
- 2. In the old days Get an idea. (Maybe) draft a plan. (Maybe) confer with a colleague or two. (Maybe) talk to some other people. Do it. Sit back and receive kudos, watch enjoy the improved service/collection/space.
- 3. How did you know the project was appropriate for your library? Did it fit larger library or institutional goals? Could you articulate its costs and benefits? Who was supposed to benefit from this project? Did they know it was happening? Did they realize how it was supposed to improve their library world? How was the project deemed a success? Or failure? But
- 4. Enter: Assessment! Create clear goals - tie your project to strategic plan, give your project potential for success. Create clear measures for assessing success. Ensure key stakeholders are central to these goals and measures. Mitigate negative issues created by change. Create a plan with stop-and-measure points along the way = adjustments can be made OR kill switch can be pulled. Broadcast your success communication is made easy because you have already collected the data! Continue to measure the product against the stated goals OR create new goals for the implemented project.
- 5. Project 1: New Research Help Desk Proposed move from big reference desk to integrated Research Help Desk at front counter. Stakeholders: Students, Librarians, Staff Two outcomes available: Stay integrated into main front counter buy a new, smaller desk Proposed project viewed very negatively by some Librarians and staff. Carried out Mar-July 2014 Kill point: end of spring term
- 6. Project 1: New Research Help Desk Consultation and discussion yielded goals: 1. Students can find and use our services as or more easily 2. Workspace is adequate and comfortable 3. Workspace does not inhibit student/Librarian interaction 4. Neutral or positive impact on Circulation Services work area Goals yielded measures & tools: 1. Student satisfaction/survey; observation 2. Librarian satisfaction/direct feedback 3. Student satisfaction/survey 4. Staff satisfaction/direct feedback
- 7. Project 1: New Research Help Desk RESULTS (besides a new desk): Students: Improved visibility, same high quality of service confirmed Staff: Relations with staff improved, negative impact of change mitigated Librarians: feel more integrated, still working out comfort issues
- 8. Project 2: Discovery Evaluation Reviewing 2 webscale discovery products for potential purchase. Goals: Improve accessibility of the collection Provide more intuitive search environment Spend our money wisely
- 9. Project 2: Discovery Evaluation Reviewing 2 webscale discovery products for potential purchase. Decision & Implementation Measures/Tools: Stakeholder usability tests Stakeholder satisfaction surveys Ongoing Measures: Actual usage stats Change in usage stats of collection Informal observation during user interaction
- 10. Project 2: Discovery Evaluation RESULTS (besides a new search box): Greater insight into user experience with these products and searching in general Clear justification for purchase of preferred product based on evidence Potential justification for ongoing expense Branding opportunity for new search across campus
- 11. Project Proposal Template Goals What is this project trying to achieve? All factors to be determined by the Measures How will measure the success of the project against the goals set above? Will testing or research be required? Related Library Goals How does this project advance our Library Goals & Strategies? Team with consultation of the stakeholders.
- 12. Attributions talk icon made by Yannick from www.flaticon.com, licensed under CC BY 3.0 bright light bulb, plan, working, man in a party dancing with people, thumbs up icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com, licensed under CC BY 3.0
Editor's Notes
- #3: Not all projects were done this way, but many of mine were. We know whats good for our users and our library, right? Were the professionals.
- #4: Even the best ideas wont have impact if no one knows about them, or if they dont fit larger goals.
- #5: Transparency and accountability! Change management is huge Make every project iterative.
- #7: 4 clear goals set out and agreed upon by stakeholders (well, librarians and staff)
- #8: Negative comments from students who had been at the old desk but new students loved it. No one had trouble finding us. Lots of sharing between staff and librarians that didnt take place before.
- #9: Expensive product,
- #10: Other factors weighed in also, but these were key triangulation Doesnt end after implementation
- #11: By-products unrelated to project but very useful
- #12: Among other criteria, these ones force projects to declare their allegiance to our strat plan and their criteria for success Timeline can implement milestones for regular check in, potential kill switch