Back in December, Ohio Railway Museum (ORM) hired a consultant called OrangeBoy to help develop a business plan to be completed this April. Does anyone know the progress on this activity? It could have significant implications.

The Ohio Railway Museum website (link below - interestingly, the website doesn't even mention the museum's physical site) has among its sections the OrangeBoy plan in its entirety. I've read it in its entirety, and I can say that I've never been more confused. Besides the report's inability to decide whether to refer to the Museum as "ORM" or "OMR," a large portion of the report seems to have very little to do with the Museum. At best, most of the report is extremely broad and contains few specifics. A personal favorite is "the marketing roadmap will outline a plan for external communications, branding, and the tools for implementation." ...huh?

I agree that this concept, of having an outside firm create an objective master plan for the redevelopment of a museum, could have far-reaching implications and is likely a great idea for many railway museums. ORM is in need of a workable master plan, and I fervently hope that they can come up with a way to preserve and restore their extremely historic collection. I just hope that the ORM members are less confused by this than I am!

Frank Hicks

Ohio Railway Museum
frank@gats.com

> I agree that this concept, of having an
> outside firm create an objective master plan
> for the redevelopment of a museum, could
> have far-reaching implications and is likely
> a great idea for many railway museums. ORM
> is in need of a workable master plan, and I
> fervently hope that they can come up with a
> way to preserve and restore their extremely
> historic collection. I just hope that the
> ORM members are less confused by this than I
> am!

I personally believe that the plan has to come from WITHIN an organization; it may need a facilitator to help it organize and distill its collective thoughts. Any plan that comes from outside the organization - I believe - is destined to failure.

I see from the information on the ORM site that OrangeBoy, Inc. describes itself as providing "strategic marketing services." ORM most likely needs strategic planning, it needs to develop its mission statement, identification of its needs, set goals for obtaining the needs and then a process of meeting these goals.

I have been in sessions that are facilitator lead that need several intense days for the Board and Officers to go through a process of identifying mission, needs, goals and the process of meeting these goals. This involves getting the attendees to open up and then not necessarily agree but to come to an acceptance of a course of action.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net

What has OrangeBoy ever done to it's credit before? From what I have read it sure looks like a lot of buzzwords and nothing more.

Tom Gears

Brian -

I TOTALLY agree with your points here. Well stated.

Jim

> I personally believe that the plan has to
> come from WITHIN an organization

> I have been in sessions that are facilitator
> lead that need several intense days for the
> Board and Officers to go through a process
> of identifying mission, needs, goals and the
> process of meeting these goals. This
> involves getting the attendees to open up
> and then not necessarily agree but to come
> to an acceptance of a course of action.

> Brian Norden

> What has OrangeBoy ever done to it's credit
> before? From what I have read it sure looks
> like a lot of buzzwords and nothing more.

> Tom Gears
A google search turned up very little, in fact, only the MOG and scope of work for the ORM project, well, that and a lot of references to computer game trading and alternative music.
So here's what I found less the chaff.

http://www.ohiorailwaymuseum.org/images/ormmemo.pdf

http://www.ohiorailwaymuseum.org/images/stateofwork.pdf

I haven't seen the OrangeBoy plan yet, but when hiring a general-type consultant, one with little specific knowledge or interest in the field, you're usually just paying them to learn what you already know, from which they'll try to write something so generalized, it is useless.



ryarger@rypn.org

> I haven't seen the OrangeBoy plan yet, but
> when hiring a general-type consultant, one
> with little specific knowledge or interest
> in the field, you're usually just paying
> them to learn what you already know, from
> which they'll try to write something so
> generalized, it is useless.

I would like to re-emphasize Brian Norden's points in the previous post. In the WCRA we held many sessions among the Executive and the membership to help clearly define our objectives in creating the West Coast Railway Heritage Park. This process took two years but it was one of the MOST important things we have ever done. It gave everyone involved a clear vision of the desired end result and also gave us a healthy dose of reality. Only after we had complete agreement did we hire a consultant to prepare our Master Plan and Business Plan. In my opinion ORM just wasted a lot of money and not too much time in having an outside consultant, with what appears to be no railway or museum experience, prepare what appears to be a useless document. ORM should look inward and resolve thier internal issues before going forward. They need to know what they want and determine a future for what they have. It is probably the only thing that will work to save thier significant collection


http://www.wcra.org
gferguson@aebc.com