A new approach to doing strategic planning.

1. Strategic Direction Setting Processes
For Libraries
By
Dan Wiseman
Wiseman Consulting and Training
133 W. Palatine Rd. #202
Palatine Il 60067
847-221-5197
Dan Cell 847-902-9034
connect@wisemanconsulting.com
www.wisemanconsulting.com
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2. Wiseman Consulting and Training
Our Approach
How do we do business?
Our Approach is one of:
Building commitment to a desired future through the
Strategic Direction Setting Process.
Our approach has been honed through working with hundreds of libraries and
communities over the last 12 years. As a result we have adopted a new approach that
focuses not on the production of a detailed planning document but a shared commitment
to create a sustainable and motivating sense of direction for the library. It is one that
should resonate with the community. We do only for you what you cannot do for
yourself. The approach is anchored on five key elements:
1. We use an appreciate inquiry based methodology that stresses assets and strengths
not problems or issues.
2. Secondly we use a high involvement strategy that stresses energetic sessions with
the community, library staff, board involvement and key community leaders.
People are committed to what they help create.
3. We use a layered and targeted data collection methodology that balances hard
statistical data with rich contextual data.
4. We believe a key outcome is the selection of core service priorities and
supporting organizational goals with specific actionable areas. This should be
communicated in a format that is easily understood by staff and community. We
believe this document should be created largely by the staff. This enhances the
ownership and relevancy of the document. A more detailed planning document is
created by the library staff departments after the direction setting process is
adopted. This keeps the process from bogging down in details.
5. We believe that implementation planning is a critical part of the process to ensure
that the direction process results in action and momentum. Staff needs to play a
critical role in examining the library’s organization design, policies, and measures
of success. We support a scoreboard methodology that allows for the tracking of
key direction priorities and projects by the staff, board, and community.
In addition we passionately believe in community based planning processes. We
use a variety of approaches to establishing your priorities including some of the methods
in the 2007 PLA Planning for Results Process (Streamlined Version) in a flexible way to
define excellence locally and to tailor the method to your specific needs. Our specialty is
gathering community data with innovative methods ranging from townhall meetings and
search conferences to focus groups, and community design teams. We believe in
developing library staff in the change process as much as possible in order to insure its
sustainability. Our goal is to ensure that the library continues to be designed to meet core
community needs as defined by your patrons and citizens. When libraries do this they are
vibrant institutions with no questions about their relevance and sustainability. Our high
involvement process leads to libraries being able to align their strategies, goals, and
service response to the core community needs.
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3. We measure the success of our planning projects in several ways. The most
dramatic is when they can lead to the passing of referendums or the focused
implementation of new products and services resulting from the plan. Another way we
measure success is the confidence level of the stakeholders that the plan reflects their
views and dreams. We measure this with the outcome measures listed in the plan itself or
special surveys we create. The most common ways is to meet periodically with the staff
and board to see what has been implemented and the impact on patron satisfaction and
library results. See attached materials for examples of our measurement tools (balanced
family of measures etc.)
Listed below are the key aspects of the project. These elements are not rigid but
from our experience are ones most often found to be useful in getting a solid and
workable plan. We provide coaching, offsite planning, and team facilitation to support
the planning process. When skill development is needed, we will also provide that to the
staff, leadership team and board members.
Wiseman Consulting and Training
Statement of Qualifications:
Sharon B. Wiseman and Dan Wiseman are the principals of the firm. Sharon has over 28
years of experience in libraries. That experience includes formerly being the director of
Staff Development for the Chicago Public Library, the HR director at Arlington Heights,
a branch library director and associate library manager, Associate Director of the Indiana
State Library for Library Development, and 10 years experience as a library consultant
primarily. Sharon is currently the Director Staff and Organization Development at the
Gail Borden Public Library District in the Elgin IL.. Dan Wiseman also serves as co-
principal in the firm. He brings 25 years of experience in organizational change
consulting including work with more than 50 libraries and non-profit organizations. He
has designed leadership projects for Indiana Librarian, served on the faculty of the
Institute of School and Public Librarians (Illinois State Library as well as frequently
presenter at state library workshops across the Midwest. Both Sharon and Dan are adjunct
faculty members of the Dominican University Graduate School of Library Sciences.
