LOW acts on management assessment

By Dan McFarland
Review Correspondent
Published: May 22, 2008

At a May 3 meeting, the Lake of the Woods Board of Directors voted unanimously to take the first steps toward improving the LOW management system, following guidelines proposed in the Potomack Group’s report, and recommendations in the Quality Management System Gap Assessment report.
Potomack Group develop proposed guidelines after examining LOW manuals, regulations, bylaws, articles of incorporation, restrictive covenants, committee charters, and job descriptions. Additionally, the consultants conducted interviews with LOW staff members, employees and volunteer committee representatives. Ultimately, the Potomack Group came up with a proposed action plan based on its evidence, findings and conclusions.
Earlier this year, the board commissioned the gap assessment study. Their goal was to determine the best ways to bring LOW’s current management system into compliance with the modern thinking on best management practices, with emphasis on the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2000 standard.
Potomack Group’s plan included proposals to review the current organization and management practices, and to institute clearer documentation of Board of Directors decisions and policies; to revise committee roles, charges and charters; revise financial management and accounting policies, procedures and practices; revise and/or create appropriate contracting and contract management procedures and processes; create and update job descriptions for all LOW positions; and initiate development of management systems elements, processes, and structure.
In general, according to Potomack Group’s Ken Clayman said, the proposals are mainly to “formalize the way LOW handles its management tasks.” The Gap Assessment Report’s overall intent was explained as being to “develop implement, maintain and improve LOWA management operations through a solid management systems approach, based on a business approach. 
All steps in the plan would require action by the LOW association, as well as input, review and feedback from a third party (outside) vendor.
Previous media reports indicated that the study had given LOW a grade of C minus, although the report itself makes no such statement. Clayman explained that his company’s assessments don’t normally give grades. “Grades are not meaningful,” he said, “in comparing the management systems of different types of organizations. It’s comparing apples and oranges.”
But following his presentation to the LOW board and membership, Clayman said, he was asked to generalize the report’s findings into a letter grade, and the C minus rating was his response.
The “first step” the directors addressed involves LOW directors and management staff training in the quality management system process. To that end, the board passed a motion to enter into a contract with the Potomack Group to provide the training, at a cost not to exceed $1,500.