In this guide
Step checklist
- Implement the engagement plan
- Actively review and amend the engagement plan
- Close the loop on the engagement
- Collect evaluation data
How to complete this step
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Implement the engagement plan
Why this is important
You must run your engagement to meet the requirements of the Community Engagement Charter.
How to do it
Deliver the engagement activities in your engagement plan. A number of tools are available to get the most out of your engagement activities.
Tools
- Engagement checklist (PDF, 258 KB)
- Engagement techniques (PDF, 1818 KB)
- Workshops tool (PDF, 294 KB)
- Community Open House tool (PDF, 284 KB)
- Survey guide (PDF, 262 KB)
- 3D modelling (PDF, 656 KB)
Example
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Actively review and amend the engagement plan
Why this is important
Part of listening to the community is getting feedback on the engagement approach. If that feedback suggests that the engagement is not adequate, then think about varying the plan.
As the engagement gets underway, you may need to review and amend your plan if:
- new issues or ideas emerge
- you learn more about your communities
- your resourcing needs change.
How to do it
This may mean rethinking the activities you have planned and altering the timing of the engagement or and the kind of stakeholders you target.
As you review your actions, consider the resourcing requirements and adjust your plan as required.
Be flexible. Actively review and change direction if you need to throughout the engagement. All engagement plans will change in some way at various points in the engagement process.
You do not need to get the Commission's approval to vary the engagement plan.
An explanation of any changes to the engagement plan and any additional engagement can be provided in the engagement report you submit at the end of the process.
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Close the loop on the engagement
Closing the loop is an ongoing process and happens throughout the engagement process at the conclusion of each activity or stage.
It's not something that only occurs at the end, when you submit your planning policy, strategy or scheme to the Minister for Planning and State Planning Commission for approval.
Why this is important
As you complete the stages of the engagement, close the loop with participants by providing them with information about how their feedback will be used. Participants can include workshop or forum attendees or the broader community.
An important direction of the Charter is to ensure that participants involved in engagement are shown that their input was heard and that they understand if it has impacted the proposal or not.
Doing so shows participants that their involvement was valued and meaningful, and that the engagement and policy process is open, transparent and accountable.
How to do it
The Charter does not have a set format to close the loop on engagement activities. You could:
- summarise the diversity of feedback received
- outline how the information has been, or will be, used
- communicate with stakeholders in a way that is accessible.
Ways to close the loop include:
- preparing an engagement report and providing it to participants and the wider public at the end of each stage of engagement
- providing closing statements at the end of workshops, reiterating the kind of feedback received and saying how this information will be used
- sharing the results of the engagement online, in brochures or other published means
- conducting information events or presentations to groups on how the engagement results have influenced the proposal.
Tools
Example
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Collect evaluation data
Gather the information required to measure the success of your engagement
Why this is important
During the engagement, make sure you are gathering the required the information to support your evaluation and the measures of success identified in Step 2. You will need this information to complete your engagement report in Step 4, which is submitted to the Minister.
If multiple people are running different engagement activities, they must be aware of the data collection requirements.
How to do it
Your project team needs the right tools to gather the required information for your evaluation,
- feedback forms
- attendance sheets to collect numbers and details of participants at events or names of organisations
- web analytic tools
Collect feedback and evaluation data from stakeholders throughout engagement activities to address the Commission's minimum evaluation criteria.
A survey template is provided that can be used for collecting responses to the minimum evaluation criteria.
Tools
- Template and Guide - Measuring success (PDF, 379 KB)
- Template - Community evaluation survey (DOCX, 101 KB)
Example
The Draft State Planning Policies survey (PDF, 276 KB) is an example of setting questions for feedback on a project and using the minimum performance indicators to evaluate the success of engagement.
