The Army Performance Improvement Criteria (APIC) is a valuable resource for achieving organizational-level change.

The APIC provides a framework for in-depth organizational assessment and measurement of continuous improvement efforts.  Based on the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, the APIC guides Army leaders through seven categories, which systematically examine all aspects of an organization and determine how well it is meeting its goals.  The categories are interrelated and based on a set of values and concepts that when fully applied result in a highly effective and efficient organization.

The APIC serves as a working tool for strategic planning, organizational assessment and training.  It raises the organization's performance expectations and standards.  It establishes common performance criteria to facilitate communication and sharing of best practices between Army organizations, business and industry.

In 1988, the Secretary of Defense issued the challenge to all of the services to become the most efficient organizations possible.  The Army acted immediately on this directive and later codified it in AR 5-1, Army Management Philosophy.  Published by the Director of Management in 1992, AR 5-1 established policy, procedures, and responsibilities for performance improvement and efficiency for all Army organizations.  The APIC was first published in 1995 to provide a standard method of measuring the results of continuous improvement efforts.  It is updated and refined annually.

The APIC 2006 includes actual examples of self-assessments for each category.  Charts and other graphics have been added to the examples in all seven categories.  These “real world” examples make the APIC a “How To” document and share best management techniques, strategies, and performance practices among Army organizations.  The examples are from the applications submitted for the 2005 Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) Award program.  

          The entire document is available for download in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf)(513Kb). 

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Please send comments to leadingchange@hqda.army.mil

 

Last revision: 18 Aug 2008