Before we examine specific tools and resources, however, here are some ideas to help you get started:

• STREAMLINE! Make data collection instruments, forms, reports, and all documentation serve more than one purpose if at all possible. Literacy practitioners are busy people, so avoid setting up a system that requires the same information to be collected more than once and/or to be reported on more than once. Collect only the information that you need, know why you are collecting it, and use it.
• USE INFORMATION FOR MORE THAN ONE PURPOSE. Strategic planning, for example, is part of CIPMS. Rather than set up two processes (planning, carrying out an activity, monitoring, adjusting and evaluating) for both CIPMS and strategic planning, combine them. Similarly, if marketing your program or services is part of your target outcomes, you don’t need to set up a separate marketing planning activity. Bring everything together.
• USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE. You are probably further along in the process than you realize! For example, a lot of the data you will be using is on the IMS. You have been working towards CIPMS for a number of years without knowing it! So do not despair, you’re already on your way. However, now you need to get more deliberate about it. Look at the forms and processes you are already using; you might only need to tweak what you are already using.
• REMEMBER THAT IMPLEMENTING A NEW SYSTEM OR ADAPTING AN EXISTING SYSTEM WILL TAKE TIME. There is always a learning curve as everyone gets used to a new way of doing things. However, as it becomes more systematic and more habitual, the time spent will decrease and it won’t be as much work.
• DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS TAKES TIME. You need to be able to review information over a significant period of time before you can identify trends. CIPMS doesn’t happen overnight.
• YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN. Setting targets isn’t a random activity. Use what you have documented to analyze trends and set realistic goals. When trends change, analyze why — is it something within the agency’s control or is it something the agency can/should respond to?
• TRY TO THINK AHEAD. What information are you likely to need in the coming months? What goals are you trying to achieve and what data will you need to demonstrate that you have met those goals? What are the likely next steps of the work you are doing now?
• ALWAYS KEEP THE QUESTION “HOW DO YOU KNOW?” IN MIND. Whenever you cite a statistic or make a claim about what your program has accomplished, be prepared to answer that question.