Whistler2020 Monitoring Program: What, Why and How
The Whistler2020 Monitoring Program consists of a monitoring
and reporting system that tracks our status and progress towards
the Vision and strategy Descriptions of Success.
Additionally, the program captures contexual facts and information
about Whistler that can be used for decision making and
learning. Information is reported at two levels:
Whistler2020 Performance
Whistler in Context
The Whistler 2020 Monitoring Program provides the resort
community with a number of benefits and essential functions,
including:
-
Tracking progress toward (or away from) Whistler’s
vision– thus allowing the community to celebrate and build on
successful programs, and to correct its course when
necessary.
-
Informing Whistler2020 action planning– by understanding performance against Core and Strategy
Indicators, Whistler2020 task forces are able to focus and
prioritize recommended actions to ensure informed
planning.
-
Ensuring transparency and accountability to
stakeholders– balanced reporting ensures transparency to community
members and other Whistler stakeholders.
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Educating and engaging Whistler businesses, residents and
visitors– providing meaningful and timely information in an engaging
way helps to illustrate connections between policy, actions and
resort community health.
-
Identifying trends relevant to decision making– community organizations, individuals, potential investors,
researchers and others can make more informed decisions based on
information provided by the Whistler2020 Monitoring
Program.
What are the Characteristics of an Effective
Monitoring and Reporting?
Reporting is the process of communicating monitored
information to a chosen audience. The Whistler2020 Team believes
that effective reporting is characterized by:
-
Completeness – concerning the unbiased inclusion of
performance in all areas
-
Materiality – reflecting the needs of key stakeholder
groups
-
Timeliness – current enough to be used as an effective input
for decision making
-
Credibility – potentially verified or deemed reliable by the
users
-
Accessibility – communicated in a way that is accessible by
key stakeholders
How was the Whistler2020 Monitoring Program Developed?
The Whistler2020 Monitoring Program was developed through
expert research, as well as dialogue with data users, data
providers and the Whistler2020 task forces. Once Whistler’s Vision
and Strategy Descriptions of Success were established, the
first step was to identify appropriate indicators.
The Whistler2020 team conducted external research to identify best
practice indicators used in other jurisdictions, as well as
internal research to understand what was already being reported
within Whistler. The results of this research were then proposed to
various users and data providers, who reviewed potential options
and added their own suggestions. This revised list of potential
indicators was then assessed against specific criteria to assess
tradeoffs and prioritize the options. Criteria included:
The result was the specific list of indicators that are
currently being presented. Over time, these indicators will evolve
as we learn and develop increased capacity for reporting and
monitoring.
The
second step in the monitoring process was to
actually collect the baseline indicator data. In some cases, the
data gathering systems exist, and in others, they had to be
developed. The
third step was to analyze the data and prepare
preliminary findings, which were reviewed by task forces and other
interested stakeholders. The Whistler2020 Monitoring Report is then
prepared and communicated broadly on the Whistler2020 website and
through other channels. Step two and three are repeated on an
ongoing annual basis.
Who provides the monitoring data?
As a community-wide monitoring program, our data comes from a
variety of sources, both within Whistler (e.g. RMOW and Tourism
Whistler) and external to Whistler (e.g. Statistics Canada, BC
Hydro). In addition to sources that already exist, the Whistler2020
Monitoring Program requires the development of new forms of data
gathering in areas that were either not measured previously, or
where the current data sources are not sufficiently timely or valid
for use in decision-making. In 2005 and 2006, two additional data
gathering tools were developed and executed: an annual Whistler
community survey; and a Whistler affordability report.