March 14, 2005
• Strategic Scheduling
• Mary Beth Cahill
• Your schedules
Setting Course:
A Congressional Management
Guide
-Congressional Management Foundation
Strategic Scheduling
“Creating a focused framework for the
scheduling process that reflects the
office’s strategic plan.”
• Proactive: decide where to go rather than
responding where to go
• Goal oriented
• Creative
• Inclusive
Steps to Developing a Schedule
1. Defining Office Goals
2. Evaluating the Impact of Office Goals on
Scheduling
3. Communicating Goals to Staff
4. Getting Your Scheduling Team in Place
5. Developing Your Scheduling Criteria:
“The ability to say ‘no’ is key to your
success…”
6. Strategic Review of Schedule
District Trips
• Develop a long-range scheduling plan
• Create events
• Accept selected invitations around which
the remainder of the schedule will be built
• Review pending requests
Washington Schedule
• Fewer logistical concerns (eg: driving to
and from events)
• Floor schedule dictates members
schedule = less control for office
• Typical events
– Tuesday through Thursday schedule
predictable
– Party caucuses and conference meetings
– Late nights, weekend sessions, votes
Common Problems
• Excessive travel time because of district
shape/size
• Overscheduling
• Missing events in the district because of an
erratic Congressional schedule
• Member unwilling to commit or slow to make
decisions
• Member over-involvement in scheduling
• Member’s family demands time
• Scheduler problems: can’t judge importance,
inadequate coordination between offices
• Scheduler provides inaccurate information
• Scheduler does not obtain complete information
Family Issues
• Clarify the roles and outline procedures for
family input
• Comfortable relationship between scheduler and
family is a MUST
• Encourage family to work with scheduler
• Have family give adequate notice to scheduler
• Establish clear limits on spouse’s claim to
Scheduler
• Spouse’s agenda is different than the Member’s
District Scheduling
• Washington Scheduler and District
Scheduler is an option
• Consider how often member will be in
district
• Advantages and Disadvantages to each
set up
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EVENT
March 13, Sunday
MORNING
"This Week in Cambridge"
Gotham City 10K
Rally for Divestiture
Convocation, Cambridge Tech
Boyne Natural Resources Trust
Republican Caucus Brunch
AFTERNOON
Girl Scouts Bloodmobile
Boyne County Fair
House Demo-Rep Softball
Gotham High vs. Central
Chinese Arts Fair
EVENING
Friends of Trent Lott
Midland Co. Town Meeting
Reception for James Baker
Daughters of the American Rev.
Local 239 (Mill workers)
DESCRIPTION
TIME
Radio interview, Capital City
Fire starting gun for race
At Cambridge Tech - remarks only
Five minute speech to students
Pie-eating contest, NRT Fundraiser
At the Capitol Building, DC
8-8:30
8-8:15
8-9:00
10-11:00
9-11:00
9-11:00
Give blood; Boyne businesses sponsor
Judge livestock; farm groups sponsor
Annual Congressional game, DC
High school game; give halftime award
Displays and lunch in Gotham City
12-3:00
1-3:00
2-4:00
1-3:00
2-6:00
Political dinner (est. 250 people), DC
Agenda includes school – Midland
Hosted by William Buckley, Capital City
Dinner (est. 150 people) Gotham
Dinner (est. 200 people) Gotham
7:30-?
7-9:00
6-8:00
7:30-?
7-?
Credits
• Presentation based on: Congressional
Management Foundation, Setting Course: A
Congressional Management Guide.
(Washington: Congressional Management
Foundation 2004), Chapter 15, pp. 239-263.
• Image on Cover from: Congressional
Management Foundation,
http://www.cmfweb.org Accessed 2/19/2005