Invasive species affect the social, economic and health aspects of many farmers and are known to cause major losses with considerable costs spent on management. Several international agreements recognise the threat caused by invasive species which signatories have an obligation to manage. This paper sets out a framework and method for assessing the performance and responsiveness of a country’s invasive species system. The objective is to engage with key actors within an invasive species system using a participatory approach to determine the strengths, weaknesses and functioning of the invasive species system. The aim is to understand the system as it currently stands and to identify opportunities and challenges from various actor’s perspectives.