The culminating event of the Policy Analysis Project portion of the IRE/REDP program is the Poster Session, where all of the project teams present their findings to the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) committee and other interested parties. Each team is responsible for presenting a poster that clearly and concisely summarizes their issue and recommendations. The policy poster is used as a tool in the team's oral presentations which are followed by a brief question and answer session with the audience. The poster session format requires the teams to effectively convey the relevance of their issue, appropriateness of their analysis, and feasibility and value of their recommendations. The Q&A session provides an opportunity for real-time clarification and defense of their recommendations in the face of pointed questions from multiple points of view. Following the poster session, there is a debriefing session in which the CAOs provide valuable feedback to the IRE/REDP participants regarding their projects and presentations.
The principal objectives of the IRE/REDP Policy Analysis Project are to:
• Make contributions to the study and solution of important regional policy issues;
• Improve participant's capacity to conduct, lead, and consume analytical work; and
• Meet the National Certified Public Manager certification requirements
The Poster Session furthers these goals by allowing the teams to communicate their policy recommendations directly to Regional decision makers who are in the best position to evaluate and implement them. It also provides an opportunity for the participants to receive real-world feedback from the CAOs regarding their recommendations, analysis, and presentation.
There have been many instances where elements of the teams' recommendations have been implemented, and/or have significantly added value to the analysis and discussion of an important regional issue.
The IRE/REDP Policy Analysis teams are aided in their project by a faculty advisor from the GWU Center for Excellence in Public Management. The role of the advisor is to assist them in mastering the policy analysis techniques and knowledge most critical for effective leadership. In conjunction with the COG staff members who serve as sponsors for each project, the faculty advisor provides guidance and feedback to the teams as they work through the various steps of their projects. Dr. Darrell Harvey is the current faculty advisor for the IRE/REDP Policy Analysis projects.