Management Consulting for State Administrative Agencies

Management Consultation

Office Organization – Business Processes
Recent reports from OMB and Congress indicate four critical challenges facing government leaders today: the need for improved management of program, workforce, financial administration, and IT investment.  The chief executive officer (CEO) or administrator (SAA) of state agencies responsible for criminal justice policies, programs and investments faces these challenges daily.  Changing federal priorities and requirements, unexpected demands for criminal justice services, and the desire to demonstrate results and deliver quality services require sound organization management and business processes implemented by knowledgeable staff with current technology.  The NCJA staff can draw on extensive knowledge and expertise from its own staff as well as a national network of administrators and experts to deliver services to the SAA to assess agency operations and recommend changes to achieve the SAA’s goals.  Examples of these services are:
• “Rapid Response” for SAAs.  An experienced SAA is available to assist a state’s CEO and staff in assessing office management, policy, grant securing, grant monitoring, planning, training and substantive issue needs.  This service involves a triage phase with the SAA, and is available to new CEOs and experienced alike.  For the new SAA, this phase provides a detailed overview of the responsibilities, pitfalls and requirements of managing the agency.  Close coordination with BJA partners helps to ensure that best NCJA practices are showcased.
• An organizational assessment provides a more in-depth analysis of the administering agency organization and business processes with recommendations for improving the organization’s performance.

These services can be provided at minimal or no cost to the SAA through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

Strategic Planning

As the SAA for criminal justice planning, you are responsible for working with your staff and members of your policy board to develop and revise strategic plans.  Not only are these plans required by state and federal funding sources, but they also provide guidance for your staff in carrying out their responsibilities.  Members of the NCJA staff have extensive experience designing, developing and delivering interactive sessions to develop strategic plans.  These sessions will:
• Help you clarify the goals for your session so that they are clear, concise, meaningful and achievable.
• Develop a proposed agenda for the meeting using the facilitation tools that are best suited to your goals and your situation.
• Provide a facilitator for the session so that everyone on your team can participate fully.
• Facilitate the session to keep the group on track.
• Document the meeting so that key discussions and action plans are captured.
• Follow up with you after the session to ensure that your goals are met.

Members of the NCJA Advisory Council can receive these services for the cost of NCJA staff travel.  Non-members can receive these services for the cost of NCJA staff time and travel.

Professional Development

Presentation Skills
The SAA and staff are required to deliver effective presentations to funding authorities, grant recipients and other public and private entities.  Using technology such as PowerPoint and the principles of adult learning, NCJA staff can provide training to enhance your and your staff’s skills in getting your message across in the most effective manner.  This training can be delivered at your facility for up to 50 people.

Effective Meetings
Meetings are essential to accomplishing an organization’s mission and goals; however many meetings are unproductive and can even be counter productive.  NCJA staff members can work with you and your staff to develop meeting strategies and agendas that produce results and make effective use of participants’ time.

Members of the NCJA Advisory Council can receive these services for the cost of NCJA staff travel and seminar materials.  Non-members can receive these services for the cost of NCJA staff time, seminar materials, and travel.

Training and Conference Support

Training sessions, focus groups and conferences are important mechanisms for providing information and capacity building to your stakeholders as well as gathering information for planning purposes.  The NCJA designs, develops, and delivers dozens of events every year.  These events encompass hands-on, interactive skills building workshops to multi-track conferences attended by up to 200 people.  The NCJA staff is skilled in
• Conference Agenda Design
• Interactive Training Session Design
• Meeting Registration Support
• Speaker Recruitment and Support
• Materials Development and Production
Working with you and your staff, NCJA staff will develop a timeline and manage activities to maximize participants’ learning and meet your goal of delivering your message.

Members of the NCJA Advisory Council can receive these services for the cost of meeting materials and NCJA staff travel.  Non-members can receive these services for the cost of NCJA staff time, meeting materials, and travel.

**This project is partially supported by Grant No. 2005-DD-BX-K104 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.