1 Factors, systems and planning
Managers control systems. A system
is defined in terms of its basic elements, the
features, that have to be maintained or enhanced. Managers keep an eye on the
condition or state of the most important features of their sytem. Features are their
stocks, and the features inventory has to be maintained as a balance beween the
flows of resources entering and leaving each stock. The most important flows
are those that limit the size or quality of the feature in the short term.
Flows of resources into the features of
ecosystems are limited by environmental
factors. Some of these are global in origin and scale. Others are small-scale and
local. The first step in defining a management sytem is to list all the factors that are
influencing the the system's features. This process of factoring the system entails
highlighting the most important limitations to the maintenance of enhancement of
the features, and distinguishing those that are active in the short-term and are
capable of being controlled.
The objectives of management are to maintain
the features in a favourable
condition by influencing the most dynamic factors, which if uncontrolled would
produce an unfavourable condition.
The most dynamic factors are managed and
monitored. The more stable factors
may be monitored, but not managed, particularly where research is required to gain
an understanding of the long-term importance of the factor in the system.
The favourable condition of each feature
is defined by choosing one or more of its
measurable attributes that can be used as a management target, or performance
indicator, to show how well management is progressing. The objective of
management is to maintain the condition in a favourable state where the attribute
falls, year on year, within defined limits of acceptable variation. Performance
indicators are monitored year on year and are used to judge the outcomes of
management.
Actions to manage factors, and to monitor
factors and features, are organised as
projects, which state the jobs that have to be done, and what has to be reported.
An action plan has the following information
structure.
Site
(e.g. the location of the system, ownership etc.)
System (e.g.
its structure, working and history)
Features (the
main elements to be conserved or enhanced)
Feature
1 ( e.g. its importance, the limiting factors, and measurable
attributes to be used as performance indicators)
Objective
1 (the measurable target of management with acceptable year on
year variations)
Factors
for objective 1 (local factors which determine the feature’s
condition)
Project
Man. 1.1 (work plan for managing a factor)
Project
Mon 1.1 (work plan for monitoring a factor)
Performance
indicators
Project
Mon 1.2 (work plan for monitoring the feature’s condition)
2 Information required for an action
plan
i The Site
This is a summary description of the
site and its location.
ii The System
This is a summary description of the
ecosystem organised around the concepts
of stocks and flows which incorporates the feedback loops suitable for its
management.
iii The Features
This is a list of the features
of conservation interest with the rationale defining
their importance.
iv The Objectives
Each feature has one objective, or
target , of management to conserve it. It is
important that the target is measurable so that managers will know how close they
are to reaching the objective. In general, an objective is described as follows:-
'The objective is to maintain f1 in
a favourable state where x=y.'
f1
is the feature
x
is a measurable attribute of the feature
y
is the value of the attribute, with upper and lower limits of acceptable
variation, that is the target of management.
v The Management Projects
These are descriptions of the projects
to manage the important local factors; ie.
those factors that are particularly active in influencing the condition of features in
the short term.
A
project is described to answer the following questions.
Why
should the factor be managed?
What
has to be done?
a)
Equipment
b)
Location of work
c)
Job description
d)
References
Who
will do it?
How
will the work be reported?
Are
there any safety issues?
When
will the work be done?
This
schedule is related to the first date when the project can be
activated, with its frequency. On the day or days the work actually
occurs a report is made describing the event in terms of its start,
duration, and man hours and cost.
vi The Monitoring Projects for
Factors
Some management factors are the
subjects of monitoring projects, particularly
where more information is required about their potential influence on the feature
The monitoring projects are described
to answer the following questions.
Why
should the factor be monitored?
What
has to be done?
a)
Equipment
b)
Location of work
c)
Job description
d)
References
Who
will do it?
How
will the data be handled?
How
will the work be reported?
Are
there any safety issues?
When
will the work be done?
vii The Performance indicators
This
describes the performance indicators as the targets for each objective
vii The Performance Monitoring
projects
Each
objective has at least one performance indicator. The measurement of
performance indicators is carried out through monitoring projects.
A
monitoring project describes the work required to answer the following
questions.
Why
is the performance indicator appropriate?
What
has to be done?
a)
Equipment
b)
Location of work
c)
Job description
d)
References
Who
will do it?
How
will the data be handled?
How
will the work be reported?
Are
there any safety issues?
When
will the work be done?
This
schedule is related to the first date when the project can be
activated, with its frequency. On the day or days the work actually
occurs a report is made describing the event in terms of its start,
duration, and man hours and cost.
3 Databasing the action plan
To
keep track of progress with a large number of projects, action plans are
organised on one-to-many relational databases. Databases designed for project
management all have the following basic facilities:-
built-in
calendar;
timeline;
job
charting;
reporting
facility;
task
prioritisation
keyword
and date filters;
data
sharing in an international format;
and
archiving of completed work.
The
software will vary in relation to the level of detail required by the managers,
particularly with regard to the complexity of reporting and the networking of
managers.
