TOOLS AND METHODS

LMI was founded to bring the most talented and creative minds to bear on solving the government’s most complex problems. Not only does this mean having the ability to understand the way things are, but also to see how they could be. Over the years, we have created many tools, models, and methods to help move new ideas related to the organizational and workforce management community into action.

BUSINESS ASSESSMENT AND ALIGNMENT MODEL

A key integrative model, the Business Assessment and Alignment Model (BAAM), analyzes five core components of an organization—strategic planning, business planning, service delivery, organizational structure, and workforce planning—from a business perspective and produces an executable transition plan. The model uses sound analytical techniques to develop improved corporate structures that align with an agency’s strategic direction and business profile. It also helps create a business-oriented foundation for government agencies that focuses on outcomes or products, identifies potential improvements, and culminates in a fully integrated implementation plan.

STRATEGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The Strategic Management System (SMS) is an easy-to-use tool that helps organizations articulate and communicate their strategies. With its straightforward approach to goals, objectives, metrics, and tasks, the web-enabled system provides a highly visible way for organizations to monitor their progress in achieving their objectives. In our process, we link the areas of strategic and business planning to help agencies develop actionable plans that focus the entire organization on the same outcomes. 

WORKFORCEPLANNER™

This scenario-driven requirements model links full-time equivalents and competencies to business lines and activities, quantifies estimated supply and demand over the outyears, and provides the projected gaps.

KNOWLEDGE AUDITOR

The LMI Knowledge Auditor™ provides each manager a risk score for each competency, visually displays that risk with a priority matrix, and shows the manager the competencies that are most likely to be lost as senior workers depart. We supplement this risk assessment with an analysis of the organization’s climate—identifying both facilitators and obstacles to knowledge transfer.

ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM

LMI’s web-based Organizational Assessment System (OAS) allows for the efficient collection of information related to the manpower available to perform work, functions for which an office is responsible, and allocation of efforts toward particular functions. It also allows for the characterization of important functions and the ability to quantify the relative value of efforts and the work alignment with organizational mission areas.

ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

The Organizational Performance Analysis System (OPAS) is a web-based management tool that integrates strategic, organizational, and program information to facilitate continuous process improvement. The tool allows for the use of such techniques as Lean Six Sigma project chartering and selection and tracks performance through the define, measure, analyze, improve, and control tollgates. By using OPAS, an organization can monitor and easily report the progress of a set of projects, initiatives, or strategies (along with the personnel assigned) toward goals—and the organizational importance of the efforts.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT EVALUATION PROGRAM

With an easy-to-use interface, this web-based application enables employees and managers to plan employees' performance expectations by identifying goals and developing objectives, managing employees throughout the performance period, and evaluating their work performance objectively on the basis of criteria with which they are familiar.

LMI PERFORMANCE INTEGRATION CONCEPT

The LMI Performance Integration Concept (LINC) is a performance management strategy that promotes a high-performing organization through a comprehensive five-step performance integration chain designed to align individual performance management objectives with organizational objectives. Our goal is to help agencies move beyond the mindset of engaging in employee performance management solely for compliance reasons to a perspective of viewing individual performance management practices as a strategic advantage. This versatile model accommodates a broad spectrum of organizational environments and levels of employee performance management proficiency.

E-INDUCTION

A web-based entry-on-duty system, E-Induction allows preprocessing and approval of required employee personnel forms before the employee's arrival on the job. This streamlines the induction process for new employees and enables human resource specialists to process these new employees much more efficiently.

LEAN SIX SIGMA

LMI’s Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practice uses commercial best practices in the analysis and improvement of complex activities, allowing service providers to respond to customers and stakeholders faster, with less waste. Federal agencies are being challenged to reduce operational costs while continuing to provide the same or increased services to citizen-customers. Our LSS tools gauge problems, benchmark current performance levels, determine problem causes, and institute control mechanisms to maintain improved performance.

STATE-OF-THE-ART SURVEYING

Using the latest data collection technology and methods, our proven approach integrates statistical sample design and sound data analysis to produce clear, thorough, and practical reports for management action. The associated web survey-tracking tool offers unique flexibility, permitting easily customized and quickly deployable survey instruments.

COOPWRITER

LMI has reduced the administrative effort involved with organizational risk management implementation through COOPWriter. This easy-to-use automated tool employs question-and-answer dialogue boxes to produce an Microsoft Word-formatted continuity of operations (COOP) plan, with output that meets or exceeds the requirements of Federal Preparedness Circular 65.