Performance Improvement is
an important new area of focus at the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) and at JHPIEGO Corporation. As participants in
USAID’s Performance Improvement Consultative Group, JHPIEGO staff
members have collaborated with representatives of USAID and other
cooperating agencies to produce a standardized definition and framework
for performance improvement.
Definition:
Performance Improvement is a process for achieving desired
institutional and individual results. The goal of Performance Improvement
is the provision of high quality, sustainable health services. Results are
achieved through a process that considers the institutional context,
describes desired performance, identifies gaps between desired and actual
performance, identifies root causes, selects interventions to close the
gaps and measures changes in performance.
The Performance Improvement Process is based on a framework (Figure
1) that helps to tell us what factors contribute to desired performance and
what can be done to strengthen them. Using this process also helps ensure
transfer of training to the workplace, where services are delivered to our
ultimate customers: women and families.
Figure 1. Performance Improvement Framework
For a detailed explanation of the performance improvement process, see
the PI strategy paper.
For more information about performance improvement at
JHPIEGO, see the links at the top of the page or contact Rick Sullivan at rsullivan@jhpiego.net
or Kama Garrison at kgarrison@jhpiego.net.
