At the 2025 Association of Science and Technology Center’s Annual Conference, I was delighted to present a poster illustrating the often invisible—but always critical—role that Operations departments play in keeping museums and non-profits alive, connected, and thriving.
Museums are complex ecosystems. Without coordination, siloed processes can disrupt efficiency, collaboration, and the visitor experience. Through my “The Heartbeat of the Museum: Operational Strategies for Interdepartmental Flow” poster, I wanted to illustrate that Operations serves as the heart of that system by circulating information, aligning departments, and ensuring that creative ideas have the structure and support to flourish.
My work clearly resonated with conference attendees and the judges: it won first place, earning an additional award for the poster “that stops you in your tracks.”
A view of the full poster. Contact KID Museum for more details.
An interactive clipboard element engaged viewers.
Five Key Strategies for Interdepartmental Flow
➔ Clear Channels: Regular cross-team check-ins and shared platforms to reduce surprises and duplication.
➔ One System: Centralized CRM, scheduling, and reporting tools to create a single source of truth.
➔ Roles & Flexibility: Clarified ownership while staying adaptable, ensuring accountability and agility.
➔ Feedback Loops: Structured ways to capture and act on staff and visitor input.
➔ Collaboration Culture: Building trust and transparency across teams to strengthen results.
Five key strategies.
These ideas came to life through a case study of KID Museum’s booking process, a system that once involved a knot of multiple departments using multiple tools. By unifying systems and implementing weekly “pulse checks,” our Operations team reduced booking time, secured over $125,000 in program revenue, and improved communication across more than four departments. The changes did more than simply save time, they increased visitor trust, boosted staff morale, and freed up capacity for mission-driven innovation.
Circuit stickers from frequent KID Museum partner Chibitronics illuminated key points.
To make these concepts tangible for conference attendees, I took inspiration from a KID partner and incorporated light-up Chibitronics “circuit stickers.” With a simple press, viewers can “power up” the museum’s heart, illuminating the flow of communication and collaboration across departments—an evocative representation of how Operations brings an organization to life.
The visual display underscored a simple truth: when operations synchronize, a museum functions like a healthy organism. Every beat of the system supports educators, researchers, administrators, and visitors alike, keeping creativity and collaboration in rhythm.
Megan Shpak is KID’s Director of Operations and Visitor Services.
