Insight 3 from Research Focus - start with strategy not services
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

In the third and final of the insights from our Research Focus, "Benchmark information roles - optimise your structure", Jinfo's director of research, Robin Neidorf, explains why it's essential to plan from the top down in order to ensure your services align with strategic goals... and that services are scalable.

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Optimised services for any size of team starts with strategy not services

Jinfo's third insight in the Research Focus, "Benchmark information roles - optimise your structure", is that every decision, every task, must be grounded in your operational strategy.

It doesn't seem revelatory on the face of it: we all know the importance of strategy

The revelation is this: information teams that start from this foundation are actually able to answer the two contradictory questions that plague information services:

• How can we become better recognised for the valuable contributions we make?
• How would we cope with any increased work volume that might come from a marketing push?

Strategy defines what services you provide and for whom. It forces focus on aligning your highest value resources (namely, staff time) with your highest value customers and services.

This is neither easy nor simple to accomplish. Information professionals prefer to say "yes" to requests for help. Strategy requires knowing when to say no, and how to avoid answering a £10 question with £1,000 in resources.

The most successful information services, the ones that are recognised for their value and can scale resources up or down to meet demand, are the ones that have:

• Defined their strategy
• Analysed current operations to determine where legacy services are misaligned with strategy
• Re-engineered or stopped those services
• Acted on proactive plans to grow the amount of high-value work they do with their most high-value customers.

Optimised services take discipline, clarity and a willingness to let go of ways of working that are not serving the business. This may be the hardest project an information team can take on.

Get started right away: leverage Jinfo's research and experience

Free: key insights

The main lessons learned in this three-month Research Focus, plus a thematic index to all content published, are listed in the "Insights and Actions" report for the Research Focus, "Benchmark information roles - optimise your structure".

Non-subscribers: request a free copy by registering your interest.

Subscribers: sign in now to download your copy and access all premium content.

Content

The content in the current Research Focus, "Benchmark information roles - optimise your structure", investigates the development of strategy and its application to the complex decisions that go into delivering valuable services. Your Jinfo Subscription provides access to these items.

Use these items from the Research Focus for specific guidance (paid subscription):

• Why isn't benchmarking more straightforward?
• Are you a certified information professional?
• Does your information team possess "radical adaptability"?
• Networking for best effect - whether or not it comes naturally
• How I surprised my hiring manager with my MLIS
• Jinfo research on benchmarking information services (measuring success)

The following webinars will also be useful (paid subscription):

• 11th July: Maximising the strengths and minimising the weaknesses of organisational structure
• 8th August: A look at the data for benchmarking your information service
• 12th September: Future-proof your service by refocusing on higher-value work

Community

Join your peer group in Jinfo Community sessions to work on these issues (paid subscription, with Community option included):

• 16th August: Use of and limitations to benchmarking for your information services
• 20th September: Managing continuous reinvention of your information services

Consulting

Jinfo Consulting is working with customers today to articulate strategy, and then align operations with it through re-engineering, staff development programmes and business growth planning. Contact us to learn how we can help you.

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