A Coherent Process for Museums E. Verner Johnson and Associates was the first architectural firm to develop a consistently coherent planning process for museums. The process originally was conceived to help museums organize the myriad issues affecting their future into an action plan comprehensible to museum boards and their staff. Over time, we have continued to refine the process to address the constantly shifting issues facing museums, but we have retained the fundamental goals of clarity and inclusiveness. Most of our museum projects have begun with planning services. Consensus-building Our process is interactive and inclusive, placing a strong emphasis on building consensus at all levels of the museum’s constituency. We work closely with staff, board members, donors, and community leaders to shape and implement a supportable and sustainable vision for the museum’s future. Visionary Pragmatism Throughout our planning process, there is an on-going dialogue between overarching vision and pragmatic concerns. Our process is designed to synthesize vision and pragmatism by identifying strengths, opportunities, and challenges. Our end goal is to preserve, enhance, and create successful museums. Institutional Plan A museum’s mission is the core statement of its reason for existing. It is the irreducible definition of the museum as an institution and identifies the museum’s subject matter, objectives, and audience. To fulfill its mission, a museum performs a number of roles within the disciplines of exhibition, education, research, collections, and publications. Each of these roles is in turn supported by activity programs requiring both physical facilities and operational support to carry out. Considered together, the mission, roles, and activity programs constitute the key elements of a museum’s Institutional Plan. Physical Master Plan The physical facilities required to carry out a museum’s activity programs include not only the enclosed space needed and its design criteria, but also the surrounding site and the museum’s exhibit components and perhaps off-site facilities. A global consideration of these elements results in the Physical Master Plan. Operational Plan Activity programs also require staffing, budgets, and funding, which form the core of a museum’s Operational Plan. An examination of staffing needs includes not only the organizational structure, job descriptions and salary considerations, but identifies additional space needs and design criteria that are compiled with other physical requirements and documented in a facility program. By examining the museum’s activity programs, staffing plan, and facility program, budgets can be developed for both capital projects and on-going operations. A critical test in the planning process is to compare available and potential funding with the required budgets. If the projected revenues do not meet the projected expenses, the museum’s roles must be adjusted to make the two align. Implementation Plan The Institutional Plan, Physical Master Plan, and Operational Plan coalesce into the Implementation Plan which coordinates the timely availability of resources to meet developing needs. Master plan implementation includes not only the finalization of design, the construction of facilities and installation of exhibits, but also synchronizing these activities with the availability of funding and staff. Our Approach to Planning The more definition each of the components above can be given, the more comprehensive and successful the planing effort will be. For many of our clients, we provide planning services for all of the components. However, some museums have in-house resources available to provide aspects of the planning. Either way, the critical requirement is that each of the components be examined and incorporated into the planning effort. Our typical approach to planning is based on a simple, effective and proven methodology involving three primary steps: Research and Analysis: During this phase of the planning, we gather documentation and conduct interviews to assemble and evaluate as much information as pertains to the project as possible, and we review its implications in discussions and documents with the museum. At the conclusion of this phase, key objectives of the planning effort are identified. Develop and Select Alternatives: In this phase, we prepare drawings and documents illustrating alternate planning solutions to the project objectives, and we present comparative analyses for review with the project constituents. We assist the museum in selecting the most promising alternative for further development. Refinement, Finalization, and Documentation: As the final phase of the planning process, we work with the museum to refine the selected planning approach and prepare the documents, models and materials to present the approach most effectively to the project constituents. Our planning products usually form the core of the museum’s fundraising materials, and we are often asked to continue directly into architectural design after completion of the planning effort.