System Flow Analysis
A system flow analysis 1) identifies the steps, sequences, controls, and procedures that combine to make up agency processes and event cycles, 2) visually represents those processes to make them easily understandable, and 3) offers recommendations for increased system efficiency and accountability. Flowcharts of agency processes can help with any of the following:
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Drafting policies and procedures—one flow chart can contain descriptive information equivalent to 12-15 pages of text,
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Identifying and formalizing a logic model—a consistent rationale for agency processes and decisions, allowing for accountability measures,
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Streamlining system processes through identification of redundancies, discrepancies, and gaps,
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Clarifying the scope of larger evaluation projects.
Agencies typically request system flow analysis for the following kinds of event cycles:
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Assessment and case planning
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Monitoring and reassessment
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Intermediate sanctions
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Transition from structured to less structured settings
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Pre-trial to pre-sentence to intake
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Treatment referral
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| View Sample System Flow Chart |
Our Experience in System Flow Analysis
Over the past 10 years, J-SAT has conducted system flow analysis for each of the following agencies:
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Cook County Juvenile Probation
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Denver Drug Court
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DuPage County Probation
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Indiana Lake County Probation
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Montana Juvenile Probation
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Nebraska Probation SSAS Program
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Omaha Drug Court
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All our analyses include charts that identify basic system processes, but we can also include accompanying data points such as length of supervision, number of offenders entering and exiting various parts of the system, percentages of offenders successfully completing treatment, recidivism rates resulting from various system processes, etc.
To ensure that our recommendations best fit your agency’s unique challenges, we may interview key project stakeholders and review relevant statutes, policies and procedures, business planning documents, performance outcome data and any existing customer feedback, depending on the scope of the project. Based on this comprehensive information, we will offer several options for streamlining and accountability, allowing agencies to choose which changes best suit their needs. Additionally, our experience in developing and training Evidence-Based Practices15 for community corrections ensures that our recommendations will be grounded in solid research on which kinds of processes and measures best reduce recidivism.
Setting Up a System Flow Analysis
Before you contact us about setting up a system flow analysis for your agency, you may want to think through some of the following questions, as we will need this kind of information from you to tailor our services to your needs:
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What processes or event cycles within your agency are largely unexamined?
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Which policy and procedure areas may have gaps or redundancies that might be helped by a descriptive evaluation?
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Which supervisor(s) or administrator(s) in your agency could best provide J-SAT with current information about system flow and staff procedures?
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What other stakeholders or documents should we consult to obtain a complete picture of system flow and challenges?
Services That Can Accompany System Flow Analysis
Outcome Analysis—allows your agency to see which processes or treatment strategies show the greatest reductions in recidivism over time.
Workload Analysis—identifies discrepancies in staff workload assignments and process inefficiencies; measures actual time spent on various functions and tasks against agency expectations or practices shown to reduce recidivism.
Quality Assurance Structure Analysis—assesses agency goals, documents current quality assurance procedures, and recommends revisions or additions to QA practices that optimize goal achievement.
Dashboard Agency Measures—an automated application tailored to your agency’s quality assurance goals, providing allowing for quick, objective measurement of current progress toward agency goal completion.
Automated Case Planning Software—streamlines the assessment-to-treatment-matching process for juvenile offenders, ensuring that case planning strategies follow Evidence-Based Practices.
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