The Five-Star Diagnostic Tool

available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License

Five Star White Paper

Diagnostic Tool - Excel File

excerpt from the Foreword of the "Five Star White Paper" - G. Edward DeSeve

Government management can be a lonely place. Picture the first day on the job for an appointed official in charge of managing a large government organization at the local, state or federal level. Many times this individual is coming from a background other than government. Or they are a seasoned government manager coming into a new jurisdiction or program area.

Regardless of their background, the task is daunting. They inevitably must ask themselves “What am I supposed to be doing? What direction is the organization going in? How good are the people processes and technology? How will I know if I am successful?” These questions – and many, many more – are boiling around in the mind of the new official.

What kind of a “handbook” or “framework” would they have as they begin their job? In my own experience, stretching over more than 30 years, the answer is none. There are systems for budgeting, performance management, personnel evaluation, benchmarking information technology but they are not integrated into a tool that the manager can use to get a comprehensive view of their organization.

Please continue to check this page for a forthcoming online version of this tool.