Throughout this four-step process, proper preparation and organization is key. In the Assessment Guide, MTCU suggests creating a committee or group made up of staff, volunteers and board members. However, this may be difficult for smaller programs. In that case, you could get together with your LSP partners to brainstorm some ideas.

Prepare and Organize: Data Collection

The first step in the agency assessment process is to collect and organize the information you will need to determine what areas of your program could be improved. The MTCU guide suggests the following information be gathered: ^{Endnote 22}

Information Needed	Source Examples	Available () or Plan to Obtain
Understanding Results	List the sources of the information you will use	Tick if information is already available. If not, outline the plan to obtain it.
Expectations: MTCU provincial targets for performance measure, e.g., Status at Exit Agency targets (previous year — e.g., 06 – 07) for each performance measure Learner expectations Partner and key stakeholder expectations	Literacy Services Plan (LSP) Agency’s annual MTCU business plan Schedule B (LBS Contract appendix) Program Monitoring Report Agency strategic plan LBS Program Guidelines MTCU letters to field Learner Satisfaction Survey Partner survey
Outcomes: Agency performance on MTCU targets (year to date) Agency performance on other performance measures Feedback from learners, partners, stakeholders and staff	LBS-IMS activity reports Agency database Learner Satisfaction Survey reports Program Monitoring Report Client follow up surveys Client suggestion box Client complaints logs Community partners survey Staff/Volunteer survey Board Member survey