The following items are tactical steps in the planning, operations, and evaluation of services within learning spaces. Services may include events like workshops, classes, lectures, and social gatherings as well as services like consultations, orientations, and technology lending. As you go through the process, be sure you’ve considered and/or completed each of these actions.

Understanding the Current State

• Audit current staff by categories of skills, levels of experience, or other establish categories. This will create a baseline for future planning so that you can compare to future needs and identify gaps such as in overall headcount, skills, knowledge areas, and experience.
• Analyze current and predict future categories of demand (e.g.: slow, medium and peak times). This will aid you in forecasting and evaluating staffing needs as well as determining hours of operation.
• Create categories of services related to the organizational chart of the institution and/or modify the organizational structure to align with future services. This will help you identify the accountable “owner” for each service area and determine what the core services are.

Planning for the Future

• Research other industries and institutions that are ahead of you because what’s established in one context can be revolutionary in another. However, be sure to distill and apply the lessons from these examples rather than attempt to copy them directly.
• Create customer journey maps for a variety of personas using a variety of services at a variety of times. This will enable you to look at the first use of service vs. established use and understand how experiences will vary from user to user, ideally for at least 5 different personas, using each core service.
• Create service blueprints for all your core services and all new services at a minimum, using input from managers, staff, and users. These blueprints will serve as planning tools but also as a reference resource for training, operations, and evaluation.

Implementing the Plan

• Prototype new services in conjunction with prototyping new spaces, testing out the entire model. This will help you answer questions raised from maps and blueprints, mitigate risks, refine the design, and transition both users and staff.
• Develop a training program for staff to address gaps between the audit (#1) and future services needs documented in the blueprints (#6). This will help your ready your staff for future service delivery and have a template in place for future staff.