How to start a management effectiveness assessment

The Toolkit is based on a four-phase collaborative process for designing and carrying out a management effectiveness assessment for a World Heritage property or other heritage place.

The purpose is to develop a participatory approach that enables multiple actors involved in the management of the heritage place to come together and explore ways to respond to challenges. Therefore, this is not simply a technical exercise; rather, it is an opportunity to gain a collective understanding of the World Heritage property or other heritage place and generate concrete responses to improve its management system.

The quality of the process is as important as the results of the assessment. To use the Toolkit, you will need to involve different actors and collect different types of data and information. This requires organization, time and commitment, especially when you are doing this for the first time.

While applying the Toolkit can be challenging at times, a well-designed and well-conducted process will be rewarding and will positively reinforce long-term collaboration between managers.

The total length of the assessment, and the resources needed, will largely depend on:

• The scale and detail of the assessment;
• The complexity of your World Heritage property or other heritage place; and
• The existing management arrangements.

This process should be seen as an opportunity for exchange and reflection in order to facilitate future management. The real work of effective management begins with the implementation of the findings arising from the assessment.