About Lori Criss Powers
I help organizations improve effectiveness and efficiency by using practical approaches drawn from multiple disciplines and sectors. Specifically, I use cost-effective approaches to help organizations monitor and improve performance, secure and allocate funds, assess needs, mitigate risks, overcome barriers, embed best practices, develop plans and implement strategies.
I have an unusual combination of skills in program and policy evaluation, strategic performance measurement and management, process improvement, systems analysis, research and project management.
I’ve worked in a wide range of areas including those related to health, employment, immigration, disability, the pharmaceutical industry, information systems and a number of other social service areas and industries. I have directed, managed and consulted to multi-disciplinary, off-site and on-site teams in the United States, Canada, Qatar, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Germany.
My most recent publications have focused on evaluating the effectiveness of organizational performance measurement systems and the management of research projects (co-authored with Dr. G. Kerr).
I work as a consultant through my own company, Visible Ties Research & Consulting which is located in the United States and, for the past 10 years, as Vice President of RealWorld Systems - a consulting firm located in Canada. Most of our clients (see a selected list of my previous clients below) at RealWorld Systems have been non-profits or government ministries in Canada and Qatar. Prior to my consultancy, I worked for over 10 years in senior positions in the for-profit sector here in the States. If you’d like more information you can check out my LinkedIn profile or, if you’d like to discuss working together on a project, you can contact me.
About this blog
I intend to use this blog to provide useful information to people who share my interest in organizational improvement. My posts will be in the form of articles, brief commentary or links to relevant information If you have particular questions or issues that you’d like to see addressed here please let me know as ideally I’d like to post articles and information about the things that would be most useful to the readers of this blog (as opposed to indulging my own curiosity about things).
Previous Clients (selected)
Program Evaluations, Research Studies and Policy Reviews
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Ontario Region: Project manager and lead evaluator for a review of the Job Search Workshop Program
- Ontario government: Senior consultant for the development of a discussion paper in preparation for Ontario government cabinet submission
- Ontario Ministry of Citizenship / Skills for Change: Senior consultant for the review of the Newcomer Settlement Program
- Social and Enterprise Development Innovations (SEDI): Senior consultant, conducted data mining and analysis of large qualitative dataset for the Economic Needs of Newcomers to Canada Study
- Qatar – General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP): Senior consultant for the Qatar National Vision Implementation Project
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Ontario Settlement Directorate: Project manager and senior evaluator for a review of the Host program
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO): Led the conduct of a study on the costs of doing research in support of the improvement of HSFO’s funding programs
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO): A senior consultant for the evaluation of the HSFO’s Grants-In-Aid program
- Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement: Senior consultant, analyzed qualitative data and made recommendations for the delivery of ISAP services to Mandarin speaking newcomers to Canada
- Ontario Administration of Settlement and Immigration Services (OASIS) – CIC: Senior consultant for the Evaluation of the OASIS Computerization Project
- Canada – Voluntary Sector Initiative – IM/IT Joint Table: Project manager for a study of the Information Management/Information Technology needs of the Canadian voluntary sector
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Settlement and Port of Entry Directorate, Ontario Region: Project manager for the review of the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program
- Qatar – Planning Council / BearingPoint: Senior consultant, analyzed and reported on Qatar National Service Improvement Initiative survey data
System Analysis and Design (including the development of logic models, evaluation frameworks and strategic performance measurement systems)
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO): Lead consultant designing and developing a performance measurement system for HSFO’s mission specific activities
- Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration: Senior consultant, developed a client-focused logic model for all of the settlement and language programs in support of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement Strategic Framework development effort
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR): Led the design and implementation of a computer supported social networking system for the New Investigators Network of the Human Development Program
- Qatar – Planning Council / BearingPoint: Senior consultant, provided systems analysis expertise and conducted an inter-jurisdictional review for the development of a performance measurement system to monitor the effectiveness of public service improvement efforts for the Qatar Public Service Improvement Initiative
- Qatar National Project Management Initiative: Led the development of a prototype for a project management information system
- Citizen and Immigration Canada: Senior consultant, provided performance management expertise and support for a project that built a contribution accountability (evaluation) framework for ISAP and HOST Programs
- Canadian Hearing Society (CHS): Led the development of an evaluation framework and program performance monitoring system for CHS’s Employment Services Program
- Heritage Canada: Project manager for the development of a reporting system to document activities and outcomes for the Canada Volunteerism Initiative
Process Analysis, Mapping, Development and Improvement
- Qatar – General Secretariat for Developmental Planning (GSDP): Senior consultant, provided process mapping expertise for the development of a new human resource system at the GSDP
- Woods Fund of Chicago: Led a project to improve the Woods Fund’s grant-in-aid program as well as other programs and services
- Canadian Hearing Society: Senior consultant, provided expertise for the improvement of the Canadian Hearing Societies’ Hearing Health Program
- Statistics Canada: Project Manager for the identification of potential areas of improvement for the knowledge management system to support policy analysts project
- Canadian Hearing Society (CHS): Led a project to improve the Employment Services Program as well as other programs and services at CHS
- Qatar Statistics Authority: Senior consultant, provided process improvement support and expertise for statistical products tracking system
Needs Assessments, Discovery & Scoping Analysis and Requirements Definitions
- National Cancer Institute of Canada: Led a discovery and scoping exercise for the review of the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative
- Canadian Institute for Health Information - Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI): Project Manager for a project which conducted a requirements analysis to facilitate CPHI’s research knowledge exchange activities with its research clients
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) – Ontario Region Settlement/Port of Entry Directorate: Led a discovery and scoping exercise for the Contribution Agreement Rollup of Services System Project
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Settlement Directorate, Ontario Region: Led a scan of web-based professional development materials and resources for LINC Instructors, Assessors, Childminders and Administrators
