IRM Evolving Workflows
IRM Workflow Review Task Force Final Report
Prioritizing and Planning
Workflows Template
IRM Organization Chart 2015 (historical)
IRM Organization Chart 2017 (new)
IRM Major Unit Activities 2017
IRM Personnel Chart 2017

The IRM Department has experienced significant changes in the last few years due to numerous factors: changing user expectations, retirements, the shift from print to electronic resources, new formats and new kinds of resources, and enhanced management tools. IRM has engaged in ongoing assessment and revision of many workflows to adapt to these changes, more as triage than as a defined plan of action.

In 2014, the IRM Workflow Review Task Force released a report that included an environmental scan of peer institutions, survey results from internal surveys, and recommendations on how to move forward. In 2016 and beyond, we will build on the work of the Task Force in conjunction with supporting the Libraries Three-Year Plans. Specifically, we will develop, advance and engage in processes that allow our staff to support critical workflows, utilize current skill sets and acquire new skills necessary to build, provide access to, and maintain our scholarly collections.

Evolving Workflows Action Plan:

• 1.Discuss action plan: March/April 2016
  • At March 30th department meeting
  • In April at unit meetings
  • At April 27th department meeting
• 2.Review and document current workflows: May-July 2016
  • Staff/peer-to-peer review/analysis
  • Record each separate workflow
• 3.Analysis of workflows: May-Sept 2016
  • What do we need to keep doing?
  • What are we doing that needs to change?
  • What can we stop doing?
  • What do we need to be doing that we are not doing?
• 4.Card sort activity: Oct 2016
  • Create cards - one for each major workflow (full pack for each group)
  • Divide department personnel into 4 to 6 groups for this activity
  • Each group will sort like workflows into separate categories/groupings
  • Record the results from each group
• 5.Analysis of card sort activity: Oct 2016 (starting at retreat)
  • See what was the same across groups
  • See what was different
  • Present findings so everyone is informed before moving to the next step
• 6.Identify possible models for department organization: Oct-Nov 2016
  • Combine needs, discards and shifts to come up with at least 2 possibilities for the evolution of our current departmental structure/workflows
  • Discuss as a group and select the best option
  • Design new departmental structure
• 7.Pre-implementation: Nov-Dec 2016
  • Rework and refine job descriptions
  • Establish a preliminary list of positions needed
  • Determine how training will occur and establish a timeline
  • Document workflows (new, changed and those that stay the same but have not already been documented)
• 8.Conduct training/implement updated departmental structure: Jan-June 2017

Proposed Timeline:

Additional Resources:

Organization design and restructuring teams... a thinkpiece

What is Organization Design?

Dan Pink: Drive -- The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Video Review for What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith