Strategies for Citizen Engagement: (i) Shifting the Focus of ICT Design Practice - Informing Digital Futures: Strategies for Citizen Engagement - page 151

8.2.4 Integrating Citizen Engagement with Performance
Appraisal and Monitoring

The ability to engage effectively with citizens in the course of normal
working must be recognised in any processes for assessing and appraising
the performance of those responsible for developing ICT for the public.
Only by emphasising a positive approach to the process will 'in-house' ex-
pertise and acceptance of citizen contributions develop. Additionally, the
design outputs (including proposals) from every stage should be reviewed
to check that they have been informed appropriately by citizens.
Evaluating the impact of ICT on people requires monitoring to ensure
positive effects and to see how well the citizen engagement strategies and
mechanisms are working. Audits can be undertaken to provide information
to the providers, designers, developers and manufacturers on the success of
the ICT delivered.

Action Points: Steps 8-10

8. Through consultation and negotiation, include citizen en-
gagement criteria in annual assessment/performance ap-
praisals.
9. Include citizen engagement criteria in quality assurance pro-
tocols and procedures.
10. Conduct long-term auditing of the effectiveness of citizen
engagement to assess the impact of ICT and its acceptabil-
ity.

8.2.5 Providing Resources for Citizen Engagement

It should be recognised that resources will be required to support the tran-
sition to the new ways of working implied by the change in focus of ICT
design. Key requirements are for education, skills and a budget to support
participation/engagement processes.
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skill support . To support citizen engagement projects in the short term,
whilst expertise develops within the host organisation, experts in public
participation may be required. These specialists could be external or part
of an in-house group;