Resources

Use the Basic Discussion Method to prepare for small group and interpersonal communication, reports, presentations, and leading meetings. 

Management Analysis and Development's experienced facilitators have developed a two-day course that teaches basic facilitator skills to, and builds confidence in, people who facilitate meetings and focus groups. The following tips are excerpted from the Facilitation Skills Course manual.

A consultant is a person who gives expert or professional advice. Choosing the best consultant for a project starts with thinking about your organization and determining the desired relationship.

A good position description should answer "exactly what work is this individual performing on a day-to-day or month-to-month basis?" This guide gives you tips on how to write a good position description. 

Surveys are a popular instrument for collecting information in many Management Analysis and Development projects. This guide lays out the basics of a survey. 

In recent years more and more state agencies have formed interagency work groups to accomplish something that they could not do alone. This guide offers tips on how to make these groups successful.

Conflict in the workplace is all too predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to deal with. Engaging conflict with both skill and heart is critically important; how we do so can literally make or break our careers. Management literature suggests that conflict, properly addressed, can lead to innovation and creativity.

Collecting qualitative data is helpful for diving more deeply into a topic or question. Qualitative data can answer “why” and “how” questions that quantitative data often cannot and can be useful when exploring more personal or sensitive subjects.

Changing an organization’s structure can seem like a straightforward way to address challenges, but it is not a decision organizations should make lightly. Reorganizations require significant resources and time, and the work involved can distract managers and staff from mission-focused work.