Through CIPMS, we can effectively and efficiently plan, track, organize, analyze and evaluate the work we do. We can then use our findings to better promote our successes to our learners, our funders and our communities.
Continuous Improvement Performance Management may be new terminology
to many of us in the literacy field, but the concepts are not new.
CIPMS is a
way of bringing a number of good management processes together in one comprehensive and deliberate system. Through CIPMS, we
can effectively and efficiently plan, track, organize, analyze and evaluate the work we do. We can then use our findings to better
promote our programs and highlight our successes to our learners, our funders and our communities.
Although many literacy agencies already engage in some or all of the processes included in CIPMS, we do not always do so in a deliberate
and purposeful manner. Sometimes our efforts are more informal than formal. The tools and resources that have been introduced in this manual
will help literacy agencies
to more formally document the work that they do.
Implementing and working with a formal, deliberate process will be new to many of us. We will require some time to become familiar with the various steps in the process. It is important to remember that goals and objectives need to be not only measureable and manageable but also realistic. We can start small and learn as we go.
This manual and the CIPMS training that is being provided by CLO and other funded projects are introductory. As we learn and become more familiar with CIPMS, we will be better able to share successes and newly developed processes. We hope, however, that this manual will provide you with effective tips and tools to get started.