We specialize in developing customized programs designed to help companies integrate management development and leadership theory with their vision, mission, goals and objectives. Our programs are based on the analyst competencies identified by state and county goverment.
Critical Thinking Skills - Throughout history, inquisitive people have been concerned with the art and science of astute thinking. In the 21st century, the ability to engage in reflective thought has been viewed as a fundamental characteristic of an independent person and as a skill for an increasingly wide range of jobs. As a result, the topic of Critical Thinking is one more way to gain a competitive advantage in career and organization development. This course is designed to provide participants with information and methods to help them analyze policies, evaluate documents, filter information, and solve problems. Participants will leave with an increased ability to analyze policies, evaluate documents, filter information, and solve problems.
Essential Analytical Skills - Moving beyond the foundation of literacy and numeracy skills (as presented in the Introduction to Analytical Skills Course), Essential Analytical Skills breaks new ground in the preparation of the analyst. This course is designed to explore the relationship between analytical thinking, research and problem solving. Using actual government-based research problems, participants in this class will learn to organize data, analyze it, and use problem solving techniques and tools. Research strategies, utilizing the internet, will also be presented. Finally, each participant will understand how to put together a project plan that contains outcomes and deliverables. This course is an excellent refresher for experienced analysts. Analysts new to the positions will also benefit from the systematic and logical approaches to analytical work presented in this class.
Completed Staff Work
- This two day course
is for analysts just starting in their position or experienced analysts that
are required to create recommendations for management implementation in the
form of Completed Staff Work. This class is presented to provide employees
with an opportunity to develop, improve or refine their skills in planning
and preparing Completed Staff Work (CSW). This customized offering will provide
participants with a thorough understanding of CSW concepts.
It also provides them with an opportunity to experience working on analytical
problems individually and in teams that require the preparation of recommendations
in the form of CSW. It is designed to provide participants with practice on
creating evaluation criteria, analyzing and evaluating alternatives, and preparing
recommendations for implementation based on the requirements of their department
or agency. The Completed Staff Work (CSW) process is based on practices used
by business, government and the military and is designed to increase the time
available for managers to perform priority work by reducing the time needed
to review and implement procedures, projects or new programs. The goal of
CSW is to present to management a written solution that has been thoroughly
developed.
Principles of Government Administration and Organization - This course provides a practical overview of the public policy process and its implications for government decision-making. It explores a number of concepts associated with policy analysis and aims to provide participants with practical skills that can be used in a variety of policy settings. Topics covered in this course will include policy writing and research, political lobbying, the legislative process, stakeholder consensus building, and ethics in policy making. Special attention will be given to the rationale for public policy and its impact on the ability of government to deliver public value. This course also explores key components of public organizational systems and how they operate. Topics covered include administrative structures and accountability, functional lines of authority, intergovernmental relations, internal and external regulatory policy controls, and the fiscal process.
Precise Writing - In Precise Writing, participants learn how to communicate technical information in an appropriate and accurate written format. The class builds on knowledge learned in previous academy courses and allows participants to use analytical skills to compose various in-class documents. Time will be spent exploring the writing process, which enables participants to write with excellence and efficiency. The purpose of the course is to equip analysts with the skills and confidence needed to write technical and other workplace documents. Objectives of the course include how to write accurate documents that clearly define issues, present compelling arguments that persuade readers and adequately address the issue and create consistent, concise, and convincing documents.
Capstone Project for
Working Analysts - The
capstone course is designed as a powerful method to reinforce course concepts
and allow you to apply methods and tools learned to your own CDE work and
projects. Students will have two-three months to prepare the capstone project.
The course will consist of three sessions (1/2 day introduction to the process,
1/2 day mid-point review, progress report and assistance offered to each analyst,
final full-day presentation and feedback for analysts). Each analyst will
be given a guidelines document for completing the capstone project, directions
on how to choose and complete a project and how to use their immediate supervisor
in the process.
