Purpose: This evaluation and improvement tool will provide guidance to health departments or other public health agencies on how to improve the measurement of performance to a response. The performance information collected by this tool can support resource allocation decisions. Tool Description: The Public Health Performance Evaluation Primer is a guide on how to integrate performance measurement in public health improvement efforts. 1. Define the program goals and processes 2. Define the process performance metrics 3. Measure the process 4. Evaluate the process with Run Charts 5. Identify strategies for improvement 6. Improve processes with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle Who should use it?: The primer is intended for use by health departments or other agencies that may have limited resources in reviewing their performance to a response as well as identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement. Benefits: By guiding health departments and other agencies with limited resources create evaluation methods; the Public Health Performance Evaluation Primer hopes to improve performance in a response effort