Sounds like several of us are working on technology plans! At last count there were at least 4 requests for any Strategic Technology Plans that people were willing to share. Two wonderful people shared responses with advice and they are listed below. If any one else would be willing to share their words of wisdom, it is evident that many of us would greatly appreciate it! >From Chuck Eisenhardt, Director of IT, Boston Children's Museum: When I was at the MOS Boston, I was facing a similar need in a very
large institution. I needed to create linkage between growing breakneck technology utilization, budget, and strategy. I went through the Corporation Handbook for members with even a hint of promise of technology expertise. Our Director worked his magic on this list and convened a technology committee of high-tech Board, Overseers, even emeritus members. At Children's Museum we are working to develop a similar connection. If you have a board committee for Finance, as your probably do, why not Technology? We found that Board and Overseers were *thrilled* to be involved for their experience and ideas, and not just for their financial support. They may be wary of a standing committee, but you can create a plan to convene in a scattering of meetings over say, a year, and come away with from the process not so much with a sheaf of paper (that's nice, too) but with new visibility and appreciation of your technology initiatives throughout the organization. Chuck Eisenhardt Director of IT Boston Children's Museum >From Ari Davidow, Jewish Women's Archive: It took us a couple of months to draft the first plan. Now we spend a couple of weeks a year updating it. The technology plan built on an existing Strategic Plan for the organization. There is a reasonably-long (~15-20 pages) exposition of what we're trying to do, then appendices mapping to our strategic plan, very simple budget, etc. Note that we are a very small organization and that we didn't have to cover standard IT stuff--just mission-related IT (preservation, web, databases, etc.). The primary participants were me (Dir. Online Strategy), and senior management, with me doing the writing, others turning it into non-technical wording, and our COO helping with the budget. The goal is specifically to figure what we want to be able to spend, what our contingencies are (if too few funds), what we'll use to measure whether we are reaching our goals, etc. We use this doc to show to potential funders when we want them to understand where their money is needed. For all that, I don't know that any funders have ever seen the whole document. Usually I roll a 1-2 page summary for specific purposes. In-house, however, this is the document that helps us hold the "what did we accomplish last year? Is that what we meant to accomplish? Is it what we should have accomplished? How does this change where we expect to see ourselves next year, two years from now, in 5 years?" conversations that are vital (and help us also hold conversations like, "what happens if this building burns down. how do we recover our digital assets." Hope this helps, ari Thanks again for the input! Narda McKeen LaClair Technology Administrator Shelburne Museum PO Box 10 Shelburne, VT, 05482 (802)985-3346 x3196
