scheduling

A CMF survey of freshmen congressional staff in the 116th Congress found that the most difficult task in setting up the office was "setting up a scheduling operation." We encourage/strongly implore all freshman offices to send at least ONE representative to this session where you'll gain insights NOT presented in any other training or venue. Presenters include two seasoned congressional schedulers offering valuable guidance on how to avoid major mishaps. Watch the recording >>

Strategic Scheduling

DO's...

• Do follow the six steps for developing and implementing a strategic schedule:
  • define office goals.
  • evaluate the impact of office goals on scheduling.
  • communicate goals to staff.
  • assemble the scheduling team.
  • develop scheduling criteria.
  • conduct a strategic review.

• Do determine roles and responsibilities for the Scheduler(s) and any other staff who are part of the scheduling team.

• Do forecast a long-range scheduling plan for either the first session or the entire upcoming term.

• Do serve more constituents by conducting a variety of proactive events in the district/state, such as: individual appointments; community or open office hours; site visits; online, in-person, or telephone town hall meetings; advisory boards; and field hearings.

• Do consider the Member’s travel schedule, the distance from DC to the district/state, and any additional job duties, before hiring and deciding where to locate the person responsible for district/state scheduling.

DON'Ts...

• Don't hire an experienced, top-notch scheduler if the Member is still going to see every invitation and decide all details.

• Don't rely on reactive scheduling, where the office simply responds to invitations or requests. Instead, actively seek and creative opportunities to achieve goals.

• Don't neglect to get feedback from event attendees. Only by knowing what went right and wrong can the office improve future scheduling trips.

• Don't overschedule. Schedulers must learn to say “no” diplomatically and take the heat because of it.

• Don't ignore the Member’s needs for “down time” or reading time. While Member’s schedules are necessarily busy, they do not have to always keep pace with a hectic campaign-like schedule.

• Don't wait too long to respond to invitations which angers those who invited you, nor reply too quickly, which might result in last-minute cancellations.

• Don't ignore or avoid conflict between the Member’s family and staff. Build a cooperative relationship by setting up ground rules for the family’s involvement in scheduling and interaction with staff.

Details

Copyright 2020, Congressional Management Foundation
Paperback/Softcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Congressional Management Foundation; 17^th edition (November 3, 2020)
ISBN: 978-1-930473-24-9
Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.25 inches

• Download the entire book in PDF: Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide - 117th Congress Edition(2.6 MB)

Pricing for Hardcopies

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