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Checklist for the CHECK stage

The main activity at the CHECK stage is the continuous assessment of the progress of the project or action plan, giving clues for improvement or adjustment if needed. Measurement of progress and evaluation takes place against the targets as represented by the KPIs. Not surprisingly, the main question during the CHECK stage is: “Are we following the right track to meet the targets agreed upon during the implementation of the project?”

This question is answered by a series of TO DO’s. First of all, a platform must be chosen for the monitoring of KPIs as proposed earlier in the DO stage. Subsequently, it needs to be checked where the monitoring activities could be aligned with current reporting obligations to prevent twice the work, for instance SE(C)AP, SUMP or national reporting obligations. After monitoring has started, frequent meetings of city administration and key stakeholders need to be organised to check if the expected progress is made and if there are any red flags. Following, together with the partners in the project, it must be explored what it takes to solve these issues or respond to changed circumstances during the ACT stage. 

5

STAGE 5: CHECK

QUESTION:

Are we following the right track to meet the targets agreed upon during the implementation of the project?

TO DO 1: CHOOSE A PLATFORM FOR MONITORING
of KPI’s
TO DO 2: ALIGNMENT WITH OTHER CURRENT REPORTING OBLIGATIONS
to prevent double work
TO DO 3: ESTABLISH THE BASELINE AND START COLLECTING
monitoring information
TO DO 4: ORGANISE FREQUENT MEETINGS FOR ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
of the information from the team and from the monitoring system, to identify possible problems early
TO DO 5: EXPLORE HOW TO SOLVE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND IDENTIFY WHICH ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED
in order to improve the project. Discuss these with internal and external stakeholders in the quadruple helix

Tools & standards

TOOLS:
• soft ware
• GIS
• databases
• protocols
• traditional project management tools
• measuring equipment
• sensors
STANDARDS:
• ISO 3712X Measure Progress towards Planned Targets
• ISO 37101 Quality Management Systems Approach
• U4cities of ITU
• CityKeys

Output:

comparison of progress against agreed targets, suggestions for improvement(s) and amendment(s)

The main output of the CHECK stage consists of a comparison of the progress against the agreed targets, suggestions for improvement(s) and amendment(s) of strategies, policies and action plans, and appropriate solutions responding to changed circumstances, i.e. technological innovation or political shifts.

Commonly used tools at the CHECK stage are: software, GIS, databases, SCIS, protocols, traditional project management tools and exchange platforms. Measuring equipment, for instance for air pollution or smart meters for energy consumption, might be relevant as well, next to GPS tracking, mobile phone data, sensors and actuators. Applicable standards are: ISO 37101 Quality Management Systems standard will guide the entire management process from vision to implementation, improvement and monitoring, while SO 3712X series of KPIs related standards, will be used for addressing KPIs to each target, and then measure progress towards the planned targets. 
ISO 3712X series propose a list of KPIs dedicated to smartness, sustainability and resilience.