Using the Baldrige Criteria for Observatory Strategic and Operations Planning Nicole M. Radziwill* a,b , Lory Mitchell b a James Madison Univ., Dept. of Integrated Science & Technology, Harrisonburg, VA USA 22807; b National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville VA USA 22902 ABSTRACT In 1987, the U.S. Congress created the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), a program that rewards businesses and nonprofits that demonstrate effective, efficient operations. Underlying the MBNQA are criteria to help organizations integrate seven key areas of operations, including: leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, information management, workforce planning, process management, and results. Independent of the award process, the Baldrige Criteria can be used to guide strategic and operations planning. This presentation includes an example of how the Baldrige Criteria were used to quickly develop a Workforce Management Plan for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), responding to funding agency requests. Keywords: strategic plan, strategic planning, operations plan, operations planning, metrics, best practices 1. INTRODUCTION The Baldrige Criteria [1] define the performance excellence framework that has been defined and continuously improved by the Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) for over two decades. The best-practice based Baldrige Criteria can be used to guide internal discussions within observatories on aspects of strategic and operations planning, or can be used directly to stimulate the development of critical planning documents. The purpose of this paper is to describe the history and current status of the Baldrige Criteria, explain how they can be used for observatory planning, and present a case study illustrating how the Baldrige Criteria were successfully applied to rapidly deliver the Workforce Management Plan from the NRAO to the U.S. National Science Foundation. 1.1 Historical Context The Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) started in 1987, when the U.S. Congress signed Public Law 100-107 into effect, creating a public-private partnership to stimulate performance excellence and quality improvement in American organizations. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987 also established that the partnership was intended to help these organizations increase productivity and challenge foreign competition, while providing a comprehensive guidebook of best practices for any organization that wants to become more effective and efficient. [2] Each year, over 400 consultants, senior leaders, and executive managers from the business, nonprofit, government, education, and healthcare industry sectors apply the Criteria to in-depth evaluations of organizations who submit their applications to the BNQP. As an integral part of this process, the Examiners critically inspect the Baldrige Criteria in the context of the current and emerging political, economic, social, and technological environments, and recommend changes to ensure that the guidance provided by the Criteria remains relevant and up to date. Organizations that choose to use the Baldrige Criteria to guide their strategic planning and operations planning exercises can thus benefit from the collective knowledge of thousands of experts, which has been incrementally developed and continuously improved for over 20 years. *nicole.radziwill@gmail.com ; Phone +1 703-835-6336; Fax +1 703-842-8074 Please verify that (1) all pages are present, (2) all figures are acceptable, (3) all fonts and special characters are correct, and (4) all text and figures fit within the margin lines shown on this review document. Return to your MySPIE ToDo list and approve or disapprove this submission. 7737 - 14 V. 1 (p.1 of 8) / Color: No / Format: Letter / Date: 2010-06-01 08:32:52 AM SPIE USE: ____ DB Check, ____ Prod Check, Notes: