Appendix 2   The Interview Process 

Talking to government  —  Understanding an ORG

This section will explain some of the characteristics of public sector orgs, and in many ways will also apply to corporations, Non-Profits, and other types of organizations. The purpose is to show some of the groundwork that will help to gain access to personnel who may help answer questions related to key objectives. It will also help to understand the agencies for the purpose of framing the questions, and later to follow up on the credibility of agency plans and their ability to carry them out. Here goes:

If you want to get an agency (eg. EPA, DOT, USDA) to do something for you, you will first have to get to know that agency to some extent.  By doing so, you gain their respect and willingness to interact.  If you want to understand what the agency is all about, you have to be ready to ask the right kind of questions.  For some of these questions, there may be no answers, or they may be overly sensitive. So pick your way carefully and don’t ever be pushy. Just do your own homework, study what they give you, and keep working on the questions.  Above all, be persistent.  Be professional, respectful, be friendly, but be persistent.  And act the way that you would like to be treated.  Conflict is almost never the best option.

After you get a quick working profile of the organization, then you will be in a position to ask them what they are really trying to accomplish, in the way of outcomes  — the outcomes that you care about.

An agency is like a living organism, that has structure, and substance, and spirit.   Spirit, for an agency, is like their ideals, their culture, their vision.  Hard to put your finger on.  Substance includes their resources, and funding,  and flow of communication  —  also hard to pin down.  Structure, then, is the best place to start.  Within an agency’s structure, you can start to frame your questions. But how do you get a handle on it?   There are many different ways that an agency can be structured – so here are some of the main ones:

• Start with an organization chart.  It shows all the parts, who’s who, what’s what.  Along with that find contacts, phone numbers, titles, etc.   Now you have handles.  This info is often presented online, close to the  agency’s home page.
• Mission Statements:    Now look for some descriptions of the parts.  Every part of the organization, from the top down, has some means of defining what they do –  every department, division, bureau, office, etc.  Every employee has a job description, somewhere.  These descriptions may be very detailed, or not.  If you are lucky, you will find mission statements early on for the main parts of the org.  This is as far as many folks will get.  But press on…..
• Planning structures
  • Strategic Plan–   ie.  5 year plan.   This is a general, over-arching document that describes what the agency expects to accomplish in the longer run.  Many agencies have stopped writing them, but not all.  See the 2023 Farm Bill, for current directions.  
  • Business plans – a more dynamic document, that describes what is happening in the shorter run, ie.  Yearly.  It is a work plan for the agency.
  • Work Plans –  Every serious project or initiative needs a work plan, to spell out the objectives and get everyone on the same page.  They should be dynamic, changing as the project moves along.  Work plans are especially useful if mulit-agencies are involved, to inform cooperation.   They come in all kinds of formats, and various names, but generally need to  include:
    • Purpose of the project
    • Objectives, goals that will address this purpose
    • Methods – How they’re going to do it
    • Resources – what they need to have to get it done.  Funding, staff, data, etc.
    • Personnel  – who is involved, for what tasks.
    • Time frame – when will different objectives get done

Work plans can apply to large projects, or to smaller tasks or casework.   They are very helpful if you can get them, but don’t expect it  — some projects just wing it, or they may be considered internal docs, not for public. 

• Core mission or authorization –   What are the laws, regulations, authorizations, delegations and other parameters that define the purpose and responsibilities of the agency (in simple terms)?   Check some history, if needed.  How did the agency get started?  Is current function consistent with this stated purpose?
• Programs and Projects  -( To be developed)
• Budgetary structure  – follow the money.  For many agencies, this is the most informative and accurate way to define priorities and intentions.  Good luck getting it.
• Partnership –  You can tell a lot about somebody if you know who their friends are.  It’s the same with organizations –   partnerships define them to a large extent.  And how do they relate to the partners?  Are they shmoozy or shy, dependable or unpredictable?  Some agencies will work with anybody who shares the same concerns.  Others will not even share info with themselves, much less others.   Things to ask about:  
  • Are partners and other resources presented on the website —  links page?
  • Do the partners make plans together?  Strategic plans, etc.  Do they provide input on eachother’s strategic docs?
  • Do they share resources, staff, projects, data, funding…
  • Do they collaborate on projects, programs….

• Hard copy filing – How does the agency maintain its files?    How are they shared, and who uses them?  Are they open to the public?  Can you request to see them?   In most cases, you need to make a records request, and staff will make the search and bring them to you, if available.   Hard copy is still very important –  All earlier records were hard copy of course, and few if any digitized.  Don’t be surprised if these files and folders were managed poorly over the years, with much loss and attrition.  But you might luck out.   Hard copy files used to define how an agency functioned, back in the olden days  — much like data structures do today.  You worked inside the filing system as you got to know your job.
• Data Structure  When it comes to sharing,  an agency’s overall data environment can be very confidential – it is so critical to the mission, function and identity. Consider this:  an agency’s mission can be summarized as follows:  they inherit a body of data and info;  they do something to it;  and they pass it along to the next bunch.  That is one way to describe government work as a whole.   What they do with the data reflects everything they are, and is a major part of their power and wealth – along with a few other items –  institutional memory,  equipment, personnel, skills, reputation…    Among all of these, data may be the most important in terms of function, long term value, and what can be communicated to others.   It also defines who they are and what they really do.  Consider these factors:
  • Data Structure
  • Data Bases maintained
  • Data bases shared
  • Data disseminated to public
  • Data that is classified, off limits

This doc is a work in progress, but it may give some insight in to the mysteries of organizations. Of course, this is not focused on remote access and the new realities of current information systems in 2022. But its a starting point. More to come….