18^th July 2001

Austin Thompson & Associates Pty Ltd

Level 1, 20 Clarke St

Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia

Telephone: (02) 437 9400

Facsimile: (02) 9437 5899

What’s the ONE THING* we must get right in the next 18 months?

Process

1. After individually listing the key issues arising from the Conference, the participants were divided into 4 groups to share their ideas and to agree on what the group considered to be the 3 – 4 most important issues. These were transferred to Post-it notes and used as the basis of their report back to the overall group. The issues from each of the groups were consolidated into a master list using the Affinity Diagram technique, the outcome of which is shown below.

2. Following the Consolidation, the group ranked the issues in terms of Importance using OptionFinder, an electronic audience response system.

3. The highest ranking issues were then the focus of some more in depth discussion and some potential strategies developed to address them.

Critical Issues – Affinity Diagram

A Getting the People / Process / Culture mix right

· Right mix of IT, people, process & culture

· Employ the right people

· Management and measurement tools

B Client focused approach

· Know your client

· Focus on client identified needs

· Feedback / liaison

· Listen to clients

C Parliament wide co-operation (internal)

· Parliament wide collaboration

D Build culture of trust

· Built culture of trust

E Become the Knowledge Management champion at Parliament

· Become the KM champion at Parliament

F Customising services

· Become information brokers

· Filtering / tailoring services

· Integrate our services

G Marketing services

· Marketing

H Innovation

· Innovation

I Knowledge sharing across Parliament

· Start some co-operative action in APLA

· Intranet access sharing between Parliaments

Critical Issues

A - Getting the People / Process / Culture mix right

B - Client focused approach

C - Parliament wide co-operation (internal)

D - Build culture of trust

E - Become the KM champion at Parliament

F - Customising services

G - Marketing services

H - Innovation

I - Knowledge sharing across Parliaments

Ideas for Action

Client Focused Approach

Group 1

· Client interviews / focus groups / phone interviews

· Dedicated contact officers / client liaison

· Record share and analyse what clients want

· How to make it happen

Group 2

· Ask clients what they want – Interviews / Focus groups / surveys

· Implement feedback mechanisms

· Monitor use of our services

· Offer personalised services

· Segment your client base

· Encourage client contact by all Library staff

· Make opportunities to interact (anywhere)

Customised Services

Group 1

· Create personalised Parliamentary home page

· Acquire filterable commercial information services

· Build profiles of MP’s interests

· Establish client liaison officers

· Visit MPs on their own turf

· Interview MPs. What else can we do for them?

· Customise information training programs

· Elicit feedback – Act on feedback

· Prefer targeted over general services

Group 2

· Be flexible

· Offer a variety of services / approaches for different requirements

· Find out what clients want and tailor services and approaches accordingly (The Bleeding Obvious!)