Implementing CIPMS in LBS
As part of The ABCs of CIPMS project, CLO spoke to numerous literacy practitioners from across the province who have made significant efforts to implement some or all of the CIPMS components in their agencies. These people were kind enough to share their experiences, successes and challenges with us and with the literacy field across Ontario.
Throughout this section, we will be incorporating some sample tools and resources, many of them shared by these practitioners. You are free to use or adapt these tools as you see fit.
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! Now you need to be more deliberate about it. Look at the forms and processes you are already using; you might only need to tweak them.
- 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.
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