An evaluative performance problem can be thought of as a situation wherein there is a concern with the quality of a given performance. Performances seem (usually) to count as performances when there is some amount of human buy-in—otherwise naturally occurring things can come to be understood as performances when an analyst decides that the thing in question is worthy of attention.
How, then, to distinguish between various kinds of performances?
One way is through tense:
- The concern could be with evaluating a past performance—say, a recital of a piece of music by a student, or a restaurant experience we’ve just had.
- The concern could be with evaluating a presently occurring performance—say, we are in the middle of dinner at a restaurant and form a view about our experience as it is unfolding (or perhaps we are in the kitchen, appraising the efficiency of our staff).
- The concern could be with evaluating a future performance—say, we are picking members for a team that will need to compete in a future sporting event.
Within the model above, the evaluative gaze could be directed at various components of the situation, including the performer as distinct from the performed work (e.g. a plate of food that arrives at our table).
It is also worth noting that the purpose of the evaluation could be multifaceted—it could be about improving future performance, making a rating for certification reasons (e.g. to award a restaurant three stars), or some other reason (including forming conclusions about the future; e.g., whether we’d like to eat at that restaurant again).
Different disciplines seem suited to different aspects of the game outlined above (e.g. deliberate practice might be good for enhancing future performance, but no so helpful when the concern is with the here and now).