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?