ABSTRACT
With a recent history of policy focus on evidence-based service improvement (i.e. Comprehensive Area Assessment), and a future that looks set to concern strategic commissioning of services, the role of performance management in driving improvement becomes increasingly relevant. However, if there is to be a greater focus on user experience and neighbourhoods as is intimated by the philosophy of a ‘Big Society’, then the method and implementation of managing and measuring performance is directly affected. As Coalter (2006) argues, a process-led approach to what can be described as monitoring and evaluation can contribute to staff development and capacity building, as well as greater organisational integration and more coherently designed and consistently delivered programmes. This links to aspects within Chapter 7 on strategic partnerships where a typology of partnerships is offered; performance management is relevant here as practitioners often indicate that monitoring, but more specifi cally evaluation, is far too diffi cult to do when working within the myriad of organisations that utilise sport in a variety of ways in the community.
