Sample Program Management Projects

Marine Corps Lifelong Learning Program Support: Indtai provides a variety of Program Management Services in support of the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Lifelong Learning Programs for the U.S. Marine Corps at installations worldwide. The mission of the MCCS Lifelong Learning Programs is to provide world-class educational programs that offer opportunities and that inspire and prepare Marines for success in their professional lives. The MCCS Lifelong Learning Programs that Indtai's team supports provide an enhanced opportunity for Marines to continue their education and earn college degrees during their active duty Marine Corps careers. Our team of 18 Indtai professionals located at various Marine Corps bases at Quantico, Virginia and at 16 other bases worldwide including in Virginia, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii and Japan supports ten major components of the MCCS Lifelong Learning Programs:

1. Military Academic Skills Program
2. Tuition Assistance
3. Library Programs
4. Veterans Assistance Program
5. Marine Deployed Education Program
6. Service Members Opportunity Colleges Marine Corps (SOCMAR)
7. American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendations for Marine Corps Training/Occupational Experience
8. Sailor/Marine ACE Registry Transcript (SMART)
9. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Programs, Testing, and Certification
10. United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP)

Marine Corps Prevention and Intervention Program Support: Indtai provides a broad range of Program Management Services in support of all Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Prevention & Intervention Programs worldwide for the U.S. Marine Corps. These programs support commanders' efforts in the prevention and resolution of problems that detract from mission readiness and enhance the quality of life for the military community. The following functional areas are supported by a team of 5 Indtai professionals located at various Marine Corps bases:

1. Command and Community Education and Services that directly support operational requirements related to deployment and mobilization by preparing service and family members to better anticipate and understand the physical and emotional demands associated with deployment. Types of support include deployment support, return and reunion programs, crisis response services, new parent support, retired activities, financial fitness, suicide awareness, substance abuse education, drug testing, and information and referral services.
2. Mobility Support Services that assist with the mobile military lifestyle by facilitating successful relocations, transitions to civilian life, career decision-making, job seeking, and adjustments of services members and their families to life in the military. Support services include relocation assistance, sponsorship, transition assistance, family member employment assistance, and the Exceptional Family Member Program support.
3. Clinical Counseling Services including individual, marriage and family counseling and domestic violence support services, clinical counseling including victim intervention, rape and sexual assault response services, and related treatment. Substance abuse assessment, intervention, and rehabilitation are also included.

Superfund Strategic Plan: The Superfund Comprehensive Accomplishments Plan (SCAP) contains measures for Superfund performance. Our staff assisted the Superfund program in meeting its objectives as outlined in SCAP and EPA's Strategic Planning Management System. We suggested alternative measures--taking into account GPRA, other laws, and applicable practices--to improve program management and analysis. We wrote guidance and training curricula for program staff that helped them achieve the accomplishments expected for Superfund.

State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) Program Development and Implementation: One of our staff members supported EPA through the design and development of the SRF concept as an alternative to the multi-billion dollar wastewater construction grants program. She examined trade-offs of various program alternatives with respect to affordability, state needs, local resources and capabilities, and investment mechanisms. The report she wrote set the stage for the inclusion of the SRF concept in the amendments to the Clean Water Act. In support of SRF program implementation, she organized and co-wrote the Reference Guide to State Financial Assistance Programs. State program developers used the Reference Guide to create and institutionalize SRFs and other alternative financing mechanisms to address wastewater treatment needs.

Organizational Analysis: Indtai staff developed and applied survey instruments to measure organizational effectiveness and employee morale in multiple EPA offices. They summarized key results, conducted analyses of trends, and recommended initiatives to senior EPA management.

Wastewater Support: Beginning with the "1990 Study," conducted by the construction grants program in the early 1980s, Indtai staff served the Office of Municipal Pollution Control through the evolution of the program from a $2.4 billion grants program to a revolving loan program fully delegated to the states. Indtai staff helped program managers and policy makers refine management systems and develop tools that facilitated effective delegation of authority and implementation of the State Revolving Fund (SRF) concept.

Small Communities Assistance: For the Office of Water Program Operations, Indtai staff managed an analysis of the problems small communities faced as Federal funds committed to wastewater treatment and construction continued to shrink. The analysis, which culminated in the design and writing of specific guidance materials for State and local participants in the construction grants program, investigated alternative and creative financing mechanisms for municipalities and the ways in which towns could reduce costs through effective project management and use of appropriate technologies.

Examination of the "Cleanup Lifecycle": The "Remedial Pipeline" for the Superfund program captures the full lifecycle for responding to hazardous waste releases, including investigation, prioritization, evaluation of remedies, implementation and operation of cleanup measures, and monitoring cleanup progress. Indtai staff helped set the analytical direction for the Superfund Pipeline Study and wrote major portions of early drafts, including the thrust and presentation of the executive summary. Examination of the Remedial Pipeline was a self-evaluative analysis of Superfund activities based on interviews with managers at all levels of the program. It identified program weaknesses and suggested means for improvements, analyzing barriers to timely cleanup and remedial response trends; construction activities, and site characteristics, costs, and activity durations. The insights it offered played a key role in formulating the recommendations ultimately published in the EPA Administrator's 90-Day Study.