Budget

Question 1

1. Thoroughly discuss all of the elements associated with developing a budget for a security action plan. Include a discussion about why budgets should be developed during the planning process and the possible consequences associated with developing an erroneous budget.

This assessment should be a minimum of 300 words. 

Question 2

2. Detail the differences between performance measurement and quality assurance. Include a discussion of the various techniques for measuring performance and a discussion of the difficulties associated with assessing quality assurance..

This assessment should be a minimum of 300 words. 

GENERAL OVERVIEW

There are various types of risks (pure, dynamic, speculative, static, inherent) that are associated with the protection of one’s assets. It is important that organizations are aware of the risks that exist and take action to control known risks. As a result, organizations should utilize the various risk assessment and management tools that are available. When managing risk, the focus should be on the elimination of risk, the reduction of risk, and the mitigation of risk. There are three factors that influence risk management: vulnerability, probability, and criticality. All three factors are equally important, and once assessed, resources should be allocated so that the maximum amount of risk is reduced.

Conducting a risk assessment is a very detailed procedure which requires security managers to consider several factors such as the human, physical and information assets at risk, the probability or of loss, the frequency of loss, the impact of loss (financial, psychological, and other), options available to prevent or mitigate loss, feasibility of implementing options, and cost-benefit analysis. One way to assist organizations in conducting a risk assessment is to utilize a security survey which identifies an organization’s assets, all potential threats to those assets, and existing vulnerabilities that could be exposed by the threats to the assets. Security survey results are not only useful for risk assessments, but are also useful for the current maintenance of safety and future security planning.

Planning and budgeting for implementing security strategies that result from risk assessment is not a simple task. First, there are several types of plans that one must choose from: single-use, repeat-use (standing), tactical, strategic, and contingency. All plans are comprised of three elements that flow in the cyclical manner: needs or risk assessment, alternative courses of action, and action plan selection. There are also several planning and management tools (CompStat, GIS) that can assist in the development of a plan. Once the plan is drafted a budget must be developed which includes a cost-benefit analysis that can help planners determine possible consequences associated with plan-related expenditures, the monetary value of those consequences, and any anticipated future costs and revenues associated with the initial expenditures. Budgets can be presented in traditional, line item, performance-base, and zero- formats. All budgets should account for personnel services, operating, supplies and materials, capital, and miscellaneous expenses. Once the budget has been completed security professionals are ready to sell the plan to all involved parties (organization, community, supporting agencies, etc.).

Another important component of security planning is often not considered until the need arises for backup and/or emergency plans. Contingency plans are as important as the initial plan itself. Such plans are designed to respond to changes that would impact normal business operations if they were disrupted by disasters, emergencies, crisis, etc. Contingency plans can be in the form of a business contingency plan or an operations contingency plan and should be developed at the organizational level in conjunction with contingency plans that also exist at the individual, local community, state, and federal levels.

Assessments, surveys, and planning are not strategies that were created out of thin air. There are theories that have contributed to the development of such strategies. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a theory that has contributed to risk assessment and security planning. CPTED asserts “that the environment can be protected, and crime prevented, through the proper design of facilities and communities” (Ortmeier, 2013, p.173). Safe and secure environmental designs are achieved through territorial reinforcement, access control, and surveillance. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as relocating gathering areas, developing safe activities in unsafe locations, creating natural barriers, and reducing the amount of isolation and distance in places. CPTED strategies have been successful when implemented with the collaboration of organizations, communities, community policing programs, and security agencies.

Once an action plan is selected, the next step in security management is implementing and administering the program. Administration is conducted in the public and private spheres. Public administration is characterized by being public affairs oriented, impartial and fair, apolitical, public source service oriented, publicly funded and documented, accountable to the public, selectively staff, and how. In contrast private administration is characterized by being private enterprise oriented, private or corporate ownership, competitive, profit incentive-based, having its financing regulated by market price, private information and records, accountable to owners and stakeholders, exercising some freedom in selection and termination of employees, and free to regulate work methods and organizations. Regardless of the differences that exist between public and private administration there are principles of organization and management which, if followed, can result in the development of organized organizations.

First, the organizational structure must be established. Oftentimes we see an organizational chart but do not realize the steps involved in the developmental process. Usually similar tasks are grouped together and specialized units or departments are only created when necessary. The demarcation of the lines represents responsibilities and channels of communication. The organizational structure is not just a picture. It also exemplifies the expectation of completion of tasks associated with assigned roles and the supervisory chain of command.

Second, ethical leadership must be established. In the past it was believed that an integral part of the administration process or human resources was control. Researchers now argue that leadership should now be focused on allowing managers to use their own judgment, which should be grounded in ethics.

Third, the organization must be staffed with qualified personnel. This involves workforce planning which outlines full-time equivalents, identifies job tasks and clearly specifies those expectations in the job description. In the background there should also be risk assessments and security surveys that identify when and where human resources will be required in an organization. The training and education of organizational personnel should also be considered during the workplace planning process. Personnel enter an organization at various entry levels, with various levels of education. Job descriptions and associated technologies are constantly changing necessitating the continued training and education of previously and newly hired employees.

Fourth, equipment facilities and supplies must be both acquired and maintained. Ensuring that these resources are purchased at the best quality and maintained will enhance durability and longevity of required resources.

Fifth, policies and procedures associated with the action plan must be developed. Policies and procedures should be clearly detailed and provide (uniform guidelines) for addressing various types of situations that will arise in the organization or agency. For example, policies can address topics and issues such as affirmative action, drug and alcohol abuse, ethics, firearms, general practices, human resources, Internet use, security, travel and entertainment, and workplace violence. For another example, procedures can address more specific topics and issues such as AIDS contact, bomb threats, civil process acceptance, clear desk, duress alarm, electronic mail protection, employee access control, guess security, hazardous identification, intranet protection, medical emergencies, office inspections, password protection, rape avoidance, substance abuse program audit, and telephone answering.

Sixth, performance measures and quality assurance must be evaluated or assessed. Performance management is based on standards (tangible, numerical, and intangible) and can be measured through personal observation, written and oral reports, automatic recording systems, inspections, tests, and surveys. Quality assurance is more difficult to measure because quality improvement is continual and “total quality management (TQM) initiatives involve approaches to administration that attempt to maximize effectiveness of an organization through the continued improvement of the quality of its people, processes, products, and environment” (Ortmeier, 2013, p.198). In addition, TQM initiatives must be interwoven into all elements of an organization and such initiatives are unique to the organization. There is not a one-size-fits-all TQM strategy. Security personnel, like most humans, are often resistant to change. Thus, providing evidence of the benefits of TQM initiatives can often assist security personnel in accepting proposed changes.

As a final caveat, organizational evaluation and assessment must be controlled by ethical managers. Organizations are shifting from the use of traditional financial and statistical indicators, which often resorted in data distortion, to the use of the nationally and internationally accepted Baldrige criteria for performance excellence. These criteria are based on a system perspective and contain validated measures with which an organization can measure its performance