GUIDELINES FOR DATA COLLECTION

Guidelines for Data Collection
Asking the right questions is the key skill in effective data collection.
• Be clear as to why you are collecting data. Formulate good questions that relate to the specific information needs of the project.
• Be clear about how you are going to use the data you collect.
• Design a process to collect data. Our beliefs and values affect this selection process.
• Use the appropriate data analysis tools and be certain the necessary data are being collected. The data:
o must be accurate;
o should be useful;
o must not be too time consuming; and
o must be reliable enough to allow you to formulate hypotheses and develop strategies with confidence.
• Decide how much data is needed. Ask:
o what is an accurate sample size?
o for how long should the data be collected?
• Make sure that the data make your job easier.
• Use multiple sources of data to increase the believability of the findings. Collect data from more than two sources or points of view, each which provides a unique justification with respect to relevant information about the situation.
• Present the data in a way that clearly communicates the answer to the question.
• Be aware that how you set up the situation influences the results.
• Review the data. Ask:
o do the data tell you what you intended?
o can you display the data as you intended?
• Do not expect too much from data. Remember:
o data should indicate the answer to the question asked during the design of the collection process.
o you do not make inferences from the data that the data will not support.
o data don't stand alone. It's the meaning we apply to the data that is critical. "Data do not drive decisions; people do."
o the stronger the disagreements with the data, the bigger the learning potential. It is important to validate the different views and try to come up with a world view.
• Visually display the data in a format that can reveal underlying patterns.
o Look for patterns related to time or sequence as well as patterns related to differences in staff and other factors.
• Remember that your primary job is not data collection. No research method should interfere with your primary job.
• While good information is always based on data (the facts), simply collecting data does not necessarily ensure that you will have useful information.
• The key issue is not how do we collect data, but how do we generate useful information?