Sharon and Dan have both been trained by in the PLA New Planning for Results,
Managing for Results, and Staff for Results Processes. Dan and Sharon have been
engaged by more than 40 libraries in their planning and change processes. The
organization has also conducted training for Illinois Librarians in the planning processes.
Some of those libraries for which they have developed plans include Peoria Il., Zion-
Benton, Quincy IL, Warsaw IN, Byron, Dixon, Angola IN, South Bend IN, Lombard
Illinois, Eureka IL, Carmel IN, Champaign IL, Fondulac Twp. IL, Lagrange IL,
Westfield IN, Evansville IN, and Kokomo IN.
Key Project Deliverables by WCT:
1. A flexible planning process consistent with the Public Library Association’s 2007
Planning for Results methodology and other successful approaches geared to the
community and library’s setting.
2. Facilitation of all Library Team and Community Planning Team sessions in a way
that is instructive, efficient, creative, energetic, and focused.
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4. 3. Coaching on an as needed basis of library staff and board on the planning process and
logistics
4. A report on the key themes and issues from community focus groups and other data
collection methods.
5. Feedback and assistance on writing the final planning document
6. Consultation on communicating and implementing the agreed upon plan.
7. A draft plan (if selected by Library Leaders) summarizing the data, key priorities and
potential activities.
Key Planning Process Outcomes:
1. Clarity on the community’s needs and vision though the use of layered data gathering.
2. Identification of community needs the library is capable of meeting.
3. Identification of 4-6 library service responses or priorities that meet the community’s
key needs and goals.
4. Begin the building of agreement in the community of the need for changes in the
library’s services, funding, and facilities.
5. Creation of a strategic direction document that has high degrees of acceptance and
credibility by the board, library leaders/staff, and the community.
6. Creation of an implementation strategy to insure that the direction setting process has
momentum and action elements.
7. Creation of a communication strategy to insure so that all stakeholders understand the
direction the library is taking.
• Billing: We will bill monthly for all work performed in that time frame. Only
approved work tasks will be billed. The general rate for all work performed by WCT
is from $1200 a day. The billing rate is negotiable based on your individual situation.
Work is billed in half day increments on a monthly basis.
• Communication: The board and director will be regularly updated on the progress.
No communication will be made by WCT to non-library groups unless authorized by
the Board or Director.
• Consultant’s Role: Dan Wiseman will be a project manager . Other consultants who
may be present will be discussed with the Library Director. The agreement may be
mutually modified at any time with two weeks notice. The library will be responsible
for the printing of project materials and WCT will provide camera ready originals of
project materials. Our role is to provide facilitation and guidance on the development
of the plan. We will assist in the actual writing of the plan in a way that is cost
effective for the library. The library is to designate a point of contact for project
communication and to manage the logistics and deliverables of the project. We will
provide very limited guidance on the financial matters of the library.
Selecting a Planning Process Questionnaire
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5. Instructions: The items are in two categories (see model below) importance and
involvement. Total your results for each category. Use the following scale when giving
your answers:
1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=neutral 4=agree 5=strongly agree
Category Response Question
Importance 1. While, there is no real urgency to complete the process in a
short period of time, our situation requires that we must plan
for our future.
Importance 2. We have the funds and time to necessary on the implement
the planning process.
Importance 3. The library is considering major building or capitol spending
projects that require public approval.
Involvement 4. The staff and board do want to be heavily involved in the
process.
Involvement 5. The public expects to be informed and involved in the
planning process.
Involvement 6. The library and the community have a long history of
collaborative planning
Involvement 7. The library has very limited data on both community’s and
library’s needs
Importance 8. The plan must not only focus on our critical priorities but on
our staffing, funding, facilities, services and technology.
Importance 9. We desire to be seen as a leading edge library in all aspects
of service (staffing, collection, customer service, facility,
technology etc.)
Involvement 10. We have had conflict between our staff, board, and
community about the direction and future of the library
Totals: Importance Average (Items 1, 2, 3, 8, 9) ______
Involvement Average (Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 10) ______
The Planning Matrix:
High Importance, Low Public
Involvement. Keep process internal.
Required moderate to extensive
process and out side assistance if
conflict exists.
