Evaluation and reporting
Measuring performance management is an annual cycle of reviewing and reporting on the effectiveness of management activity and the condition of key values.
What is evaluation and reporting?
We are constantly striving to improve how we manage parks, forests, and reserves—to protect values, to be more efficient, and to adapt and innovate to meet new challenges. Evaluating how we are performing is a critical part of our Values-Based Management Framework (VBMF)—it provides a check-up for our business and helps us understand how effectively we are managing our parks. By using the results of monitoring, we can evaluate whether we are achieving the targets we set during the planning process, including objectives and outcomes for managing parks.
Reporting allows us to take stock of our parks and how well we are managing them—to ask if we are doing things right and to set our future direction. All park agencies have finite resources (people, time, and money) and reporting helps demonstrate that resources are being allocated to the highest priorities, that we are using public resources efficiently, and always trying to improve how we manage our parks.
Measuring how we are performing
Managing parks is a complex business and involves a broad range of management activities, processes, programs, and systems. To understand what we are doing right or wrong, we need to evaluate how we perform within different parts of our business—or different stages within the management cycle. Evaluating the outcomes of management is a particularly important part of our VBMF—as this is a measure of how our park values are faring and informs future park management. QPWS has adopted an internationally agreed evaluation process to evaluate how effectively we manage parks and adapt over time.
The key questions are:
- Did we achieve what we said we would?
- Did we meet our objectives?
- Are our key values OK?
Reporting
We regularly prepare reports about how we are performing to make sure we are accountable, using public resources efficiently, focused on the department’s objectives, and continuing to improve our management.
Reports are built on the results of evaluation and are presented in ways which suit different readers including rangers, managers, government, or the public. Information from reports is analysed to inform the next planning cycle and assist with setting targets for adapting and improving our management over time.
For more information on evaluation and reporting contact QPWS via email ParkManagementPlans@des.qld.gov.au.