completed staff work

completed staff work (uncountable)

1. Work product, as a presentation of a solution to a problem, produced without input from one's superior, other than possibly setting the problem, that is complete to the point of only needing approval or disapproval from one's superior or other decision-makers.
   • 1953, United States. Air Force ROTC, Air Science: Fundamentals of global geography, page 40:

     Writing a memorandum to the chief does not constitute completed staff work, but writing a memorandum for the chief to send to someone else does.

   • 1998, William O. Umiker, Management Skills for the New Health Care Supervisor, page 341:

     Participative management requires much completed staff work.

   • 2009, William M. Fox, The Management Process: An Integrated Functional Approach, page 344:

     In addition to relieving managers of much planning work, application of the concept of completed staff work helps to develop staff personnel in ways that make them more useful to the organization.

   • 2009, Stephen R. Covey, Principle-Centered Leadership, page 241:

     provide those people charged to do completed staff work with as much time, resource, and access as possible.

• Probably originating and used in hierarchically structured organizations.

• completed staff work on Wikipedia.Wikipedia