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Summary
This is the first practical, step-by-step guide to a key management technique—the design of efficient, cost-effective programs. With social programs succumbing to the pressures of budgetary cutbacks and taxpayer opposition, it gives public administrators the skills to design programs that will endure even as resources decline.
The author begins to bridge the gap between what is needed by society and what can be provided by government by assisting public managers in identifying and surmounting obstacles in the way of program change. He does so by synthesizing what is known about program planning as a body of knowledge with the application of programs under real life conditions. His how-to approach covers such tasks as selecting a problem for analysis, diagnosing the organizational setting, preparing a work plan, developing alternatives, collecting data, communicating results, and preparing for implementation. The exercises and exhibits included in this workbook are applicable to all areas of public service, including health and human services, social services, criminal justice, and education.
Leonard I. Ruchelman is Professor of Urban Studies and Public Administration at Old Dominion University.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
What is Program Design
Program Design as Planned Change
Approaches for Understanding the Process of Change
The Program Design Process
2. Getting Started
Step 1Selecting a Problem Area for Analysis
Step 2Organizing for Program Design
Summary
3. Diagnosing the Organizational Setting
Step 1Describing the Performance Gap
Step 2Rating Individual Factors
Step 3Rating Organizational Factors
Step 4Identifying Environmental Factors
Step 5 the Feasibility of a program Design Project
Summary
4. Generating Public Support
Step 1Restating the Problem as an Issue
Step 2Identifying the Likely Actors
Step 3Estimating the Issue Position, Power and Salience of Each Actor
Step 4Calculating Weights and Probabilities
Step 5Identifying Strategies
Summary
5. Preparing a Workplan
Step 1Defining the Problem
Step 2Describing the Current Program
Step 3Establishing the Project Scope
Step 4Describing the Program Design Methodology
Step 5Establishing and Assigning Work Tasks
Step 6Approving the Workplan
Summary
6. Establishing Goals, Objectives and Performance Criteria
Step 1Reviewing Program Material
Step 2Defining Program Goals
Step 3Defining Program Objectives
Step 4Establishing Performance Criteria
Summary
7. Developing Program Alternatives
Step 1Generating Program Alternatives
Step 2Screening Program Alternatives
Step 3Forecasting
Step 4Categorizing Alternatives
Summary
8. Data Collection
Step 1Estimating Service Demand
Step 2Estimating Costs
Step 3Collecting Effectiveness Data
Step 4Collecting Feasibility information
Summary
9. Synthesizing the Data
Step 1Organizing the Data
Step 2Comparing the Data
Step 3Drawing Conclusions
Summary
10. Communicating the Results
Step 1Preparing the Draft Report
Step 2Reviewing the Draft Report
Step 3 Transmitting the Final Report
Summary
11. Preparing for Implementation
Step 1Forming an Implementation Team
Step 2Preparing an Implementation Workplan
Step 3Methods for Monitoring Implementation Progress
Step 4Follow-up Strategies
Summary and Conclusions
Appendix A. Guide to Information Sources in Public Services
Appendix B. Guide to Information Sources in Human Services