Comprehensive required critical input
from all stakeholders. Issues are complex
and of high importance. Often needs
outside presence.
Low risk, importance, or complexity.
Priorities are clear and focus. Internal
staff or board led process done quickly
Priorities low/moderate and clear but public
support needed to make changes or
improvements. If conflict present consider
outside facilitation.
Planning Process Options
5
Importance
Complexity
Low =1
High=5
High =5Outside Involvement

6. Option #1 Basic Board Driven
In this model we would go through a very basic process with the board and staff in a
one day session using the following elements: This process can usually be done in
one day with some advance data collection by the library staff. This is an appropriate
method for library’s with out pressing facility, technology, or service needs where the
communities needs are well known.
• Review logistics and methodology in advance
• Review community data (collected by staff)
• Identify current community strengths, needs and future opportunities, and
challenges.
• Prioritize community needs
• Review community needs the library might be able to address
• Review library performance data (from staff or annual reports)
• Identify Service Response Priorities
• Brainstorm potential activities and ways to meet the priorities
• Discuss ways to write and communicate the plan
Option #2 Streamlined
Date Event Outcome Process Resources
Form planning team to
manage process logistics
and outcomes
1. Select planning team
from member libraries
2. Conduct conference call
to review process,
outcomes and
methodologies
0.5 (by
phone)
Community Needs
Assessment
1. Collect community
demographic and library
data (Staff)
2. Conduct 3-5 focus
groups to evaluate library
realities, current
strengths, and potential
needs. (includes staff)
3. Conduct interviews if
needed with key
community leaders
4. Summarize key findings
1.0days
onsite and 0.5
days offsite
writing report
of focus
groups.
Prioritize Service
Responses
Meet with Board and key
staff to review focus group
data and prioritize service
responses
1.0 Days
consulting
Draft Plan Staff and board create plan Staff
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7. OPTION 3 Standard
Form planning team to
manage process logistics
and outcomes
• Select planning team
from member libraries
• Conduct conference call
to review process,
outcomes and
methodologies
0.5 (by
phone)
Community Needs
Assessment
• Collect community
demographic and library
data (Staff)
• Conduct 3-5 focus
groups to evaluate library
realities, current
strengths, and potential
needs. (includes staff)
• Conduct interviews if
needed with key
community leaders
• Summarize key findings
1.0days
onsite and 0.5
days offsite
writing report
of focus
groups.
Meeting One: Identity and
Prioritize community
strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats
3-4 hour evening meeting
with consulting prior to
session.
1.0 days
Meeting Two: Identity and
prioritize Library strengths,
weakness, opportunities,
and threats
3-4 hour meeting with
consulting prior to session
1.0 days
Meeting Three: Prioritize
library service response
and potential facility,
collection and staffing
recommendations
3-4 hour session with
consulting prior to session
1.0 days
OPTION 4
Comprehensive
Form planning team to
manage process logistics
and outcomes
• Select planning team
from member libraries
• Conduct conference call
to review process,
outcomes and
methodologies
0.5 days
Community Needs
Assessment
• Collect community
demographic and library
data (Staff)
• Conduct 3-5 focus
2.0days
onsite and 1.0
days offsite
writing report
of focus
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8. groups to evaluate library
realities, current
strengths, and potential
needs. (includes staff)
• Conduct interviews if
needed with key
community leaders
• Summarize key findings
groups.
Meeting One: Identity and
Prioritize community
strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats
3-4 hour evening meeting
with consulting prior to
session.
1.0 days
Meeting Two: Identity and
prioritize Library strengths,
weakness, opportunities,
and threats
3-4 hour meeting with
consulting prior to session
1.0 days
Meeting Three: Prioritize
library service response
and potential facility,
collection and staffing
recommendations
3-4 hour session with
consulting prior to session
1.0 days
Investment Required:
Option 1:
o Consulting expenses for one day= $1,200
o Travel expenses for mileage ($.50/mile round trip), meals, and one overnight
room at cost if necessary (estimated at $120/day).
Option 2:
o Consulting expenses: 3.0 days at @$1,200/day=$3,600 .
o Travel expenses: Living expenses at roughly $120.00/day. Mileage @ $0.50
miles. All expenses for materials billed at cost. Sites expense not included
(facilities, food, materials etc.)
