PD in Practice: Appendix H -  PD officer transition plan

Outgoing responsibilities for a departing PD officer

It is the responsibility of officers to ensure a smooth transition for their successors by leaving the office prepared for the arrival of the new officer.  It is the responsibility of the new officer to reach out and ensure there is adequate information and briefing to start off on day one when they arrive.

A few months prior to departing post, the outgoing PD officer should prepare all the documentation that the incoming PDO would need if an OIG inspection were to take place, and leave in a (digital) briefing book for the incoming PD officer:

• Review and files on last three years worth of activities and programs;
• Budget files and expenditures for last three years;
• Budget status as of departure and planned spending;
• Grants files closed out with PDO signature;
• Personnel files and last evaluation for all staff;
• Analysis of press environment and contacts;
• Top contacts PDO has by audience sector.
• Listing of planned activities for the rest of the fiscal year, including:  
  • Public engagement initiatives;
  • Exchange programs;
  • Digital messaging; and 
  • Administrative activities spanning:  strategic planning activities, regular data calls, regular internal meetings, front office interactions, regional reporting, committees the PDO should attend, host nation networking opportunities, etc. 

Along with these documents should be:  

• Welcome memo to incoming PDO;
• Plan for first three months after arrival:  suggested appointments, people to invite for a welcome reception; and
• Committees PDO sits on at post and regular schedules.

A month prior to departure, schedule a series of phone calls or video consults with the incoming PDO to go over the following:  

• Country context for PD programming and messaging;
• Current PDIPand any recent changes in strategy or approach;
• Review of all ongoing PDO activities as well as upcoming deadlines for PDO activities;
• Discuss best practices and lessons learned from the prior year(s) in programming, communications, in-person events, social media audiences, and PD operations;
• Discuss local audience sensitivities and red flags;
• Discuss Mission FO, PD equities at post, and offer tips for overcoming challenges or capitalizing on opportunities; and
• Discuss PD staff, flagging opportunities or challenges.

Incoming responsibilities for a newly arrived PD Officer

The ideas below can be used to develop a plan for arriving at post and settling into your new role.  The information is organized in two sections:  a 30-60-90 day plan; and by category or responsibility.  

In your first 30-60 days, you should be mostly in listening mode, as well as giving your FSO and LE staff your big, overarching guidelines.  Only make decisions that can’t wait.  In this order, try to “listen, learn, then lead.”

Your first activities can be broken down into three areas:  internal (PD section), internal (mission-wide), external (contacts/institutions outside the embassy).  It may be helpful to picture a series of concentric rings radiating outwards.

Within the first 30 Days:

• Understand your duties and responsibilities, especially your daily/weekly routine (press summary, meetings you need to attend, etc.). If you are the PD section chief, make sure you have regular weekly meetings with the front office.
• Understand the duties and responsibilities of your FSO and LE staff.  Have group and individual meetings with all staff members; read all position descriptions.
• Are any work development plans (JF-0050-A) or work requirements statements due?  If so, you have 30 days to create them.
• Read post’s LES/FSN Handbook (the HR section should provide this document).
• Review how your post handles PD Tools and think about when/how to fix any problems.
• Know where your records are located.  Understand existing electronic and paper filing systems.
• Understand resources of your section (money and material).
• Understand your physical space:  your facility or facilities.
• Discuss with FSO and LE staff big picture challenges and goals for the PD Section at your post – review the Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) together; ensure everyone (including LE staff) has the most recent ICS and PDIP).
• Are there any leave issues that should be addressed? If you arrive in September or October, it’s a good idea to start planning Thanksgiving and Christmas leave plans, and how to be equitable in responding to leave requests.
• Review existing status of talking points on key issues.  Are they up to date?  Do you have one-pagers on key issues like U.S. foreign assistance?
• Review country opinion poll data.
• Schedule a meeting with the AMB and WashingtonM to understand the front office’s priorities and expectations for PAS and request weekly meetings moving forward.
• Schedule a courtesy call with your counterparts from other State sections (POL, ECON, CONS, MGT, RSO); PD section chiefs should meet with other section chiefs.  
• Schedule a courtesy call with other U.S. agency counterparts.
• Schedule a meeting with key local interlocutors (as appropriate:  government, non-governmental, academic, media, etc.)
• Host a welcome reception and media debut (as appropriate).

30-60 Days

• Host alumni reception to meet Fulbrighters, IV grantees, etc. Many posts have an annual reception as outreach to alumni.
• Visit newsrooms and broadcasters, as appropriate.
• Read previous LES evaluations.  This is better done after your first 30 days because it’s important to make your own evaluation first, then see what others have said.  Find out who has received awards recently and when.
• Establish a calendar for counseling sessions for discussing LES and FSO performance.
• Visit university campuses, museums, other key cultural institutions.
• Host representation events (small, medium, large) to meet partners, collaborators and other key individuals.

