Ascertainment Studies, Reports and Recommendations
Ascertainment studies provide the client with detailed, reliable, comprehensive information about and recommendations for dealing with issues, impediments or changes central to the success of their organization or achieving their goals and objectives. The studies result in a “road map of the territory” that must be mastered in order to successfully resolve issues and/or manage change.
SB&A is experienced in conducting ascertainment studies for a broad range of public, private, for-profit and non-profit clients related to a variety of needs including: projects requiring approvals such as road alignments, development projects, annexations and park redevelopment; mergers, acquisitions and consolidations; staff realignment and right-sizing organizations; changing organizational culture; strategic planning; policy formation; due diligence; building consensus for change among a variety of constituencies and resolving major, sometimes contentious, disagreements of long-standing.
Ascertainment studies are predicated upon SB&A’s Ascertainment Study Philosophy and consist of a series of confidential one-on-one interviews with individuals essential to the ability of an organization, community or constituency to successfully achieve its objectives. The study findings identify issues, potential solutions, key motivators, potential currencies, preferred styles of communicating, synergy points as well as other information applicable to crafting recommendations that provide a road map for proactively moving forward.
Sharon Browning, first as a licensed Clinical Social Worker and then as an issues management consultant, has conducted ascertainment interviews for over twenty years, is experienced in the art of interviewing and capable of eliciting, identifying and verifying reliable, in-depth, relevant information. She then combines the study findings with her knowledge and diverse expertise in psychology, sociology, consensus building, organizational development and leadership to develop win/win recommendations and strategies that build consensus for successfully resolving issues and managing change.