Task Force Handbook

Introduction to Task Force

The International Studies Program at the Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) introduces students to international issues through rigorous coursework in a wide variety of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary settings. JSIS seeks to equip its students with the conceptual and analytical tools needed to help make sense of complex global issues and processes. Many of our graduates want to engage in policy and advocacy work. Their motivation is the foundation for our capstone project: Task Force.

Task Force Roles

Different people have different roles in Task Force. Below you will find a list and descriptions of the different positions that make up a Task Force. These roles can vary for each instructor and Task Force.

A. The Instructor

Your Task Force instructor is a member of the UW faculty. Your instructor created the topic of your Task Force based on their own interests, background, and expertise. They will provide you with substantive guidance on the Task Force topic, resources, and policy context. Your instructor will handle your assignments, manage the structure of the report and presentation, and ensure the final report is up to par. Your instructor is the first person to go to if you have Task Force-related issues and/or need help with research or writing.

B. Project Manager and Editor(s)

Task Forces appoint a small team of students to carry out project managing and editing. We recommend no more than one project manager and two editors per Task Force. These positions need to be filled within the first week because they are essential to the smooth and effective running of the Task Force.

If you enjoy, and are good at, managing a project or editing writing, then you may be a good fit for one of these positions. Both require an ability to lead, strong interpersonal skills, dedication, and effective time management skills. Your instructor will determine the process by which the project manager and editor(s) are appointed.

The project manager oversees the overall workflow of the Task Force. They will enforce deadlines and track individual contributions and overall progress. The project manager typically creates a timeline of tasks and deadlines for their Task Force. They manage and enforce deadlines for drafts, peer-editing, meetings outside of class time, and more.

The editor is essential in ensuring that the final Task Force report is of high quality. This involves providing continuous feedback to individual students on their contributions, enforcing a uniform citation system and style, managing the peer-editing process, and integrating individual contributions into the final report.

The project manager and editor(s) must work together to ensure the success of the Task Force. They are also responsible for the executive summary, introduction, and conclusion – all of which are typically written right before the final report is due.

C. Poster Designer

This is the person on your team who designs the poster for your Task Force. The poster will include information from your final report, including your summary, policy recommendations, and group photo. A template will be provided by your instructor. Past posters can be seen in the stairways in Thompson Hall and may serve as good references.

D. Student Dinner Speaker

The Student Dinner Speaker is the representative of your Task Force at the Task Force Celebration Dinner. ­ They will speak for your team and share your accomplishments with the rest of the Task Forces at the Dinner. They must attend a practice session with Peg Cheng and the Task Force Coordinator the two days prior to the Task Force Celebration Dinner.

Getting Ready for Task Force: Autumn Quarter and Winter and Spring Break

A. Readings and Assignments During Break

Your instructor will assign you readings and assignments to do over break to help prepare you for your Task Force. It is required to do these readings, as it is important to come prepared to your first day.

B. Writing in the Style of a Policy Memo

Task Force Reports are a mix of academic research and policy writing. You are providing background for a set of recommendations that will help others make a decision. You will conduct in-depth research on a specific area within your Task Force’s topic and must produce a clear and concise final product. Chapters and sections within your final report must be prefaced with a summary that condenses your chapter or section’s main points and findings.  The final report will be prefaced by an Executive Summary, which summarizes the findings and main points of all the chapters.

C. Preparing for Your First Day

On day one, you must be organized and ready to research and write. This means having good time-management and collaboration skills to use your time both inside and outside the classroom effectively.

Managing Your Task Force Quarter

A. The First Meetings of Your Task Force

Your Task Force quarter has finally arrived, and you have the first official meeting with your instructor and the other members of your Task Force in the first week of the quarter. Work on Task Force begins right away and you are part of a team. You must come to the first class meeting prepared and ready to sign up for tasks and roles.

The first few meetings of your Task Force should be dedicated to:

• Defining and delineating the scope of the final report, keeping in mind for whom the report is being written
• Defining the building blocks of the final report, including the scope and content of chapters and sections
• Selecting and appointing the Editor and Project Manager, and Poster Designer
• Creating a project timeline, including important deadlines
• Creating a set of ground rules within your Task Force and establishing your main line of communication. Making a groupchat for the student members can help ease communication barriers. Apps to use are Discord, WhatsApp, text/iMessage, or Microsoft Teams.
• We recommend that your team adopt a project management tool – i.e. using the Google or Microsoft suite to share files and deadlines (Google Drive and Calendar or OneDrive and Outlook Calendar). You could also use dedicated project management software like Basecamp, Asana, or Notion.
• Reading example policy memos and policy recommendations so you understand the writing style you are being asked to do, and to know what works well and what does not when creating recommendations for your final report.
• Developing a collaborative peer review and editing process. Structure ways for multiple eyes to view drafts.

B. Collaboration

Task Forces are managed and coordinated by the students for the students, with guidance and input from instructors. Everybody must support each other in stressful conditions as the final deadline for the report approaches. Everyone’s experience suffers if anyone refuses to pull their weight.

