Mission and Planning
- Do staff and governing authority members have a clear, shared understanding of the museum’s mission?
- Is the mission one that the museum has the ability and resources to fulfill?
- Are policies, procedures and resource allocation focused on fulfilling the mission?
- Are staff and governing authority members engaged in an effective planning process for the museum’s future?
- If there is a current plan, is it being used to address the museum’s major challenges, and is it guiding the museum’s actions?
Interpretation
Audience and Visitors
- Does the museum clearly identify its target audiences and take appropriate steps to serve their needs?
- Is the museum gathering information about its audiences and visitors and using it to evaluate performance and guide planning?
Community
- Does the museum have a clear understanding of its role in the community?
- Is the community active in and supportive of the museum?
Public Programs
- Are the educational goals of the museum clearly articulated and appropriate to its mission, audiences and resources?
- Do the museum’s programs meet the needs of audiences?
Exhibitions
- Do the exhibitions reflect the museum’s mission?
- Does the museum have a process for exhibit selection and development that:
- Makes appropriate use of collections and human resources;
- Meets audience needs;
- And serves the financial needs of the museum?
Research (for museums conducting or supporting research)
- Does the quality and extent of research fulfill the potential of the collections?
Publications
- Do the publications have appropriate goals for communicating with the museum’s audiences and community, and do they achieve these goals?
Marketing and Public Relations
- Is the museum making good use of its resources to promote goods and services?
- Does the museum have clear and appropriate goals for attendance?
- Does it have a marketing plan that effectively supports these goals?
Collections Stewardship (for museums that own or borrow collections)
- Are the collections appropriate to the museum’s mission?
- Is the museum exercising responsible stewardship of the collections?
- Is the museum making effective use of its resources to provide appropriate care for its collections?
- Is the museum functioning legally and ethically in the way it obtains and maintains its collections?
Administration
- Do staff have a clear understanding of their jobs?
- Does the staffing meet the needs of the institution in terms of:
- Number of staff?
- Responsibilities?
- Training?
- If not, what additional staff is needed most, and how could the museum obtain the resources to add them?
Membership and Affiliate Organizations
- Is the museum making effective use of membership and affiliated organizations to provide financial and other support?
- Does the membership reflect the target audience of the museum, and is the number of members appropriate to the location and size of the museum?
Finance
- Is the museum in good financial health?
- Will its financial position and planning meet its current and future needs?
- Is the governing body appropriately involved in the museum’s financial management and fund raising? What new or expanded sources of income, earned and unearned, might the museum explore?
- Is the budgeting process linked to institutional goals and planning?
Facilities
- Does the museum have adequate facilities to support and fulfill its mission (e.g., collections, exhibitions, public programs, visitor services, parking)?
- Does the museum have effective policies and procedures for maintaining the facilities in good, safe, working condition?
- Is the museum using its facilities in ways that are in keeping with the mission?
Safety and Security
- Does the museum’s emergency preparedness address its greatest risks in an effective manner?
- Does the museum provide a safe working environment for staff?
- Does the museum provide a secure environment for the collections?
Governance
- Do governing authority members have a clear and shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities in administering a public trust?
- Does the composition of the governing authority meet the needs of the museum in fulfilling its mission and implementing its planning?
- Is the governing authority operating in an effective manner?