Gery W. Ryan

The RAND Program Manager s Guide is a tool to help assess program performance, consider options for improvement, implement solutions, then assess how well the changes worked, with the intention of helping those responsible for managing or implementing programs. Specifically, the tool is intended to provide practical guidance in program improvement and continuous quality improvement for all programs."

The fully updated Second Edition presents systematic methods for analyzing qualitative data with clear and easy-to-understand steps. The first half is an overview of the basics, from choosing a topic to collecting data, and coding to finding themes, while the second half covers different methods of analysis, including grounded theory, content analysis, analytic induction, semantic network analysis, ethnographic decision modeling, and more. Real examples drawn from social science and health literature along with carefully crafted, hands-on exercises at the end of each chapter allow readers to master key techniques and apply them to their own disciplines.

The U. S. Department of Defense established the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) to provide specialized services for troops suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Through interviews with NICoE staff, home station providers, service members treated at the NICoE, and their families, as well as surveys and site visits, RAND evaluated interactions between the NICoE and providers referring patients and implementing treatment plans.