RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
You may not be able to finalise the strategic plan at the meeting. You may need
to take away the notes and use them to draft a strategic plan, which you can
then circulate for approval or comments.
1.2.2 Key questions for planning a resource centre
1. Vision
What do you want the resource centre to be in five years?
What do you need to enable this to be achieved (in terms of human resources,
equipment and financial resources)?
2. External environment
What trends in the health sector or other sectors are likely to influence the
resource centre?
Who are the key information providers working in the health sector and
related sectors?
What links with other organisations might be important?
What impact might other organisations have on your resource centre?
What impact might technological developments have?
What will be the effect of people knowing about the resource centre?
3. Mission
What are the resource centre’s values?
Who will the resource centre serve?
What are their needs?
How will the resource centre meet the needs of these people?
4. Aim
What should the broad, long-term aim be?
How will it support the mission?
5. Objectives
What should the objectives be for the next few years?
How will they support the overall aim?
Are they specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited?
6. Action plan
What activities need to be carried out to achieve the objectives?
How will these activities be carried out?
Who will carry them out?
When will the activities be started and completed?
Will the activities have measurable ‘milestones’ and results?
How will you know when they are finished?
What resources (such as staff, funds and equipment) are necessary, and are
they available?
SECTION 1: PLANNING A RESOURCE CENTRE
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