COMPLETED STAFF WORK

CSW

COMPLETED STAFF WORK - IS THE STUDY OF A PROBLEM, AND PRESENTATION OF A SOLUTION BY A STAFF OFFICER, IN SUCH FORM THAT ALL THAT REMAINS TO BE DONE ON THE PART OF THE HEAD OF THE STAFF DIVISION, OR THE COMMANDER, IS TO INDICATE HIS APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF THE COMPLETED ACTION.

CSW POINTERS
1. SHOULD BE WELL-RESEARCHED, WITH ACCURATE AND UPDATED DATA AND CLEARLY DEFINED ISSUES. SHOULD INCLUDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR EXAMPLE, THE KEY PLAYERS AND THEIR POSITIONS, WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND CHRONOLOGICAL NARRATION; STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE; STATUS OF ACTIONS TAKEN OR MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. SHOULD BE PROPERLY COORDINATED AND VALIDATED. WHEN THE ISSUE IS CONTENTIOUS AND THERE ARE COMPETING POSITIONS, ALL SIDES MUST BE REPORTED. THIS REQUIRES CONSULTATIONS WITH CONCERNED STAFF OR OFFICES. THE ISSUE SHOULD BE ANALIZED EXTENSIVELY AND COMPREHENSIVELY. ALL ANGLES TO AN ISSUE SHOULD BE REVIEWED, AS WELL AS THE EFFECTS ON ALL PLAYERS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE ISSUE OR ITS EFFECT BE COMPARED WITH A STANDARD (FOR INSTANCE, HISTORICAL SITUATION, EXISTING POLICIES, INTERNATIONAL SITUATION, BENCHMARK FIGURES, TARGETS).

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CSW POINTERS
5. SHOULD PROVIDE OPTIONS AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS, DISCUSSING THE IMPACT OF EACH. SHOULD PROVIDE PROPER ACTION DOCUMENTS TO IMPLEMENT DECISIONS OF THE COMMANDER THAT IS IN THE FORM OF A COMMANDERS LETTER, DIRECTIVES, OR POLICY GUIDANCE; 6.

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CSW DOES NOT END WITH THE SUBMISSION OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMANDER. IT INCLUDES: MONITORING AND FACILITATING IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS OR DIRECTIVES; REPORTING TO THE COMMANDER THE FULL OR SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE OR IMPLEMENTATING PLANS AND DIRECTIVES TO LOWER UNITS
THE STAFF ADVISES CONSULTATIONS AND REFERRALS OR ROUTING OF COMMUNICATION (DF, STAFF STUDY, POSITION PAPER) WITH THE COGNIZANT STAFF OR OFFICES BEFORE ANY PAPER IS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMANDER OR PRESENTED TO HIGHER AUTHORITIES.

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PITFALLS IN CSW
BASED ON THE COMMONLY OBSERVED PITFALLS IN CSW, THE FOLLOWING ARE TIPS AND POINTERS FOR STAFF OFFICERS: 1. ANTICIPATE POTENTIAL ISSUES OR CONFLICTS BEFORE THEY IMPACT ON THE COMMANDER.. IDENTIFY REAL OR ROOT ISSUES. RELATE ISSUES TO RELEVANT LEGAL AND POLICY MATTERS. SIMPLE AND WELL-WRITTEN. EASY TO READ AND UNDERSTAND. DEVOID OF TECHNICAL JARGONS. DIRECT TO THE POINT. WRITTEN IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE AND WITH SIMPLE SENTENCE STRUCTURES, AND DEVOID OF GRAMMATICAL AND TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. BEFORE CSW IS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMANDER, ONE FINAL QUESTION SHOULD BE ASKED: IF YOU WERE COMMANDER, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SIGN THE PAPER YOU HAVE PREPARED AND ( WOULD YOU) STAKE YOUR PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION ON ITS BEING RIGHT? IF THE ANSWER IS NEGATIVE, TAKE IT BACK AND WORK IT OVER, BECAUSE IT IS NOT YET CSW.

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ADDITIONAL TIPS ON CSW

1. YOU SHOULD NOT CONSULT YOUR COMMANDER IN THE DETERMINATION OF DETAILS NO MATTER HOW PERPLEXING THEY MAY BE. YOU MAY AND SHOULD CONSULT OTHER STAFF OFFICERS. IT IS EASY TO ASK THE COMMANDER WHAT TO DO AND IT APPEARS SO EASY FOR HIM TO ANSWER. RESIST THAT IMPULSE. YOUR JOB IS TO ADVISE HIM WHAT TO DO. NOT TO ASK HIM WHAT YOU OUGHT TO DO. HE NEEDS ANSWERS, NOT QUESTIONS. YOUR JOB IS TO STUDY, WRITE, RE-STUDY AND REWRITE UNTIL YOU HAVE EVOLVED A SINGLE PROPOSED ACTION THE BEST ONE OF ALL YOU HAVE CONSIDERED, YOUR COMMANDER MERELY APPROVES OR DISAPPROVES. WRITING A MEMO TO YOUR COMMANDER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE COMPLETED STAFF WORK. BUT WRITING A MEMO OR A LETTER FOR YOUR COMMANDER TO SEND TO SOMEONE ELSE DOES.

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ADDITIONAL TIPS ON CSW

5. THE THEORY OF COMPLETED STAFF WORK DOES NOT PRECLUDE A ROUGH DRAFT, BUT THE ROUGH DRAFT MUST NOT BE HALF-BAKED IDEAS. IT MUST BE COMPLETE IN EVERY RESPECT EXCEPT THAT IT LACKS THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF COPIES AND NEED NOT BE NEAT. WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR COMPLETED STAFF WORK, THE FINAL TEST IS THIS; IF YOU WERE THE COMMANDER, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SIGN THE PAPER YOU HAVE PREPARED AND STAKE YOUR PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION ON ITS BEING RIGHT? IF THE ANSWER IS NEGATIVE, TAKE IT BACK AND WORK IT OVER. BECAUSE IT IS NOT YET A COMPLETED STAFF WORK.

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