Developed to help colleges enhance the effectiveness of their institutional research efforts, this workbook provides strategies for increasing effectiveness and examples of techniques and research from Maryland's Prince George's Community College (PGCC). First, an introduction summarizes the changing responsibilities of institutional research and suggests that research represents organizational intelligence in three areas: technical or analytical, issues, and contextual intelligence. The next section lists 25 strategies for maximizing the impact of institutional research on institutional management, assessment, and advocacy, citing knowledge of the institution and its environment as the most important strategy. Forty-five references are included in this section. The following section provides graphs and tables representing techniques used by PGCC's Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA), including tables of performance indicators, a graph of a project management system, results from a research user satisfaction survey, results from mid-year assessments of project status and achievements for 1994 and 1995, and outcomes from a staff recognition program. The final section provides examples of effective institutional research, including a market analysis, a student learning outcomes assessment, an assessment of county support for Maryland Community Colleges, and a county council budget presentation prepared by PGCC, as well as a workforce training survey of Maryland community colleges prepared by a continuing education association. Appendixes include the Association for Institutional Research code of ethics; a list of 1995 goals and objectives, organizational chart, and position descriptions for the PGCC OIRA; and a questionnaire for workbook users. (TGI)