Within 90 Days:

• Travel outside the capital to meet key partners and institutions.
• Visit or meet with U.S. government institutions outside of the mission (Peace Corps, CWashington, others).
• Begin updating shortcomings/gaps in existing talking points and one-page background papers on key issues.
• Establish work requirements for FSO staff.

After 90 Days:

• Review your first 90 Days with staff (FSOs and FSNs) and front office.  Determine your annual goals for your team and identify any changes/adjustments you believe necessary to internal practices or external engagement.  Begin working with your team and, if appropriate, the front office to set and communicate your strategic agenda.
• Review training of staff and begin plans for training for the future. In particular, who hasn’t had training for a long time? Are there easy training opportunities, especially online training? These are particularly good for new employees.

PD resources

What to do when you arrive at post (or before).

Resources fall into multiple categories:  budget, staff, facilities/space, equipment/technical capacity, programs, partners/contacts.  When you arrive at post for a new assignment, you should ask for the following documentation and/or briefings:  

General Documents

• Get a copy of the most recent OIG inspection report.
• Review the ICS.
• Review the last PDIP and recent PD Tools activity.

Budget

• Before you arrive, ask your regional bureau or R/PPR for a briefing and copy of the PDRP that will give you an overall picture of budget resources.
• Get a copy of the PD budget matrix from the FAM or R/PPR.
• Annual budget spreadsheet updated to the month of your arrival with the balance available on each budget line item, balance expended to date, percentage of budget spent to date.
• Records of funds that come from sources other than PD (ESF, OCO, Pepfar, etc.) and any reports on the use of the funds.
• Budget cuff record, this will have a 50-page or more item-by-item list of expenditures.
• Representational budget – amount available, amount expended and a list of the activities it was spent on.
• Recycling funds, if you have any.
• Grants – grants awarded this fiscal year, open grants awarded in previous years and the project close dates, any grants that need extending, grants closed in the last year, grants pending consideration.
• ICASS charges, counts and performance standards for services
• Meet with the financial management office and your staff to go over the documents, to scrub the budget and move around funds so you can expend it all before the end of the budget year.  Make sure you have the deadline dates from the FMO.

Staff

• Set a meeting with all your staff within the first days of arrival.
• Set individual meetings with each staff member over the next month.
• Request from HR and your staff the following documents:  
• Staffing chart with titles, names, and grades of positions.
• HR list of all PD positions – filled or vacant.
• Position descriptions for each employee.
• Bio of staff members (written by the staff member) with a personal development goal.
• Last evaluation for each LES.
• Training opportunities that every staff member had over the last five to ten years.
• Awards given over the last two years.
• Emergency contact list for the office.
• Standard meetings within office, mission, or with partners and who attends them.

Facilities/Space

• Review list of government-owned and operated spaces under PD (PD office, American Spaces).
• Floor plan of the PD office space.
• Description of any recent renovations, or pending renovations/replacements for furniture, carpeting, etc.
• ICASS space charged to PD.
• Shared spaces available for events/meetings at the mission.
• American Spaces:  locations, type of partnership.

Equipment/technical capacity

• Inventory of all PD-owned property and equipment (barcoded and inventoried by GSO).
• Inventory of PD-owned equipment that is not in the GSO inventory (if any).
• Inventory of PD equipment sold/disposed of during the current fiscal year and proof that the funds were recycled back to PD).
• Inventory of any property at an American Space that is PD owned.
• List of all equipment requested or purchased but not yet delivered.
• Wish list of equipment for staff.
• Technical capacity to operate outside of office in an emergency iPads, internet connectivity, access to website and social media accounts, etc.).
• Technical capacity in the office – printers, scanners, digital equipment – who has iPhones, iPads, social media accounts, etc.
• Who is capable of setting up AV equipment, press conference equipment, taking videos and pictures.

Programs

• Any program strategy documents or annual program calendars.
• List of all ECA exchange programs that post participates in and the deadlines for nominations.
• In-country implementing partners (Fulbright Commission, IIE, etc).
• Reports on the programs (any MAT or other reporting for the year).
• IVLP slate for the year (tied to mission goals) and the status of the nominations.
• List of all cultural programs and the annual program calendar for this year and planned activities for the next.
• List of speakers and calendar.
• Upcoming programs that PD staff should attend or speak at in the next few months.
• Upcoming Ambassador or WashingtonM PD engagements or representational events coming up and guest lists for them at least six weeks to a month in advance.
• PAO welcome reception, guest list and plans.

Partners/contacts – review lists of the below categories of contacts to develop a plan to meet and establish relationships with your external contacts.

• Mission staff and appointments with Ambassador, Washington, and all section chiefs.
• List of people to meet in the first three months in priority order, with institution, position, and reason for meeting.
• List of Western and international media.
• List of local journalists and media with descriptions of the media entities.
• List of U.S. NGOs or other institutions that are PD contacts.
• List of local institutions that PD regularly works with.