Setting Course

A Congressional Management Guide


cmf setting course 117th congress cover

Setting Course, since its first edition in 1984, and now in its 17th edition, is a comprehensive management guide to setting up and managing a congressional office. The book is organized into three main parts.

Part I: Geared toward Members-elect and freshman offices, the chapters in this section focus on the transition to Congress and setting up a new congressional office.

Part II: Provides leadership guidance to veteran Members of Congress and staff, and freshmen who have settled into their new jobs. Chapters in this section offer information on charting a path in Congress and being a leader of the office.

Part III: Explores the challenges of managing an established, veteran congressional office. The information presented in these chapters is basic, good management advice that benefits all congressional offices.

CMF sincerely thanks SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, the American Library Association, and Deborah Szekely (who conceived of this guidebook and funded its first edition in 1984) for their generosity in funding the 117th Congress Edition of Setting Course.

Logos for SHRM ALA and Deborah Szekely


Details

Copyright 2020, Congressional Management Foundation
Paperback/Softcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Congressional Management Foundation; 17th edition (November 3, 2020)
ISBN: 978-1-930473-24-9
Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.25 inches

Note: Due to the pandemic, CMF was unable to distribute all of the printed copies of the 117th Congress edition of Setting Course. While we conduct and incorporate new research into each edition, much of the information is guidance on management, leadership, and strategy that changes little from one Congress to the next. For this reason, we opted not publish a new, 2022 edition for the 118th Congress and instead redistribute the 2020 edition for the 117th Congress. We anticipate publishing a revised and expanded edition in 2024.


Pricing for Hardcopies

Price: $25.00*

Bulk Price (10+ copies): $25.00 $22.50 (10% off)

*No charge for congressional offices. Please contact us at 202-546-0100 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  if you don't have a complimentary copy in your office.

 
 

Purchasing CMF Publications

Most of CMF's reports and management guides are available for free download in PDF on our website. If you wish to order hardcopies, please contact us at CMF@CongressFoundation.org or 202-546-0100. 

Congressional offices receive complimentary copies of all CMF publications. Non-congressional offices must pay in advance before publications will be shipped. After receiving your order, a CMF staff member will calculate shipping & handling and contact you with the total charges.