Improving EPA's Performance
with New Tools & Approaches
Fostering Innovation at EPA:
A Modular Evaluation Approach
The National Center for Environmental Innovation (NCEI) promotes the use of new tools and approaches
that not only solve, but prevent environmental problems. This series of fact sheets introduces the Agency to
such methods, which facilitate the innovation cycle of experimentation, evaluation, and wide-scale
implementation.
Contacts:
Suganthi Simon
US EPA National Center for Environmental
Innovation, 202-566-2199,
simon.suganthi@,epa.gov
Evaluation Support Division
Website
www. epa.gov / evaluate
Why were the Innovation Analysis
Modules Developed?
EPA's National Center for Innovation (NCEI) promotes the use
of innovative approaches to environmental problem-solving efforts
that deliver improved environmental results. As part of this
process, NCEI promotes and conducts rigorous evaluations to
determine whether innovations deliver environmental results that
surpass the traditional way of doing business and to identify lessons
that can be applied more broadly. To guide its efforts and ensure
consistency, NCEI developed a set of innovation analysis modules
that outline core questions to be answered as part of any
evaluation, either within EPA or outside the Agency.
Because the field of environmental evaluation is fairly young, and
EPA did not have one comprehensive method for evaluating
innovative projects, these modules were created to foster analysis
and evaluation under a uniform, yet flexible, framework.
NCEI
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
-------
What are the Innovation Analysis
Modules?
Innovation Analysis Modules include a series of
questions that encourage critical thinking and
assessment of successes, obstacles, and lessons learned.
The modules can be applied in a variety of scenarios,
including developing an innovative project, assessing
environmental outcomes, characterizing the
transferability of an innovation and informing future
evaluative efforts. In order to get a more complete
picture of the innovation, we recommend that
innovation practitioners consider using all six modules.
However, if time, resources and information are
limiting factors, the innovation practitioner can pick
and choose the modules that are most applicable to
his/her innovation.
Provides a systematic way to map the logic behind the
innovation by asking the practitioner to list the goals,
resources, activities, partners/customers, outputs, and
intended outcomes of the innovation. This module
also gathers background information to describe the
innovation, its scope, goals, purpose, regulatory and
programmatic issues, participants, and stakeholders.
2. Assessing the 'Environmental Results of the Innovation
Assists innovation practitioners in measuring the
environmental results of the innovation. Questions
regarding the establishment of baseline data,
environmental indicators, and performance measures
are included.
3. Assessing the Costs and Cost Savings of the Innovation
Outlines the economic impact of the innovation and
gathers information necessary to conduct a cost-
effectiveness assessment.
4. Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Assesses the practical enforceability of the innovation.
This module may require the active participation of
Federal and State enforcement and compliance staff.
5. Public Involvement and Stakeholder feedback
Gathers information regarding stakeholder/public
participation in the innovative process.
6. Assessing the Potential Trans ferability of the
Innovation
Presents questions that rank innovations on a five-part
trans ferability scale, with the objective of determining
whether the innovation is ready for broad-scale
application.
The module questions are formulated to be flexible
enough to fit a variety of innovations and experiments
that are conducted both inside and outside EPA. The
modules are based on knowledge of the innovation
cycle and the trans ferability potential of innovations.
What is the Companion User's
Guide?
The Companion User's Guide is designed to assist
innovation practitioners with the application and how
to answer the questions of each modules. Each chapter
corresponds to the actual module, and may be used
independently or in combination with other modules,
and is intended to serve three purposes:
1) Inform the evaluative process
2) Help an innovator plan for evaluation
at the beginning or intermediate stage
of an innovation
3) Help serve as a innovation
management/development tool
Who should use the Innovation
Analysis Modules?
The modules are designed to help innovation
practitioners and programs assess and learn from an
environmental innovation during any part of the
innovation life-cycle. The modules help innovation
practitioners to analyze critical aspects of innovation
projects to identify successes, obstacles and lessons
learned. EPA, States and organizations can use the
modules to better manage their environmental
innovations.
-------
How can the Innovation Analysis
Modules Help You?
The modules fill a critical analytical need by providing
the practitioner with a flexible framework for collecting
and examining much needed information on
innovations that can inform future evaluation efforts.
The modules can help mold future projects and set
strategic direction. The modules can provide invaluable
information to help innovation practitioners and staff:
• Design and logically map an
innovative project;
• Collect information to assess the
innovation;
• Identify types of data to assess the
outcomes of the innovation;
• Show relative advantage of an
innovation over current approaches;
• Use the information presented in the
modules to improve the performance
of the innovation so that it can be
transferred and more broadly applied;
and
• Provide data and information to
inform future evaluation efforts.
What is the Status of the Modules
and the Companion User's
Guide?
The modules are currently in draft form and continue
to be tested on a series of innovative projects. The
Companion User's Guide has been developed to guide
an innovation practitioner through each of the modules
and how to answer the module questions. The modules
and Companion User's Guide are currently available
for comment and review. Feedback is appreciated on
this tool and how it is being used.
Areas of Focus for Innovation Analysis
1. Mapping the Innovation
2. Assessing the Environmental Results
3. Examining the Cost and Cost-Effectiveness
4. Evaluate Public Involvement
5. Promote Transferability
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Policy,
Economics and Innovation
(1807T)
October 2004
EPA-100-F-03-033
------- |