Effective self-evaluation depends as much on people and culture as it does on processes and data. In some councils, responsibility for self-evaluation sits with a small central team or a limited group of specialists; in others it is more widely owned by managers and staff across services. To what extent do staff at different levels understand their role in reflecting on performance and identifying improvement? 

Most councils already undertake a range of self-evaluation and review activity, often driven by service specific requirements, external scrutiny, or improvement programmes. These approaches may be well established in some service areas and less so in others – some local authorities have built their approach around a tried and tested tool such as PSIF. How far do existing methods align with one another, and how easy is it to bring together insight from different services to form a corporate view? 

Evidence, including performance data, should be aggregated to the corporate level from all business areas when there is confidence in the accuracy of the data.  How far are you from this? How is this different across service areas? 

Many councils create dashboards for senior management teams using applications such as PowerBi, with insights collated using platforms such as Microsoft Forms or their performance management system. The quality of the information on the dashboard of course depends on the quality and consistency of the information collated. How do you currently connect evaluation activity across the council? 

Strong governance helps ensure that self-evaluation leads to meaningful improvement rather than becoming a reporting exercise. Some councils utilise their senior management team as the primary forum for aggregation and interrogation whereas others integrate this role into existing improvement or transformation governance.  How do senior leaders and elected members receive a clear, honest narrative about performance alongside the data? 

No, it helps identify practical priorities for development rather than produce a score. 

No, councils can be at different stages across different themes. 

Staff who understand current self evaluation practice and can identify practical priorities for development.