Option 3:
o Consulting 5.0 days @$1,200 = $6,000
o Travel expenses: Living expenses at roughly $120.00/day. Mileage @ $0.50
miles. All expenses for materials billed at cost. Sites expense not included
(facilities, food, materials etc.)
Option 4:
o Consulting 7.0 days @ $1200= $8,400
o Travel expenses: Living expenses at roughly $120.00/day. Mileage @ $.50 miles.
All expenses for materials billed at cost. Sites expense not included (facilities,
food, materials etc.)
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9. PLA Service Responses
1. Be an Informed Citizen: Local, national, and world affairs. Residents will have the information
they need to support and promote democracy, to fulfill their civic responsibilities at the local,
state, and national levels, and to fully participate in community decision-making.
2. Build Successful Enterprises: Business and non-profit support. Business owners and non-profit
organization directors and their managers will have the resources they need to develop and
maintain strong, viable organizations.
3. Celebrate Diversity: Cultural awareness. Residents will have programs and services that
promote appreciation and understanding of their personal heritage and the heritage of others
in the community.
4. Connect to the Online World: Public Internet access. Residents will have high-speed access to
the digital world with no unnecessary restrictions or fees to ensure that everyone can take
advantage of the ever-growing resources and services available through the Internet.
5. Create Young Readers: Early literacy. Children from birth to age five will have programs and
services designed to ensure that they will enter school ready to learn to read, write, and listen.
6. Discover Your Roots: Genealogy and local history. Residents and visitors will have the
resources they need to connect the past with the present through their family histories and to
understand the history and traditions of the community.
7. Express Creativity: Create and share content. Residents will have the services and support they
need to express themselves by creating original print, video, audio, or visual content in a real-
world or online environment.
8. Get Facts Fast: Ready reference. Residents will have someone to answer their questions on a
wide array of topics of personal interest.
9. Know Your Community: Community resources and services. Residents will have a central
source for information about the wide variety of programs, services, and activities provided by
community agencies and organizations.
10. Learn to Read and Write: Adult, teen, and family literacy. Adults and teens will have the
support they need to improve their literacy skills in order to meet their personal goals and
fulfill their responsibilities as parents, citizens, and workers.
11. Make Career Choices: Job and career development. Adults and teens will have the skills and
resources they need to identify career opportunities that suit their individual strengths and
interests.
12. Make Informed Decisions: Health, wealth, and other life choices. Residents will have the
resources they need to identify and analyze risks, benefits, and alternatives before making
decisions that affect their lives.
13. Satisfy Curiosity: Lifelong learning. Residents will have the resources they need to explore
topics of personal interest and continue to learn throughout their lives.
14. Stimulate Imagination: Reading, viewing, and listening for pleasure. Residents will have
materials and programs that excite their imaginations and provide pleasurable reading,
viewing, and listening experiences.
15. Succeed in School: Homework help. Students will have the resources they need to succeed in
school.
16. Understand How to Find, Evaluate, and Use Information: Information fluency. Residents will
know when they need information to resolve an issue or answer a question and will have the
skills to search for, locate, evaluate, and effectively use information to meet their needs.
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10. 17. Visit a Comfortable Place: Physical and virtual spaces. Residents will have safe and welcoming
physical places to meet and interact with others or to sit quietly and read and will have open
and accessible virtual spaces that support networking.
18. Welcome to the United States: New immigrants will have information on citizenship, English
Language Learning (ELL), employment, public schooling, health and safety, available social
services, and any other topics that they need to participate successfully in American life.
References
1. Donald Napoli, Director St. Joseph County Public Library
(South Bend Indiana). 574-282-4601
2. Wendy Phillips, Director Carmel Clay Library (IN). 317-844-
6255
3. Tim Jarzemsky, Bloomingdale Public Library (IL), 630-529-
9840.
4. Jeff Owen, Alton Public Library (IL), 618-462-0677
5. Penny O’ Rourke, Bryon Area Library District,
pennyo@byron.lib.il.us. 815-234-5107
6. Carole Medal, Director Gail Borden Public Library (Elgin Il).
847-429-4699. cmedal@gailborden.info.
