Reclamation Manual, Policy Updates, Gain New Transparency on the Internet
Many employees, customers and
stakeholders have said it has been
difficult to find exactly what they
needed in the Reclamation
Manual online.
One of the accomplishments of
Managing for Excellence,
however, is the production of a
Reclamation Manual both easier
to locate and understand.
To achieve greater accessibility, a link to the Manual was placed on the front page of the Reclamation website. There are also links on the site to Manual subcategories with a description of each.
"The front page of the
Reclamation Manual is now much
clearer and easier to understand,"
said Shannon Kerstiens, Manager
of the Reclamation Manual. "It
helps people get to the information
they need more quickly.”
Centralizing the Manual was an
important first step to achieve the
goals of Managing for Excellence.
Prior to centralization, the Manual
was inconsistently interpreted and
processed. A policy was
developed, in accordance with
Department of the Interior policy,
which formalized the Manual as
Reclamation's directives system.
Another policy establishes the
requirements associated with
originating, reviewing and issuing
Reclamation Manual releases.
The process of development for
Reclamation Manual releases is
now clearly defined and a record
of development efforts is posted on
the website at:
www.usbr.gov/recman/PI.pdf. This allows stakeholders,
customers and the public to watch
and monitor Reclamation's Manual
throughout its development phase.
“What has come of this process
is a better defined and
established method to develop
Reclamation Manual releases,”
said Kerstiens. “Since this is
easily available, the public,
stakeholders and customers are
able to hold Reclamation
accountable for following the
requirements established in
the Manual.”
The Reclamation Manual
consists of a series of Policies
and Directives and Standards.
Collectively, this series assigns
program responsibility and
documents Reclamation-wide
methods of conducting business.
All requirements in the
Reclamation Manual are
mandatory and constitute official
Reclamation policy. To view the
Reclamation Manual online visit:
www.usbr.gov/recman
Last updated: 12/12/07