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As the poet Robert Burns once said, "The best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry." The sad truth is that many technology plans sit on a shelf and are never carried out. Implementation is not automatic. It requires conscious planning in its own right. Even if you have been working with a consultant to construct your technology plan, managing the implementation is your library's task. Only you can think through who can carry out different aspects of the plan and when they will do it.

The keys to a successful implementation

• Designate a point person. One person should be in charge of overseeing the process. This is not necessarily a technical role, but a management role. This person may also communicate with and oversee consultants who implement parts of the plan. They will report back periodically to the technology team and to management.

• Break projects into tasks. Make sure the individual steps are clear so you can monitor progress.

• Assign responsibilities. Make clear which staff member will carry out which task.

• Establish a timeline. Set milestones and target dates for different phases of your plan.

• Evaluate your success. Evaluation should be built into any planning process, and technology planning is no exception. Decide beforehand what indicators of success you will look for. Build evaluation checkpoints into your timeline.

• Update your technology plan. A technology plan should be a living, breathing document. As new needs and priorities come up, modify the plan accordingly. If one technology project does not do everything you and your staff had hoped, you are free to go back to the plan to rethink and rewrite.

Do you need more help?

If you can't seem to accomplish these steps, or you get stuck somewhere along the way, there are some free online resources designed specifically to help nonprofits with technology planning and assessment. TechAtlas provides resources that enable you to evaluate your current technology, determine the improvements needed, and map out a blueprint on how to accomplish your future technology goals. Library systems can use TechAtlas to develop their own proprietary assessment tools specifically targeted toward their systems.  TechAtlas can also assist you in compiling an inventory of your technology assets, such as hardware, software, networks, and peripherals, as well as the skill level of your staff.