State education officials say PCG partnership is driving Alabama Achieves implementation
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Summary
Assistant Superintendent Terry Roller and other department leaders told the board the state’s work with consulting firm PCG is producing an action tracker, accountability templates and project‑management practices intended to speed strategic plan implementation despite COVID‑era demands.
The Alabama State Board of Education received an update Dec. 10 on the department’s implementation work with Public Consulting Group (PCG). Terry Roller, assistant superintendent, walked board members through how PCG has supported development of an implementation tracker and project‑management processes tied to the Alabama Achieves strategic plan.
Roller said PCG began work with the department after a 2019 engagement and has since led working groups, small‑group sessions and technical assistance to translate the strategic plan into a task tracker with owners, managers, approvers and due dates. He told the board the tracker lists more than 60 tasks and that the 13 activities scheduled for completion in December were on track at the time of the update.
Roller and other department leaders described project‑management tools and a shift toward strategy‑based work. They said PCG has facilitated more than 52 small‑group and individual meetings, six working sessions and ongoing technical assistance, while also helping the department adopt collaboration tools (Teams and supplemental apps) to support planning, editing and status reporting.
Board members raised questions about whether timelines in the strategic plan remain realistic during the pandemic and whether the department can adapt priorities. Roller and Dr. Mackey replied that the strategic plan is considered a “living document” and can be reprioritized; they said certain items — notably literacy training and mental‑health expansion — had been accelerated because of immediate needs. Roller said PCG does not make department decisions but provides recommendations, facilitation and support.
Dr. Mackey described the operational challenge of managing deadlines and projects while responding to COVID and said the department had changed contractors and approaches where work had lagged, citing the state website redesign as an example where progress accelerated after a change in providers. That example was used to illustrate the value of PCG’s external project‑management support.
Roller said the department will subdivide the master tracker into divisional sub‑trackers so leaders can monitor progress at a more granular level. Several board members suggested receiving periodic updates showing changes to statuses, and Roller agreed to include tracker highlights in regular communications.
