Week 2 Assignment 1

Timing

PAD599 Interview Guide

Before the Interview

Locate the names and contact information of people to interview. (These may be on the website or you may need to call the general information number.)

Contact the representative(s) and introduce yourself as a Strayer University graduate student completing your Capstone Course.

Inform him/her that through your Capstone Course you are reviewing the agency and serving as an informal student consultant and request a 30- to 45-minute interview.

Inform him/her of the major areas you will be addressing:

· Organization’s structure.

· Cooperation with other government or not-for-profit agencies and legal decisions.

· Human Resources management.

· Budgeting.

State that all information will be for an academic paper only, will not be published in any written or media format, nor used for any type of copyrights.

Request specific dates and times for the interviews. Remember, interviews can be by phone, in person, or by email. (If by email, request a date you can send the questions. Inform person of the date you need the responses.) Also note that one person may be in a position to discuss several of the assignment areas. Be sure to look at all the assignment questions to formulate relevant questions for better responses.

Review the agency and department prior to the interview and gain as much information as possible in the time you have. You do not want to waste any time or go past the time allowed for the interview.

Write or computer-generate the questions you plan to ask. Number your questions so you can reference the question number as you take notes. For example Assignment 1 Question 3 could be labeled as 1.3, and so forth.

Familiarize yourself with your list of questions.

Ask the interviewee for permission to send a suggested list of questions to be covered during the interview several days before the interview takes place. This will save time during the interview. If the interviewee responds to the questions prior to the interview, review the questions and be prepared to discuss any answers for which you need more information, or for which you would like to gain more experience of the subject matter.

During the Interview

Be courteous and respectful, especially of the person’s time. Be prepared and professional in tone and speed of communication.

Ask clear, specific questions.

Follow up any brief, incomplete, or vague comments with questions such as, “Could you give an example?” or “Would you explain that a little more?”

Ask if there are other sources (people, documents, websites) that would be helpful. Thank the person for his / her time. Send a thank-you note by email or regular mail.

Contact any person he or she recommends and follow the same protocol as outlined in this interview guide. Also, inform the recommended person of the person who recommended him or her for your contact.

After the Interview

Type up your notes right away.

Align the representative’s answers with the appropriate questions.

Align the representative’s comments with research you have done in the area(s). Point out in your paper how the representative’s comments were supported by or

differed from the research. Hypothesize reasons discrepancies may exist.

Student’s Name

Section

Agency

Department

Person(s) Interviewed

Medium (Phone, email, in person, identify if other)

Interviewee’s Position

Date(s) of Interview

Area

Topics for Questions

History

Ask about reasons (goals / objectives) for being established as well as identifying / explaining the major milestones or changes since being established.

Organizational Design

Ask about the design and organizational chart, decision makers, and the process involved in making major policy decisions.

Organizational Design’s Effects

Ask about the effects (positive and negative) of the agency’s organizational design and decision-making process on its employees and primary recipients of services.

Challenges and Successes

Ask about the agency’s challenges, its successes, and the things that need improvement regarding planning, organizational design, decision making, and implementation.

Future Plans

Ask about the agency’s future plans for organizational design, decision making, and implementation that are expected to affect the agency’s operation and its primary recipients.

Recommendations

Ask about any recommendation they might have for improvement in the areas of planning, decision making, organization, and / or implementation.

Student’s Name

Section

Agency

Department

Person(s) Interviewed

Medium (Phone, email, in person, identify if other)

Interviewee’s Position

Date(s) of Interview

Area

Topics for Questions

Political Factors

Ask about ways in which political factors (e.g., political appointments, political competency, and policy making process) specifically and generally impact the agency.

Judicial / Legal Factors

Ask about ways in which judicial factors (e.g., the legislation connection, oversight, administration law, stakeholders, and strategies) have had an impact on the agency.

Leadership

Ask about ways the internal agency leaders and / or political leaders have influenced the agency.

Future Plans

Ask about the agency’s future plans for cooperation, leadership, and legal decisions that are expected to affect the agency’s operation and its primary recipients.

Recommendations

Ask about any recommendation they might have for improvement in the areas of cooperation, leadership, and legal decisions.

Student’s Name

Section

Agency

Department

Person(s) Interviewed

Medium (Phone, email, in person, identify if other)

Interviewee’s Position

Date(s) of Interview

Area

Topics for Questions

Human Resources Management

Ask about system, processes, and methods for effective human resource management in the public sector.

Employee Relations / Conditions

Ask about trends regarding 3–4 of the following conditions: (1) unions and collective bargaining; (2) maintaining an effective workforce; (3) federal laws about discrimination; (4) sexual harassment; and (5) political rights.

Future Plans

Ask about the agency’s future plans for human resources management, noting how they are expected to affect the agency’s operation and its primary recipients.

Recommendations

Ask about any recommendation they might have for improvement in the areas of human resource management.

Student’s Name

Section

Agency

Department

Person(s) Interviewed

Medium (Phone, email, in person, identify if other)

Interviewee’s Position

Date(s) of Interview

Area

Topics for Questions

Budgeting Overview

Ask about the components of effective budgeting for the selected agency, highlighting the purposes of budgeting, sources of revenue, and challenges resulting from today’s economic downturn.

Political Influences

Ask about the major political influences on and primary accountability areas required of program administrators.

Differences in Planned and Actual

Ask about any differences between the agency’s planned budget for a selected year (within last three years) and its actual budget.

Future Plans

Ask about the agency’s future plans for budgeting that might affect the agency’s operation and its primary recipients.

Recommendations

Ask about any recommendation they might have for improvement in the areas of budgeting, sources for revenue, and efficiencies.