Daniel Noonan
Digital Preservation Librarian
The Ohio State University
Sue Beck
Senior Systems Consultant
The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University Libraries’ Digital Preservation & Access work-group was given its initial charge this spring to identify the Libraries’ existing workflows that affect born digital acquisitions and processing, digitization, providing access to digital materials and the preservation thereof. This is being done with intent of not only answering the question, “What are we actually doing?” but “What are the intersections, gaps, redundancies and areas for improvement?” This project briefing will address our approach to this project and our progress thus far. We have been utilizing three techniques to help us visualize and understand these workflows and processes. These techniques come to us from the realm of process improvement, with roots in total quality management (TQM) that continue to be used in Lean and Six Sigma programs. The SIPOC exercise provides for a very high-level view of our workflow or process. The steps in the process are aggregated up to a level of abstraction that still allows us to understand Suppliers, Inputs, Process steps, Outputs and Customers. The intent is to ensure that all processes are represented. Following the SIPOC, each group is being asked to conduct a RACI exercise to determine for each step within a process who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted or needs to be Informed. The final stage is to engage in brainwriting to further tease out the granularities of the steps identified within the SIPOCs, ultimately visualizing process workflows, their connections and gaps, and providing recommendations for improvements.
https://go.osu.edu/dpa-workflow-analysis
https://go.osu.edu/libraries-dpa
