M_Evidence_7

Melissa Townsend-Crow

Academic Team 2

Action Plan Leader 2 – External Plan

Other Team Members:

J. C., A. W., S. A.

Strategic Plan Journal

Week One à Submitted on September 28, 2012

Tasks: First Team Meeting, Discuss Roles and Timeline, Begin Sections One and Two of SP

What I did:  I downloaded the forms and examples from course content in preparation for our first meeting.

What the rest of the Team did:  While I was on my way home from work (I had car trouble), the rest of the team started the meeting. I joined already in progress and the roles had been assigned, the timeline begun. We met on Elluminate and discussed other modes of having meetings, including Google Hangout, Skype, and BB Collaborate. I don't want to sign up for Google + -- I have enough social networking "stuff" going on --  so I don't think Hangout will work out for me.

Analysis:  I was completely unprepared and feel a little like a swimming bird, but I will rise to the occasion. Now, what does the Action Plan Leader actually do? I will find out before our next meeting.

Evaluation:  Biting the bullet – I am really not a "team player" but that's what is required for this assignment and this seems like a good team.

Week Two à Submitted on October 7

Tasks:  Second Team Meeting; finalize SP Sections 1, 2 & Discuss and begin SWOT. Discuss Action Plans ideas

What I did:  I looked up UC Merced to find the Mission and vision statements as well as stats for the first two parts of our strategic plan which we will all post on Google Drive. I have the SWOT responsibility of "Opportunities" which will help me formulate my part of the Action Plan since it shows potential. After discussing the SWOT chart, I started thinking about my Action Plan in the context of "What would I do if I were the librarian in charge?"

What the rest of the Team did:  We held a "marathon" meeting (2 hours!) yesterday.  S. A.  provided a website address and some stats since he works at the library there. J. C. updated our timeline and we discussed the parts we have so far and what needs to be done next.  We discussed the SWOT and Solomon was instrumental in creating that chart since he knows what goes on at the library firsthand.

Analysis:  Marathon meeting had me feeling a little impatient because I thought we were going over the obvious, but I understand the others' need to be certain we're doing this thing correctly. I am a writer and an editor; I tend cut the extraneous, so I really wanted to streamline the meeting Sat. am, but I am trying to be a team player, so I mostly listened to the others and offered ideas that I hoped were relevant.

Evaluation:  I need to go back and read the Evans and Ward chapter on Strategic Planning to make sure I'm going about this the right way. The County Library where I work is undergoing this process right now. They have hired a professional planning team and the things I'm seeing from that team looks nothing like what we're doing in our group. Then again, that might be a reflection of the differences between a public library and an academic library.

Week Three à October 15, 2012

Tasks:  Begin working on AP; Third and fourth team meetings to discuss SWOT and Strategic Outcomes

What I did:  I looked at the SWOT and the strategic outcomes and I have an idea for my part of the action plan. I am writing it up to present at the next team meeting after I post it to Google Drive.

What the rest of the Team did:   A. W. posted some resources for S. A.'s part of the action plan  as well as compiling the SWOT sections into a report and the strategic outcomes are now posted on Google docs before I had a chance to even look at that section. (I need to get mine up there ASAP)

Analysis:  Right now, I am really thinking about this Action Plan portion of the Strategic Plan. I know that I am in the minority in my team, but I think that a library needs a print collection to be a library; otherwise it's just a media center. Part of my plan includes increasing the print collection and I don't think it's going to fly, but I'm willing to sacrifice that part for the collaborative community outreach part to work.

Evaluation:  I'm feeling really rushed and overwhelmed with this assignment just now. I am looking over the chapter in the text and looking at the templates posted under course content and wondering if I'm going to be able to get caught up with rest of my team.

Week Four à October 21, 2012

Tasks:  Team Meeting to finalize APLs

What I did:  Posted my first draft to Google docs, then met with the team to discuss both parts of the APL.

What the rest of the Team did:  S. A. came up with an idea to maximize the efficiency of the internal space which complements my idea of creating satellite space for students outside the campus boundaries.

Analysis:  As I suspected,  my plan was deemed too ambitious so I am willing to sacrifice the second half of the plan. What I don't know and can't figure is the insistence on a budget for something that shouldn't cost the library anything.

Evaluation:  The team still wants a budget for my part of the plan and I have no idea what to put down, so I e-mailed A. W. because 1) she has really good ideas and a good concept of how this assignment is supposed to look in its finished state and 2) she is our research person. She helped me figure something out, so I think I can finalize my part of the plan tonight.

Week Five à November 1, 2012

Tasks:  Prepare AP slides, Team Meeting to wrap up and finalize Strategic plan and slide presentation; present Strategic Plan

What I did:  I made slides for my part of the AP and wrote a script for Jonathan or Solomon since I will be at work when our team is signed up to present.

What the rest of the Team did:  redesigned my slides (which is fine) and finalized the entire Strategic plan so it looks really good. They also did a fantastic job presenting our plan – I listened to the recording.

Analysis:  So, it all came together.  I noticed that some of my work/contribution was re-done/ re-written. I don't mind – my problem with team projects isn't my ego; it's just that I like to work on my own.

Evaluation:  All in all, I am happy to be done with this project and I feel a sense of pride in my contribution to the team.

Summary

I still really hate group projects and I suspect that I always will. I feel very fortunate that I got to work with a really good team for this project, but one never knows.  If anything, I was probably the "bad" team member this time around between starting a new job and family illness making schedule conflicts with team meetings and deadlines, but I hope not. 

In the past I have always taken the lead in any group project and ended up doing most of the work. I was very happy to step back and let others lead this time, but there was  a tendency on my part to slip a little too comfortable in the "follower" role, posting my contributions and moving on to the next while A. W. proofread and J. C. compiled everyone's work into a complete and cohesive plan which looks pretty good, if I do say so. S. A. was our contact for the UC Merced library and gave me reality check after reality check which made my ideas for the action plan viable instead of impossibly ambitious.

I still need to work on my ability to engage in a plan or an idea that I didn't think of myself, but which is agreed upon by consensus of a group of which I am a part. Even though it's not about ego, it's still a challenge for me to do that because it requires a change in the way my mind usually works. Overall, I have to count this experience as a good one and I learned a lot about working with others and overcoming my own difference of opinion with a willingness on my part to compromise and let go of an idea that I think is great ( saving it for a future project, maybe?) for the over all good of the team project.