The Delphi technique for personnel and budget allocation

This paper presents a case study in which the Delphi technique is applied to utilise expert judgement in systematically allocating personnel and budget for a university library in Taiwan. Anonymous group decision via the Delphi method, on one hand, reduces the dean's bias in making a personal decision and, on the other hand, eliminates the dominance of some powerful heads in group discussions. Consequently, the consensus of the panel of experts has not only accomplished a more convincing allocation than before, but has also saved 3.5 FTE and 520,000 New Taiwan dollars. As the budgets of most libraries are increasing at a slower pace than that of the expenses, the Delphi technique has been demonstrated to be an effective method for resource allocation.