The best source of information for program administrators is RSI’s Guide to Program Success. This multi-chapter guide answers the questions that program administrators may have about developing a new program and running or improving an existing one. The list below points to the chapters that answer those questions.
Why should the court start an ADR program?
Chapter 1: Consider Why You Want a Court ADR Program discusses reasons that courts start new programs and justify them to their stakeholders.
Who should be involved in the program development or improvement process?
Chapter 2: Gather Your Planning Team explores leadership issues and who should be on the planning team if a program or change is to be successful.
How do the legal and ADR environments in a jurisdiction affect program design?
Chapter 3: Explore the Legal and ADR Environment looks at how current laws and court rules can dictate certain aspects of an ADR program, as well as how to address bench and bar perspectives on ADR during the planning process.
What does the planning team need to know before writing court rules and designing program processes?
The Guide steps through a number of issues that need to be considered before getting into the nitty gritty of writing rules and creating forms. This information is also helpful for courts looking to modify their programs.
- Chapter 4: Articulate Your Program Goals discusses the need for the court to articulate its goals for the program.
- Chapter 5: Figure Out Your Budget and Funding lists the possible expenses for a program and ways in which the program can be funded.
- Chapter 6: Apply Standards for Court ADR presents the different standards that have been developed for mediation and other ADR processes.
- Chapter 7: Decide Which ADR Process to Use steps through a list of important questions about how the court wants the ADR process to function so that the correct process is selected.
- Chapter 8: Design the Mechanics of Your Program discusses things to consider when deciding how the process will work.
- Chapter 9: Select and Manage Your Neutrals talks about the options for neutral selection and issues surrounding management of the neutrals.
What should court rules include? What forms are needed?
Chapter 10: Write Your Court Rules discusses how to write or revise court rules and includes a set of exemplary rules from courts around the United States. Chapter 12: Create Your Program Forms does the same for court forms.
What Should Be Involved with a Program Launch?
Chapter 13: Launch Your Program takes a look at things that courts sometimes don’t think about when launching a program.
What should courts expect to be doing to manage an existing program?
Chapter 14: Manage Your Program discusses the need for judicial oversight and walks through the management duties of a program administrator.
When and how should the court be tracking program progress or evaluating the program?
Chapter 11: Design a System to Track Your Program steps through what courts should do for continuous program tracking. Chapter 15: Evaluate Your Program explains what is needed for an evaluation of the program and what to expect of the process.