Appendix 2: Principles to Follow
Be Impartial
People can give more or less weight to, or include or ignore, certain impacts because they do not consider them to be important, or because the impacts do/do not support their preferred option. These kinds of judgements are relevant when you are making an overall assessment of options, but in order to make the overall assessment you first need to have a full list and full understanding of all of the impacts of each option. Impacts that at a first glance appear minor may upon closer inspection be major (for example, after you have obtained more information on the impact from consulting with affected parties).
Use an Evidence Base
All assessments of impacts, whether quantitative or textual/qualitative, should be based on evidence, with data sources and assumptions clearly identified.
Make Your Assumptions Clear
It is normal and expected that you will have made certain assumptions when identifying impacts. You should be conscious of these assumptions, keep a record of them, and note them when you are presenting your analysis to stakeholders, Government agencies, Ministers, or other parties.
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