Designing, creating and deploying the quality manual for continuous improvement for the Project Management Institute, Portland Chapter

An all-volunteer non-profit service association faces many challenges in the administration and operation of the organization. There is always certain lack of continuity in the year-to-year turnover of volunteers at both the board of director and working levels. Prescribed turnover procedures, succession plans, published processes and guidelines all help to provide successive management personnel with the capacity to support the needs of the association's members. Further, a formal written program of guidelines for continuous improvement can greatly enhance and improve the satisfaction levels of the membership.; In addition to the inherent difficulties in managing an all-volunteer, non-profit enterprise, the Project Management Institute - Portland Chapter is experiencing an exceptionally high membership growth rate. In order to accommodate this growth rate and continue to provide high quality membership services, it is imperative that the chapter have a viable continuous improvement program.; This project provides the Portland Chapter with a quality manual of guidelines for continuous improvement. It is envisioned that this document can assist the chapter, and perhaps other associated chapters, to establish and maintain a long term, robust and sustainable improvement program linked to the organization's strategic goals.