N0. 1 Case Study: 'Every Day is Different' - Operations Management at Kelham Island Museum

Case courtesy of Richard Saward, Business Services Manager, Kelham Island Museum.

Kelham Island Museum (www.simt.co.uk) is located in one of the oldest industrial areas of Sheffield, UK. The Museum tells the story of steelmaking in Sheffield - its origins, inventions, production, workers and products. It is housed in a former power station which was built over 100 years ago, and which became the Museum in 1982 when a home was needed for the 420 tonne River Don Engine. While a natural home (physically and geographically) for an industrial museum, the location does present some operational constraints as a visitor attraction, including: it is very difficult and costly to heat; the size of the spaces makes it difficult to tell the 'story' in the optimal manner; and any alterations to the building need to consider the existing structure and maintain the originality of the building. The Museum is open 5 days a week (excluding Friday and Saturday) and attracts approximately 50,000 visitors a year. Unlike many museums, where over 20% of visitors attend in a single month, Kelham has very little seasonal fluctuation in its visitor numbers. However, the mix of visitor markets varies by season; for example, there are no school visits in holiday times. The Museum also hosts events, including weddings and a Victorian Christmas Market.

There are four main departments, each one with its own manager, which are over seen by the Chief Executive:

Collections (Curatorial);

Technical/Engineering;

Learning; and

Business Services (Operations fall under the remit of the Business Services Department).

• These four different departments often have conflicting objectives, and compromises are frequently required; for example, there are some areas of the Museum more suited than others to the hosting of weddings owing to the nature of the displays within those areas.

• The role of Business Services Manager encompasses the areas of commercial income (retail, catering, weddings and hospitality), visitor services and admissions, soft facilities management (IT, security alarm systems), health and safety, and marketing and events. In addition, there are some legal (licenses) and human resource responsibilities. While the role also includes marketing and promotion, these activities are undertaken by a different team of staff to those for Operations. It is the undertaking of this extensive and wide-ranging list of responsibilities that allows the other departments to concentrate on their areas of expertise and, therefore, ensure that the Museum is able to fulfil its objectives as a museum and Centre for learning. Operations are carried out by the Visitor Services Team, which is responsible for, inter alia: preparing and opening the Museum to the public; covering all activities for any given event; keeping the buildings clean and tidy; testing alarm systems; checking Health and Safety provision (including the availability and location of fire extinguishers and First Aid boxes), maintaining leaflet and map racks; and making feedback available to visitors. For school visits (which account for approx. 25% of visitor numbers), there are a variety of package options for schools to take. Each package comprises a predetermined sequence of individual activities related to different parts of and exhibits at the Museum. It is the Visitor Services Team's responsibility to ensure that these visits are accurately and efficiently arranged. Upon arrival, the Team will then meet/greet the party and process the booking details (actual number of visitors as opposed to those booked, and take payment if appropriate) before passing the group over to the Learning Team. The Visitor Services Team also sets up the relevant venue for both general public (such as the Victorian Christmas Market) and hospitality events (such as weddings), and this can involve moving exhibits before setting up tables, chairs, audiovisual equipment and event lighting. For public events, other duties include accepting delivery of infrastructure items (such as marquees and toilets) and welcoming and directing stall holders, and, occasionally, relocating the admission area. All of these tasks need to be done in a manner that has the least impact on the day visitor, ensuring that: Admissions is staffed; the retail shop is stocked and tidy; and everything is ready and at a professional standard for the 'out-of-hours' visitors. At the end of the event, alterations need to be unset ready for the Museum to be a museum again. As Kelham's Business Services Manager, Richard Saward, comments: 'Every day is different - although we can plan our activity, we never know who is going to walk through the door and what is going to happen!'

• Questions:
• 1. What are the key challenges for 'smooth and efficient operation of the site' (Swarbrooke, 2002) at Kelham?
• 2. Consider how the organizational structure at Kelham, and the position of operations within the structure, can be advantageous and disadvantageous to the smooth running of the site.
• 3. Identify some visitor reviews on Kelham. Conceptualize operations at Kelham in terms of the 'input-transformation-output' process. Consider how the model can help the Business Services Manager.