Giving Compass' Take:

• Ila Reddy shares eight questions that donors and organizations should consider when forming data collection and use strategies. 

• How is your organization currently collecting and using data? Is now the time for an overhaul? 

• Learn about ways to improve your data culture.

Everyone knows that data and technology play an important role in enabling programs to be implemented effectively and efficiently. However, having said that, we must recognise that merely employing data and technology, and developing complex monitoring and evaluation systems does not ensure the same. For example, organisations often collect data they don’t use except in donor reports (sometimes not even for that), spend money on building management information systems (MIS) that are difficult to manage, struggle to get buy-in from the field staff responsible for data collection, find their own data unreliable, and assess employee and/or programme performance based on numbers, without taking into account the on-ground context that may have impacted them.

Given how organizations struggle with this, here are some questions to reflect on that will help you assess why, how, and when to collect data and use it meaningfully.

  1. What are the decisions you’re looking to drive by collecting this data?
  2. Will the data give you what you need to understand and assess the performance of your program?
  3. How often will you be referring to this data? Is it built into your day-to-day work, decisions, and actions?
  4. Is your data reliable? Are you following the right data collection and analysis methods?
  5. How do your data processes affect your field staff?
  6. Are there any contextual factors affecting your program that may not be reflected in the data?
  7. Are numbers the only form of ‘data’ you’re collecting?
  8. Are your data efforts helping you move closer to your final goal?

Read the full article about questions to drive effective data use by Ila Reddy at India Development Review.