Develop ideas of where you could
incorporate the use of scenario planning in an organization
A good organization should have a workable
and clear scenario plan. I choose the stepping guide from JISC InfoNet (Ref: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning/steps)
to implement our scenario planning.
Step 1: Scoping
Currently our library is providing a
service for student to come and borrow our private room for study. Many
students love this service and our rooms are always full. The 334 curriculum is
coming and we are facing a very serious problem, so many students but not
enough rooms.
Step 2: Trend Analysis
Now this room rental services is base on
first come first serve. Everyday we will see a line of students who standing
before the entrance of our library before we are open. They are all wait for
getting the key to get into a room once our door opened. However we found there
are so many people who take the key of the room, leaving their belonging in it,
and then leave this room. Sometimes they just leave it for several hours, or
even pass the key to their friends. Some students they can never get a room
just because they have morning class before library opening time. As a result
it makes our rooms not be fully utilized. We are starting to think of solution.
Step 3: Building Scenarios
We plan to provide an online booking system
which needed student unique ID to login. Therefore students can go to reserve
their room at anytime through internet. All the rooms have locks and can only
using their student library card to open. This student library card contains
their unique ID and they should put their card on the electronic reader to
verify. This electronic reader should check with the reservation table in
database and the student ID should match with this student library card ID, and
then open the door lock if it matches.
Step 4: Generate Options
This plan involve IT skills to develop a reliable
web site, door control system and smart card reader. We will find our
university IT department to ask for consultancy because they have implemented
similar project before.
Step 5: Test Options
We plan we will have a testing period after
this system is launched. It needs time for this system to running smooth, need
time to fixing minor and hidden software bugs, and need time for user to get
use this new system.
Step 6: Action Plan
After consult with university IT
department, we should write a tender for bidding from outsiders.
Hi Martin,
ReplyDeleteHKU library has the same situation as your organization, an online book system should be established, but I have a question that there is a new study zone open in HKU library level 3, the study zone is fantastic, attracting a lot of students to come, the problem come out, more people less study seat. How should the organization deal with it? and also there is an online booking system for study zone. But all the seat will be booked in few hours. (booking.lib.hku.hk). I think the booking system is useless, the only benefit is that you can driver away the person who sit on your table.
Hi Andy,
DeleteThanks for your reply. In our situation, our organization is keep moving a portion of our books and material to warehouse, and change the purpose of this area to be more services oriented place. That’s why we will have more computers for student to use in the future. But under 334 curriculum, computers is never enough, that’s why we need a more systemic booking system to serve all our students. We know it is not perfect, every system need time to glow up, so we will keep our eyes on the usage statistic and fine tuning our booking policy to balance user convenience and computer utilization.
Martin thanks for your sharing! 334 curriculum is a big reformation for Hong Kong education. As facing the problem of not enough computer, will your school suggest students to buy netbook or tablet to instead of using PC in library? It would save money to buy PC.
ReplyDelete