C. Managing Deadlines

Deadlines in Task Force are few yet fast approaching. You only have seven weeks to complete them – between the second and eighth weeks of the quarter. It is important for you to stay on top of both your own group’s deadlines and the Task Force Deadlines. Get things done before the day of the deadline. Being proactive and getting your work done sooner will help alleviate stress later.

D. Doing Your Own Research and Writing

To be effective you will start by carrying out a survey of the relevant sources and information for your topic – a literature review. You cannot write a policy-relevant paper without showing that you know what you are writing about. For your chapter to inspire confidence you will have to demonstrate to your audience (your evaluator) that your information is relevant, authoritative, and up-to-date.

Here are a few essential tips:

• Look at past Task Force Reports which are available onlineon the Odegaard Library Research Works Archive:
  https://digital.lib.washington.edu/handle/1773/4630

• Talk to your instructor about the scope of your chapter and about essential sources
• Coordinate and work with other members of your group to share important sources and information
• Maintain good and clear research notes and keep track of where you got the information as well for easy citing
• Look for helpful and up-to-date visual information, such as graphs, charts, and maps, which will help break up the text. You can even make your own graphs, tables or charts to convey important information
• Use online databases to find academic journals: JStor, Google Scholar, UW Libraries, Proquest, even Google can be helpful
• Create an outline with all your information from your sources and your notes organized by each section of your chapter or section (i.e.: Introduction, Case Study #1, etc.). This way you can write off your outline when writing your first draft. Makes it a lot easier to be concise and to the point.

E. Writing, Editing, and Re-Writing

You will typically produce three or four drafts of your chapter or section which will be peer-edited by your peers before the final version is complete. The editor and the project manager will create a timeline for submitting drafts. Platforms to easily collaborate on drafts are One Drive or Google Drive.

There are ups and down with Task Force. The week of a deadline, your workload will heavily increase leading up to it, so stress levels will increase too. Intense reading, writing, editing, and teamwork is part of the job. It will be hard, but the final product is worth it.

F. Creating Your Own Policy Recommendations

When everyone has completed their final drafts your Task Force will have to produce its overall set of policy recommendations. They are typically part of a concluding section which the editor will oversee and write.

The policy recommendations should be few, clear, concise, and evidence based. They should give direction on actual, realistic steps that might be taken. Recommendations must be backed up by the material that you presented and discussed in the individual chapters and sections, and all Task Force members have to agree to these policy recommendations. Your policy recommendations should be clearly prioritized and sequenced and reflect your awareness of constraints. Decision-makers have scarce resources and may need to do just a few things – simply producing a long ‘laundry list’ of recommendations undermines the usefulness of your report.

G. Creating the Final Report

A final Task Force report consists of:

• The executive summary
• Chapters and/or sections
• An introduction and a conclusion
• A comprehensive bibliography

The final report has research and recommendations from all the students in the group. Pagination will have to be checked, spelling and grammar will have to be checked, visual information will have to be put in the right places and properly referenced, the bibliographies will have to be checked (and in many cases merged to create a single section of references.) The final report will then be emailed to the Task Force evaluator the day its due. The editor and project manager will need help with all this. Be ready to step in and take responsibility during this crucial phase when the submission deadline is just a few days away!

Often the weekend preceding the submission is stressful and filled with last-minute edits. Don’t let your editors and the project manager shoulder this alone – otherwise you risk turning in a sub-par report. ALL Task Force members should be on hand during this crucial time to make small edits and help the core team finalize the end product.

H. Formatting the Final Report

The final report must have consistent formatting. The page limit of the report is set between 100 – 135 pages long with 1.5 or 2.0 sentence spacing. The report page limit does not include the executive summary or the appendices. The suggested fonts and font sizes to use are Arial, Open Sans , OpenDyslexic or Tiresias in an 11pt size It is up to your team to decide how best to format the report. A Task Force should choose a citation style (MLA or Chicago) for everyone to follow. You can all use a program that compiles everyone’s citations together if you wish.  The UW Library website offers a variety of different citation programs.

Students do all the writing, editing, and reviewing… Your own contribution must fit into the overall report which you have to help create – this means a mostly similar writing style and formatting throughout the report.

Your completed Task Force report is sent to your evaluator one week before Evaluation Day. This gives your evaluator time to read your report and its findings and formulate questions and comments to ask during the formal oral evaluation.

Evaluations and After

A. Evaluation Day

Your Task Force will be given a two-hour time slot during which you will present to your evaluator. Evaluations start as early as 9:00 a.m. and end as late as 3:30 p.m., depending on your groups schedule. Task Force evaluations will take place in-person. Your instructor will confirm whether or not the evaluator for your Task Force will attend the evaluation in person, or if they will be Zoomed in.

B. Who is Your Evaluator?

Your evaluator is an experienced professional who works in the field or in the region defined by your Task Force’s topic. It is recommended that someone in your group research your evaluator. Getting to know their background, areas of interest and specialties, and their particular connection to your topic will ensure that the policy recommendations you create are tailor-made to fit both your audience and your subject matter.

