The concern expressed in this statement captures an important insight. Evaluation effort should be in proportion to the time and resources committed to participation. Yet a strong argument for effective evaluation remains. The central challenge is to check whether policy objectives have been achieved efficiently and effectively. This challenge can be applied to individual projects but also to the overall participation strategy of the authority.
Evaluation needs to be able to build on a system of monitoring.
Monitoring involves an on-going assessment of a project. Monitoring forms part of achieving fitness for the purpose since it facilitates fine-tuning and adjustment of an initiative. Monitoring is a form of built-in evaluation to check that objectives are being achieved and whether further action may be required. A useful checklist of issues to be addressed in on-going monitoring is outlined in Box 9. The framework identifies the responsibilities for service teams undertaking consultation and for the corporate centre with responsibility for a general oversight of the process.