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Creating a Coordinated Agenda


*Excerpt from Keeping It Local: A Guide for Managing Congressional District & State Offices, Chapter 1, copyright Congressional Management Foundation. 

 

DO...
 DON'T...
    • Engage in strategic planning to set goals and priorities for the Member and staff, allocate resources and enable your office to be more proactive and effective.

    • Integrate the district/state and DC goals into a coordinated agenda that encourages both offices to work together for improved teamwork and effectiveness.

    • Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the basic planning methods (full-staff, liaison, small-group, hybrid) before choosing one that works best for your office.

    • Assess the following to guide your planning: the Member’s personal goals and interests; district/state needs; office strengths and weaknesses; and opportunities and threats.

  • Consider developing a two-year strategic plan, rather than just one-year, to take advantage of the full legislative cycle and to encourage comprehensive thinking for the entire congressional session.
    • Allow the Washington and district/state staffs to pursue separate agendas, which increase the likelihood for conflict, tension and costly mistakes.

    • Operate without a clearly-defined long-term vision of what the Member seeks to accomplish in Congress.

    • Write a mission statement that is too broad (“to make a difference”) or establishes too many themes. The more focused it is (preferably one or two themes), the more direction it provides the staff.

    • Include more than 3–5 short-term goals in your strategic plan. Single out what’s most important, most feasible and most consistent with the office’s mission statement.

  • Draft an action plan without deadlines or assigning responsibilities. Specific timeframes and clearly-defined roles are essential to keeping everyone accountable and focused on the plan.
 

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Tags:District / State, Strategy & Planning