Greetings Colleagues,

The IPBS planning process is just around the corner. To ensure that posts have ample time to
prepare their IPBS submissions, this years Guidance for Posts is scheduled for distribution in
early January. The guidance will help to inform our collective efforts to reflect on our
achievements and challenges from the past year and to plan our goals, objectives, indicators,
and targets for FY 2014 and FY 2015.
Please note that the guidance will direct posts to develop strategic plans for the next two fiscal
years only (as opposed to past iterations of the guidance which requested three years of
planning information). This step has been taken to align the IPBS process with the agencys
budget cycle, the trainee allocation process, and our next agency-wide Strategic Plan, which will
be based on a four-year cycle per the guidelines of the Government Performance and Results
Modernization Act (GPRA-MA).
The due date for posts FY 2014 FY 2015 IPBS submission will be: March 8.
The Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning (OSIRP) has prepared a concise list
of key data sources that may be useful as you begin to plan your FY 2014 FY 2015 IPBS
submission. Many posts hold staff discussions, planning sessions, and/or a retreat as part of the
process of preparing their annual submission. Posts may want to proceed now with setting
aside time for these strategic planning discussions.
As you begin thinking about how to frame those discussions, a good starting point would be to
review/evaluate your posts performance over the past year based on the goals, objectives,
indicators, and targets laid out in your posts IPBS submission from last year. Additionally, a set
of resources for holding an IPBS discussion are available at the Idea Board on this years IPBS
intranet page, available here.
OSIRP is currently working closely with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) and
other key stakeholders to develop this years IPBS Guidance for Posts. In an effort to more
closely link planning with budget, OCFO and OSIRP are working with the Regions to prepare
guidance for posts to develop a zero-based budget for FY 2014 via the Hyperion software, as
well as a brief narrative. Building on last years revisions, OSIRP is also collaborating with the
Regions to create a PDF template to capture posts IPBS submissions, which will serve to
standardize submissions and allow for easier content analysis. OSIRP, the Office of Global
Operations, and the Regional Directors continue to work together to ensure that the IPBS
submission and review process will again be both interactive and transparent.
We hope the data sources described below will provide you with useful tools as you begin your
planning process. We look forward to your best thoughts on how to position your post for
success.
Warm regards,

Cathryn L. Thorup Director, Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning (OSIRP)
and Performance Improvement Officer
Joseph L. Hepp, Jr. Chief Financial Officer

IPBS Pre-Guidance for Posts:

Data Sources to Assist with Preparation of the FY 2014 FY 2015 IPBS
Submission
Agency Strategic Plan and Performance Plan. Peace Corps current Strategic Plan covers a
period of six years, FY 2009-2014. The Strategic Plan is composed of core, strategic, outcome,
and performance goals, and is available here. The current Performance Plan is composed of 40
performance indicators and targets to guide agency operations and activities, and is available
here. Data sheets detailing definitions, methods of measurement, and targets for each indicator
are available here. Please pay particular attention to the seven post-reported indicators, as data
for these indicators is requested from every post at the conclusion of each fiscal year.
The agencys FY 2012 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) (available here) provides
the results of the agencys performance on all 40 indicators.
Focus In/Train Up. The agency will continue to work with posts to focus on a limited number of
highly effective technical program areas to maximize impact, complement host country
development plans, and respond to the needs of host communities. To guide discussions at
post, all Focus In/Train Up resources, including sector-specific guidance, are posted on the
Focus In/Train Up intranet page, available here.
Annual Volunteer Survey (AVS). We recommend discussing your posts survey results with
your Volunteers and staff. Click here for the 2012 AVS reports by post. Post project-by-project
and project-by-cohort comparisons are available here. Reports for each post on regional
comparisons and AVS trends over time will be posted on the intranet by late December. All
reports can be reached via the AVS Resource Page, available here.
Administrative Management Control Survey (AMCS). Completion of this assessment tool is
now a requirement. The AMCS intranet page, which includes the survey tool and supporting
documents, is available here.
Status Reports. Your posts Project Status Reports (PSRs), Training Status Report (TSR),
Initiatives Report (IR), and Partnership Report (PR) for FY 2012 are rich sources of data and
information to support your discussions and strategic planning processes. All submitted status
reports are saved here (To reach your posts reports, select your region, then your post).

Early Termination Reports. The recently released FY 2012 Early Termination reports by post
are available here, as is the newly posted FY 2012 Early Termination Global Report. The FY 2011
Early Termination Global Report has also been released, and is available here.
Country Portfolio Review. The Country Data Reports, which consist of the data points reviewed
during the Country Portfolio Review process, will be distributed to each country director in
January.
Host Country Impact Study. The 24 posts that have conducted a host country impact study may
find it helpful to review their research teams findings as part of their preparations for their
IPBS submission. In addition to the local research team reports, click here for OSIRPs Host
Country Impact Study Reports and two-page summaries.
Hyperion. Each posts prior year Operating Plan and current year working planners are available
in Hyperion (available here), which also includes historical data and context that will support
the preparation of the Budget Narrative component of the IPBS submission.
Other Relevant Data Sources: National Development Plan for your country; Characteristics of a
High Performing Post (available here); Safety and Security CIRS data and PCSSO
recommendations for your country; your IPBS submission from last year (available here); the
IPBS Idea Board (available here), which provides a set of resources for holding an IPBS
discussion; and, Human Development Index Rankings and Data by Country (available here).

Please contact Matthew Gallagher (mgallagher@peacecorps.gov) if there are additional data

sources you feel may be helpful to share with posts.