In June 2015, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and training (POST) completed an 18-month strategic planning process wherein the California State University Sacramento Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) guided POST in developing a shared plan via the solicitation of a wide range of stakeholder input, including law enforcement clients and internal staff. CCP facilitated an evaluation of POST programs while considering statutory requirements and external stakeholder needs; developed a 3-5-year Strategic Plan based on research and assessment findings; and developed an Implementation Plan in collaboration with POST staff, Commission representatives and members of POST Advisory Committees, to target actions to begin once the Strategic Plan document was completed.

Subsequent to the completion and Commission approval of the Strategic Plan and the Strategic Implementation Plan, the newly formed POST Implementation Progress Team (IPT) engaged in moving the organization forward in meeting the documented Strategic Plan objectives. Strategic Plan Objective (B.3.1) recommends that POST evaluate organizational systems, structures, and processes to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity in its efforts to deliver quality products, training, and to improve services to California law enforcement agencies.

In order to achieve Strategic Plan Objective (B.3.1), POST has contracted with Mission Consulting via the RFP process. Mission Consulting is a local small business firm located in Sacramento. During the seven- month period from August 2017, through February 2018, the Contractors have completed a detailed organizational analysis of POST’s structure and operations. The core objective of the study has been to obtain extensive external input from those entities that POST serves, and the Commission, and to apply that input into an assessment of the current core functions of POST to identify how POST operations can be more in alignment with identified customer needs.

The study has also included POST staff input in order to identify gaps in the organization’s efficiency and effective service delivery to its customers, and to look for opportunities to better address customer needs, through the analysis of POST’s structure, outward-facing operational procedures, and internal workflow processes.

The scope of work for this organizational analysis organized the project into two phases. In phase one the Contractor completed in several tasks, including the following:

• External Outreach - Facilitated focus groups comprised of members from key law enforcement groups such as California Police Chief’s Association (CPCA), California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA), the California Peace Officers’ Association (CPOA), Peace Officer Research Association of California (PORAC), and other groups that were identified during the study process.
• Research - Reviewed results of previous outreach conducted for the update of the POST Strategic Plan, current POST Strategic Plan, POST Implementation Plan, and all relevant existing documents. These materials included the POST Administrative Manual, authorizing legislation, POST’s roles and responsibilities to the law enforcement community, statutory requirements, prior POST organizational analysis reports, and POST Commission mandates and directives. The purpose of this research was to understand the intent and scope of POST as promulgated in legislation and regulations, and to compare the current intent and scope, with the desired outcomes for POST as identified in phase one.
• Comparison with other POST's - Conducted a comparative review of the duties, responsibilities, and organizational structure of Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington's POST organizations. The purpose of this task was to ascertain potential best practices that could be emulated by California POST.
• Identify Internal Process and Workflow - Identified and evaluated POST’s internal processes to determine workflow patterns throughout the organization. This task included the examination of internal communication and quality control measures, as well as an examination of how change occurs in the organization.
• Bureau Workload Efficiency - Performed a series of Bureau Team Meetings in which each Bureau's staff was given the opportunity to identify ways in which they could improve how they perform their work, with the goal of identifying three opportunities for improvement for each Bureau.
• Identify Mandated Programs and Services - Many of POST’s duties and responsibilities are mandated by law.  For this task, the Contractor reviewed existing mandates and identified which organizational units carry out mandated duties. The purpose of this task was to develop recommendations to facilitate the development of work and resource priority setting.
• Analyze Bureau and Work Group Responsibilities - Each staff member was either interviewed or surveyed, to identify each individual’s and each work group’s cumulative duties and responsibilities. Interviews were summarized and compiled in a written format for review by the Contractor, the OA Team, and a cross-functional team of staff members for validation, prior to being included in the final Plan.
• Draft Summary of Findings and Recommendations - Contractor developed a summary of findings and any recommended changes to POST’s structure and operations. This draft of the Organizational Analysis Report has been presented to the POST Management Team to confirm and validate that the proposed organizational improvement strategies accurately reflect the vision of the focus groups, the Executive Director, and the Commission.
• Update Draft of Organizational Analysis Report - Based on input received from the POST Management Team, the draft Organizational Analysis Report was updated. The updated draft Organizational Analysis Report was presented for review and final input from POST’s Executive Director prior to presentation to staff.
• Staff Review of Organizational Analysis Report - Contractor in collaboration with the POST project manager, presented a draft final of the Organizational Analysis report at an all-staff meeting for review and comment.
• Commission Approval of Organizational Analysis Report - A final draft of the Organizational Analysis Report with Executive Team approval, is presented to the Commission by POST staff. Upon Commission approval, a public summary version will be created for general distribution.

Should the Commission accept the Organizational Analysis report,
(Attachment A), the prioritization, assignment, and implementation of any recommendations contained in the report, or action taken on any findings, will be at the discretion of the POST Executive Director.  The recommendations or changes that are acted upon as a result of the Organizational Analysis Report will be incorporated into a Strategic Implementation Plan.