Importance of Measurement

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Measures are tools that help evaluate progress toward achieving a given goal. The goal of PESP is to reduce the risks to humans and the environment from the use of pesticides. Measuring results is important to learn if what we are doing is achieving the desired results.

We are asking you to place an emphasis on documenting the progress you make in moving toward your five year goals. The following provides a context for this request and some examples of measures for you to consider.

Measures for Members

Since pesticides have different toxicities and vary in their impact to people and our environment, a goal of PESP is to reduce risk. The tactics we use to achieve this goal include encouraging the use of reduced risk pesticides (including biopesticides), fostering the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), and working with PESP members and government agencies to encourage increased partnering.

Any measures you adopt should help you document the effectiveness of the tactics you are using to achieve your organization's goals. The better you are able to measure the impact of your efforts, the better you can evaluate their effectiveness and your return on investment.

Measures for Sectors

As we work within PESP to further develop our PESP sectors, we intend to eventually develop sector-specific goals and measures, where possible. These would be amenable to all members within a given sector.

Perhaps the clearest example of a sector goal would be the Rights-of-Way Sector goal of implementing integrated vegetation management (IVM) on 95 percent of electric rights-of-way mileage within 10 years. Members in this sector could all support this goal and develop tactics they would use to attain this goal. Measurement of the achievement of this goal would be straightforward if a commonly accepted standard for IVM is utilized.

As our sectors develop, we will look for your involvement in the development of these sector-based goals and measures.

Basic Elements of Measures

All measures need three elements:

Baseline – measure change from a known starting point. Baseline data provide a starting point and show the change achieved as a result of a tactic or activity.
Timeline – you need to state the date by which change will occur, and,
Amount of change you expect to see.

Performance measures fall into into two categories, direct and indirect.

Direct measures are those that can be directly quantified. Examples include: pesticide residue levels in food, the amount of pesticide exposure in a targeted population, and pesticide use data.

Indirect measures cannot be directly measured but tend to track closely with the desired outcome. Examples include the percentage of total acres managed under IPM practices, the number of school districts with IPM programs, the number of acres under management that include pesticide risk reduction practices, and percentage of farmers using reduced-risk production methods.

A complete measures statement could be, “Sixty-five percent of our district’s schools will have pest management plans implemented by December 2007.”

Well designed measures can document your organization's progress in achieving your goals and, secondarily, assist us in quantifying your achievements.

Measures and Accountability

EPA, other federal agencies, as well as private companies are under increasing pressure to measure the impact of their activities. Accountability for the change achieved per resouce invested (dollars, personnel hour, etc.) has become a link that is required to support continued funding for many company and program activities.

We want the PESP strategy to serve the mutually beneficial purpose of helping us document the impacts of our efforts. As always, we welcome your suggestions on how to do this more effectively.