Rediscovering the Value of In-Person Team Meetings
Since May 2020, I’ve been part of a large team working on California’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over countless virtual meetings, chats, and emails, we’ve spent long days and occasional weekends “together” sharing many experiences and successes over the past years. Earlier this month,…
Read MoreCommunicating Scientific Information
Since the pandemic began, the vast amount of online information has been difficult to filter. We all seek “just the facts” but opinions win our attention (and are rewarded with clicks). Unfortunately, the most reliable sources are often the least visited, so they fall to…
Read MoreThe Many Benefits of Internships
This summer, I was pleased to design an internship to enable a college student the chance to gain valuable skills outside of the classroom. Catarina has been studying at Columbia University and came to us with a positive “can-do” attitude. We were also fortunate to…
Read MoreTactics for Developing High Quality Reports
One of the most common deliverables we produce as consultants are written reports. In public sector consulting, report types can vary widely, from open-ended “Blue Sky” reports (such as this program findings report) to more standardized, structured products (such as IT planning documentation). Each has…
Read MoreTranslating Transportation Legislation into Action
On November 15th, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This landmark law includes federal policy direction and funding for climate action, zero-emissions vehicle deployment, social equity, and multi-modal transportation investment – all critical initiatives for our State. In January 2022, the…
Read MoreCelebrating 20 Years!
This month we celebrate our 20th year in business and now coming to the realization that our firm is no longer a teenager. At the ripe age 20 we are just now coming into our own. We continue to improve our methodologies based on real…
Read MoreBeyond the Basics of Project Management
Since our founding in 2002, Highlands Consulting has provided project management services for public sector clients, including many large-scale projects for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, California Department of Public Health, and California Department of Water Resources. A key factor in our success is…
Read More3 Success Factors for Virtual Process Improvement Teams
Working remotely isn’t always easy, especially during real-time business process improvement (BPI) efforts involving many stakeholders. In the past year, we’ve evolved three success factors for facilitating BPI sessions virtually: Take time to scope the effort to avoid rework. Though it can be tempting to…
Read MoreLet’s All Rise to the Challenge
For over a year now, I’ve had the privilege of helping the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) respond to the COVID crisis. It’s been a colossal effort by CDPH and its partners to stand up new systems and processes to support the testing, contact…
Read More4 Reasons Why We Develop Custom Videos for Training
Video is a powerful and effective way to train staff and develop a team. Here are four reasons why: Videos are flexible You can customize videos for unique audiences. Different people learn and absorb information differently, and video accommodates everyone. You can make the video…
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