C. Preparing for Your Evaluation

Between the completion of your final report and Evaluation Day you will be preparing for your evaluation. Under the guidance of the instructor and your editor/project manager team, you will create slides for a professional-looking PowerPoint presentation. You will also rehearse (typically twice) the entire presentation so you can be confident that it is effective and flows smoothly on the day. Every student should have a very short script ready, and preferably memorized, for their part of the presentation. Most Task Forces decide to give every student a speaking slot during the evaluation – so you will have to create a clear and concise PowerPoint slide and script. Rehearsal times are offered in the two days before your Evaluation (March 12^th, 13^th and June 4^th, 5^th). A sign-up sheet to schedule time to practice your Evaluation presentation and Dinner speech will be sent by the 6^th week of the quarter.

D. The Two-Hour Evaluation

There are multiple goals for students during the evaluation. The primary goal for each student is to offer a brief oral argument to the evaluator – this could be during the formal presentation or during the Q&A session. Make sure to organize your presentations and the Q&A in such a way that will make sure that all Task Force students make an oral presentation of some form. Because each of you has become an expert on some aspect of the Task Force Report, each of you can and should offer an oral presentation formally or during the Q&A.

Making a very brief presentation is a challenge, and rehearsals will help you get it right. Most Task Forces take one hour for the presentation and leave one hour for questions, comments, and feedback. Hearing from your evaluator is a key part of the evaluation. Your evaluator may direct questions at individual students, ask for clarification, and provide constructive criticism of any part of your report – especially the recommendations.

The atmosphere is professional but courteous; it is neither confrontational nor hostile. Your evaluator has read your report, will listen to your presentation as they would in their professional lives, and will treat you as they would treat other professionals.

The quality of the content and the presentation are essential. View the final evaluation as an opportunity to develop and sharpen practical, professional skills: speaking clearly and confidently, taking responsibility for your work, building professional relationships, and being willing to learn from others who have more experience than you do.

E. The Task Force Celebration Dinner

The Jackson School hosts a Task Force Celebration Dinner on the day of your evaluations to celebrate you, your Task Force team, and all your hard work! The program consists of speakers from the Jackson School, the Student Dinner Speakers, and a buffet-style dinner. Your Student Dinner Speaker will present what your Task Force accomplished, were challenged by, and learned in ten weeks. Attire is business casual or formal. The date and time will be sent out by the Task Force Coordinator.

F. Your Final Grade

Final grades are awarded by the instructor, as in any other course, and your instructor will let you know about the specific criteria they will use. In general, your overall course grade in JSIS 495 will reflect your participation in the Task Force process as well as your contribution to the final report and the final evaluation. Doing well in Task Force means more than just producing good research and writing. Your Task Force is effective and works well only if everyone contributes more than just their chapter or section. Instructors know this and use their grading to provide incentives not just for rigorous work, but for thoughtful teamwork and conscientious collaboration.

Five Tips on How to Make the Most of Task Force

1. As soon as the quarter starts, budget and manage your time in a smart way. Task Force has to take priority over other classes and commitments since it is a team effort and other people depend on you (even more so if you decide to become a project manager or an editor in your group).
2. Important: Don’t just do the minimum. Be a good citizen in your group and stand ready to help out with any jobs that have to be done – especially during ‘crunch time’ when the final report is being assembled from all the individual contributions; a lot of this work will have to be done during week eight of the quarter.
3. Accept and enjoy the challenge of working on a topic that is outside your comfort zone. Not everybody is assigned to their top-ranked Task Force – and even if you are you may be asked to work on a topic that is new or unfamiliar to you, or that you did not think you were that interested in. That’s life! You will often face challenges like that in your professional career, so try to roll with it. Many Task Force students have found that doing good research and writing in a dedicated group of peers is its own reward – and many issues become interesting and important once you start working on them.
4. Take pride in producing a good report. Task Force reports are published electronically by the UW Libraries, so future students will consult them before they take their own Task Forces. Your evaluator will give your report the scrutiny they would apply to any professional report. These are two good reasons for trying your best to create a professional product of high quality and lasting value.
5. Create strong academic and professional connections. Task Force is a great opportunity to make a strong and lasting impression on your instructor and on your evaluator. During Task Force instructors get to know their students’ abilities and potential very well indeed –something that can result in a strong, personal and convincing letter of recommendation in the future. Many students have been able to strike up helpful and useful relationships with their evaluators through the final presentations and conversations on Evaluation Day. There are many opportunities for networking in Task Force, more than in most of your other classes.

Writing and Research Resources

The POL S/JSIS/LSJ/GWSS Writing Center offers peer to peer writing services to assist students at all points in the writing process. This is a resource we highly recommend using. To schedule an in-person or virtual appointment click HERE 

Each Task Force is paired with a UW Research Librarian familiar with the topic your group is working on. They have a long standing relationship working with students in Task Force and are available to respond to research queries throughout the quarter.

Library resource guides can be found HERE: