WOLAITA SODO ATVET COLLEGE

UNIT OF COMPETENCE: ANALYZE AND INTERPRET PRODUCTION DATA

MODULE: ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING PRODUCTION DATA
LEARNING OUTCOMES
L0 1: COLLECTING AND ORGANIZING PRODUCTION DATA
LO 2: ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING DATA
LO 3: PRESENTING DATA
LO1. COLLECTING ORGANIZING PRODUCTION DATA
Introduction
Data collection is the systematic approach to gathering and measuring
information from a variety of sources to get a complete and accurate
picture of an area of interest.
Data collection enables a person or organization to answer relevant
questions, evaluate outcomes and make predictions about future
probabilities and trends.
Accurate data collection is essential to maintaining the integrity of
research, making informed business decisions and ensuring quality
assurance.
 1.1 Organizing information
What is production, data, and information (knowledge)?
Production: The ultimate objective of all economic activity is the satisfaction
of human wants, so any activity or process that satisfies a human desire either
directly or indirectly, presently or in the future can be considered as production.
It is a process by which resources are transformed into products or services
that are usable by consumer.
Data -is any information collected as part of a research proposal and expressed
as numbers. In practice, most measurements are classified into qualitative or
quantitative data.
Data refers to raw material such as facts and figures that could be collected by
an information system.
 Cont..
Information- refers to analyzed data, often presented in a form that is
specifically designed for a given decision-making task, and transmitted
to/received by decision makers.
It is the pattern people impose on the phenomena they are able to observe.
Much of the information needed to solve farmers’ problems with their decision
making will come from research, although some will come from others farmers
and from policy makers.
Example ;information related to subsidies, price, forecasts, etc
Knowledge -refers to the subsequent absorption, assimilation, understanding
and appreciation of the information.
Cont…
1.1.1 Sources of information (Knowledge) –farmers use many different
sources to obtain the knowledge and information they need to manage their farms
well. These sources include;
Other farmers’ organizations and their staff members
Government extension organizations
Private companies selling inputs, offering credit and buying products
Farm journals, radio .television and other mass media ,etc
1.2 Collecting data
Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on
targeted variables in an established systematic fashion, which then enables
one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes.
The goal for all data collection is to capture quality evidence that allows
analysis to lead to the formulation of convincing and credible answers to
the questions that have been posed.
 Six steps for successful data collection
Step 1: Identify issues and/or opportunities for collecting data
Step 2: Select issue(s) and/or opportunity (ies) and set goals
Step 3: Plan an approach and methods
Cont…
Step 5: Analyze and interpret data
Step 4: Collect data
Step 6: Act on results
1.3 Characteristics of Agricultural Information
1) Relevance: The information that a person uses must be relevant to the current
problem at hand. If the information is not relevant it would not help to solve the
problem at all.
2) Completeness: good Agricultural information is complete. This means that it
provides intended users with all the information that is necessary to fulfill their
information needs and requirements. Completeness also suggests that all necessary
information is included in any report that the organization produces.
 Cont..
3) Accuracy: - The information must be accurate as inaccurate information
would lead to many different major problems. It leads individuals to wrong
decisions.
Agricultural information should be accurate. This does not suggest that you
must always state figures and facts down to the last penny or detail.
4)Timely (Current):- The information must be current as a fact of yesterday
may not be a fact of today. For example, the price of wheat per kilo today may
not be the same with tomorrows. As the stock market is ever changing, current
information is really a must. Since information has an objective, there are
usually periods within which these objectives operate.
 Cont..
5)Economical: - The information used must be of economical use to farmers,
different organizations, companies that use them. If the information used is not
economical it would result in users making losses. That is why economical
information is important.
1.1.3 Information as an Aid to Decision Making
Simon (1977) describes the process of decision making as comprising four
steps: intelligence, design, choice, and review.
The intelligence stage encompasses collection, classification, processing, and
presentation of data relating to the organization and its environment. This is
necessary to identify situations calling for decision.
 During the design stage, the decision maker outlines alternative solutions, each
of which involves a set of actions to be taken.
The data gathered during the intelligence stage are now used by statistical and
other models to forecast possible outcomes for each alternative.
Each alternative can also be examined for technological, behavioral, and
economic feasibility.
 Cont..
 In the choice stage, the decision maker must select one of the alternatives
that will best contribute to the goals of the organization.
Past choices can be subjected to review during implementation and
monitoring to enable the manager to learn from mistakes. Information
plays an important role in all four stages of the decision process.
1.1.4 how to Organize (collect) information)
Collected data has to be organized in a suitable form to understand the
information gathered (organization of data).
 1 .Chronological.
 Information presented in time sequence, either forward or backward, is
chronological. This organization pattern works well in explaining events over
time such as monthly sales figures for the past year.
Chronological ordering is also desirable to describe history or development,
such as background leading to a personnel/management disagreement.
Chronological sequencing of ideas is necessary to show time relationships.
 Cont..
II. Geographical/Spatial- Within a large business building, custodial services
might be assigned according to location—first floor, second floor, and so forth.
Another form of geographical organization is illustrated by the division of a
business into sales by state, county, or city.
III .Value/Size. The logical order for some topics begins with the most
valuable or the largest item first.
E.g. A report on Entrepreneur, might discuss its largest-volume franchise first,
followed in descending order by others. Retailers have found that listing their
properties from the most expensive to the least expensive (or vice-versa) is
helpful to buyers and sellers.
 Cont…
Iv .Simple to Complex. For difficult, technical, or abstract topics, the best plan of
organization is often from simple to complex. Good teachers, for example, begin with simple,
basic concepts and proceed to more complex topics. More complex ideas can follow the
foundation built on simple concepts.
A .Inductive (indirect). This ways supplies examples, facts, or reasons first and then draws
conclusions from them or from specific to general.
 Inductive organization is useful when readers are uninformed or when resistance or
antagonism is expected.
B .Deductive (direct). This organizational plan presents the main idea or conclusions and
recommendations first.
Examples, reasons, and clarification follow or from general to specific. Most business
writing is deductive because this method presents information clearly and openly.
For example, to inform students of campus parking regulations, a straightforward
announcement should be made.
1.2. methods of collecting production data
The data collector should also pay due attention to the nature of data
(quantitative and /or qualitative, the kinds of data (secondary and /or primary
data, the sources of data and how to collect the data.
The choice of methods of data collection is largely based on the efficiency and
accuracy with which the information will be collected and practicability of the
methods or techniques to the respondents.