7. Mary Soucie, Three Rivers Library District. marys@trpld.org.
815-467-6200.
8. Karen Egan, Illinois State Library, kegan@ilos.net. 217-782-
7749.
Biographies of Consultants
Sharon B. Wiseman
Sharon is currently the Director of Organization and Staff Development for the
Gail Borden Library District (Elgin IL) and also a managing partner with her husband
Dan in Wiseman Consulting and Training. WCT, located in Northwest Chicago, focuses
on providing transformational consulting in the non-profit sector with special emphasis in
libraries and religious organizations. Sharon has the Director of Staff and Organization
Development for the Chicago Public Library as well as the Director of Human Resources
for the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Her practice includes work with library
systems, state libraries, university libraries, and individual libraries as well as other non-
profit and for profit organizations. She focuses her practice on helping organizations
creatively plan for the future, build employee motivation and commitment, develop skills
at facilitating change and continually improve their service and performance.
She holds Masters Degrees in library science from Indiana University and also a
Master of Arts degree from Holy Names College in Oakland, California. Sharon has
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11. worked in a multitude of library settings in Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
The libraries range from public and special to systems, academic and state libraries. Prior
to moving to the Chicago area Sharon was Associate Director of the Indiana State Library
responsible for Library Development.
Sharon has also done work with the American Productivity and Quality Center in
Houston, Texas in the areas of quality improvement, meeting facilitation, team
development, leadership skills and communication. In addition, she has provided training
and development services for several profit and non-profit organizations in both staff
member and consulting roles. Sharon’s work with schools, libraries, and businesses
typically causes them to understand each other better, be more effective as an
organization and have a lot of fun in the process.
Sharon is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate School of Library
and Information Science at Dominican University in Chicago. She teaches courses in
library leadership /communication, public relations, and history of the book
Daniel R. Wiseman
Dan is a managing partner with Wiseman Consulting and Training along with his
wife, Sharon. WCT, located in Northwest Chicago, focuses on providing
transformational consulting in the non-profit sector with special emphasis in libraries and
religious organizations.
Dan’s professional career has involved more than 30 years of providing
consulting, training, and coaching in the areas of organization development, change
management, leadership development, and strategic planning for both profit and non-
profit organizations. He worked with more the 50 libraries and non profit organizations
on planning, leadership and change projects. He played a major role in the design and
development of the LEAD-IN process (a leadership program for Indiana Librarians).
Dan also has played major roles in large scale change projects with library systems in
Illinois. He is a guest lecturer on leadership development at the Dominican University
Graduate School of Library Science.
Dan was a senior organization effectiveness consultant at United Airlines where
he was responsible for designing and implementing large-scale organization performance
improvement processes at international airports and supporting human resources
initiatives, career planning, leadership development processes, and departmental change
management initiatives.
Prior to working for United Airlines, Dan was a senior faculty member/consultant
with the Indiana Labor & Management Council. Dan also was a key program manager
and consultant for the American Productivity and Quality Center in Houston, TX. The
Center was the originator of the Malcolm Baldrige Award. At the APQC, he was a key
contributor to an innovative white-collar organizational change process and a lead
designer and instructor for a highly regarded series of seminars on organization change
and high performing work teams.
Dan holds a bachelors degree in Business Economics from Purdue University, a
master’s degree from Indiana University in Educational Psychology, and is a (ABD)
Ph.D. candidate in Adult Education at Indiana University.
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12. Earlier in Dan’s career, he held senior organization development positions with
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Indiana, Gulf States Utilities (TX), and the John Gray Institute
(Lamar University, Beaumont, TX). He also designed innovative education service for
disadvantaged inner city youth in Indianapolis. Dan created some of the first EAP
programs in Indiana while working at Ft. Benjamin Harrison and later with a grant from
the National Council on Alcoholism. Dan has authored several publications in the areas
of organizational change and team development. He helped found several chapters of
ASTD and was nominated for a national torch award in 1995 for his work in creating a
national strategic awards program and a local chapter quality process.
Dan’s work is characterized by unique combination of creativity, resourcefulness,
pragmatism, and playfulness. In his spare time, he participates in personal development
programs, travels widely, and plays the trombone and euphonium in a brass band.
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