What to do with data once you collect it

Raw data are about as useful as no data at all. So making sure you know what to do with your data once you have it is just as important as collecting it in the first place. All organizations should have a review team in place (typically the management team) to review data regularly, draw conclusions, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Here are some key questions to use to help you and your team analyze data.

• Start with these basic questions for each indicator:
  • How have results changed over time, either positively or negatively?
  • How do results compare to the baseline and targets?
  • For indicators being tracked for the first time, what do the results show?

• Also, look across all of your indicators to see relationships and patterns, analyze and interpret the results, and begin to ask probing questions and look for answers. In particular, consider:
  • Why have results exceeded or missed the targets?
  • What are the underlying drivers?
  • How do the data align or not with intuitive expectations regarding activities and operations?
  • What areas require further research?

• Throughout your analysis, look for linkages between organizational performance, program performance, and social and economic impact. In your first few cycles, much interpretation of your data will be based on management and staff expertise and intuition. As you complete additional measurement cycles and have the benefit of historical data, your data will test your intuition, challenge established assumptions, and build a more accurate picture of your performance and its underlying drivers. Ultimately, you will be looking to answer:
  • What is working and what is not?
  • What opportunities for improvement exist?
  • What challenges need to be addressed and how?
  • Where should we focus our attention and resources?
  • Which decisions regarding our activities and operations should we ultimately make based on this knowledge?