EPA promotes integrated pest management through documents such as the IPM for Schools: A How-to Manual, because IPM represents a prudent approach to understanding and dealing with environmental concerns. Because IPM is a decision-making process and not a rote method, an IPM program will always be able to take into account the wide spectrum of pest problems and the diversity of people involved. IPM methods equip pest control operators and other members of the IPM team to design flexible, site-specific pest management plans scaled to the severity of the problems and the level of resources available.