Glossary

The Archaeology Skills Passport is a tool that records an individual's skills, qualifications, and experiences in the field of archaeology. It serves as a comprehensive record of an archaeologist's professional development and competencies. The passport is often used within the archaeological community to demonstrate the breadth and depth of an individual's archaeological knowledge and expertise.

The process of dividing and organising the audience or population into meaningful and manageable groups – or segments – so that you can create a distinct plan for each group you choose to target.

Co-producers, in a broad sense, refer to individuals or groups who actively collaborate and contribute to the creation, development, or implementation of a project, initiative, or outcome. They are actively involved as partners, sharing responsibilities, decision-making authority, and resources.

An approach to archaeological practice that actively involves and engages local communities in all stages of the archaeological process. In community archaeology, community members play a central role in decision-making, research, excavation, interpretation, and dissemination of archaeological findings.

Development-led archaeology, also known as commercial or contract archaeology, refers to archaeological investigations and excavations that are undertaken as a requirement of the planning and development process. Development-led archaeology typically involves a partnership between the developer, the archaeological contractor or consultancy, and relevant heritage authorities or local planning authorities. The primary goal is to mitigate any adverse impacts on the archaeological heritage resulting from the development.

The systematic approach or framework used to assess and measure the effectiveness, impact, or success of a project. An evaluation methodology involves the methods, tools, and criteria employed to evaluate the outcomes, outputs, and overall quality of the archaeological work. Relevant tools include the Theory of Change and Standards of Evidence.

The Historic Environment Record, or HER, is a dynamic database that contains information about the historic environment, including archaeological sites, monuments, and buildings of historical importance. HERs are information services that provide access to comprehensive resources relating to the historic environment of a defined geographic area.

The systematic assessment and analysis of the effects, outcomes, and broader changes resulting from a project or intervention. Impact evaluation involves measuring and evaluating changes which can be linked to the archaeological work for defined areas such as people, heritage and communities. Impact evaluation typically involves creating a strategy, collecting and analysing data, applying appropriate evaluation methodologies, and drawing conclusions about the overall impact and value of the archaeological project.

In the context of this resource, meaningful is used to denote projects able to demonstrate the impacts and outcomes of the work. Although engagement activities in archaeological projects can be meaningful without project evaluation, the process of measuring impact means that project team can assess, evidence, refine and improve.

The systematic process of gathering data, observing progress, and assessing the outcomes and effects of a project to determine its impact. In archaeology, monitoring for impact evaluation will involve ongoing data collection and analysis to assess the effectiveness and success of the archaeological work in achieving its intended outcomes and desired impact.

The broader, often intangible, changes or effects that occur because of a project or activity. In archaeology, outcomes may include increased public awareness of heritage, improved preservation practices, enhanced community engagement, or changes in attitudes towards the historic environment.

Individuals and audience members who engage in a more direct way with the project. They might help wash and sort finds, or undertake skills training as part of the project. Participants might also come along to a site tour or an online event. From this perspective, participation can be light touch and one off, or in depth and longer term.

Historic England define placemaking as something that: brings together diverse people (including professionals, elected officials, local groups, residents, and businesses) to improve a community’s cultural, economic, social and environmental situation. It’s often best achieved through a clear understanding of the historic significance of the existing place.

Procurement documents, such as Invitations to Tender (ITT), and Request for Quotations (RFQ), are used in the procurement process to solicit bids or proposals from suppliers or contractors. They will outline the scope of works and any requirements for delivery, as well as detailing how tenders will be evaluated by the procurement team.

The positive impact or advantage that a project or activity brings to the general public or a community as a whole. In archaeology, demonstrating public benefit involves showing how the archaeological work contributes to the understanding, preservation, or enjoyment of the historic environment by the public.

Qualitative and quantitative are two distinct approaches to research and data analysis, often used in combination, to gain a comprehensive understanding of a topic or project. They differ in their methods, data types, and analytical techniques. Qualitative research provides rich, detailed insights into the subjective experiences of an audience. Quantitative research provides data to enable statistical analysis and generalisability. Combining both approaches provides a comprehensive and balanced understanding of the project impacts and outcomes.

There is no single definition of social value and exact descriptions may differ according to context. Most centre social value around the importance of social, environmental, and economic impacts on the community and the people living in these communities. In procurement, social value could include a commitment to employing local people, offering a number of apprenticeships, protecting or conserving the environment, or supporting health and wellbeing initiatives. Where there is an ambition to achieve social value, the means to do so must be considered from the beginning of a project so that it can be dealt with comprehensively.

The people or organisations with a vested interest in the project. This might be a financial interest like the developer or landowner; a cultural interest, like the local museum or amenity society; a place-based interest, like the residents of a town; or a professional interest, like the construction team working at the site, or archaeologists with an interest in the results.

A conceptual framework that explains the expected outcomes and the steps required to achieve a desired impact. In archaeology, a theory of change will outline the logic and assumptions which frame how the proposed archaeological activities will lead to specific outcomes and ultimately contribute to broader impacts.