DATA INFORMATION

GATHERING FOR EFFECTIVE

REPORT WRITING

1
 Learning Objectives
• At the end of the session, participants will be
able to:
– identify key considerations in data gathering for
effective report writing;
– describe various data gathering methods; and
– adopt good practices in gathering.
 Introduction
• Reports are structured written documents
about an event or issue

• reports are delivered to an audience, usually

containing facts, opinions and
recommendations/ suggestions.
 Introduction… cont
• Their main purpose is to pass across
information to aid decision making..

• This could be in terms of:

– getting knowledge about an issue, a concept, a
process etc; or
– inspiring a course of action (choice, way of
thinking etc);
 Introduction… cont
The true value of a speech/ report is hinged
upon the authenticity of the information
contained therein.
 adequacy of data;
 relevance of data; and
 reliability of data

The quality and usefulness of a speech/

freport depends, therefore on the quality of
the data that goes into it.
 Introduction… cont
Quality data can be useful in:
 establishing a catchy introduction;;
 presenting a compelling argument; and
 making valid recommendations/ suggestions.
It also has the potential of making a speech/
report to be:
 rich;
 concise; and
 convincing
 Data Gathering Process
• Data gathering, otherwise called data
collection, is often formalised through a
data collection plan which often contains the
following activity.
– Pre collection activity — agree on goals, target
data, definitions, methods
– Collection — data collection
– Present Findings — usually involves some form of
sorting, analysis and/or presentation.
 Data Gathering Process… cont
• A formal data gathering process is useful
as it ensures that data gathered are both
defined and accurate and that subsequent
decisions based on arguments embodied
in the findings are valid.
 Data Gathering Process
• Develop clear objectives
– Know what you want to achieve
– Know what data you need
– Identify your stakeholders – data sources and
users
• Determine scope and resource allocation
– Scope by type of data or coverage of the data
 Data Gathering Process Cont’d.
Estimate level of human, financial, physical
and technical resources
Choose methodology
 Data Gathering (Survey or other methods)
 Data Analysis and Evaluation
Develop communication strategy
 Communication before, during and after
 Communication of findings and recommendations
 Communication of implementation of
recommendations
 Data Gathering Methods
To decide on the most appropriate method of
data collection, you must know:
 What data do you need to achieve objectives?
 From whom do you need to collect it?
 What is the most appropriate way of collecting data
in your organisation?

The choice of method depends on the nature

and scale of the assignment, the type of
information required, and the frequency, ease
and cost of collection.
 Survey Methods
 Questionnaires
 Interviews
 Personal
 Focus Group
 Other Methods
 Observation
 Each method has its own advantages and
drawbacks.

 Most provide qualitative data

 Questionnaires
• Questionnaires:
– Can be used to collect both qualitative and
quantitative data
– Can be distributed manually or electronically
– Can reach a vast number of people regardless of
physical location or geographical dispersion
– Can be distributed quickly and cheaply
– Can be used when human and financial resources
are not available to conduct interviews
 Questionnaires:
Advantages & Limitations

• Questionnaires work well for:

– Measuring awareness
– Gathering usage statistics
• Questionnaires do not work well for:
– Evaluating value of service
– Identifying usage barriers
– Discovering deficiencies in your service or
collection
 Optimizing Questionnaires

“Sell” purpose and importance before

distribution and provide an incentive
Keep them short, structured and grouped
according to purpose
Let respondents know the number of questions
Give clear instructions, appropriate time and
due date for return
Use terminology or language familiar to your
users
 Optimizing Questionnaires Cont’d.

• Avoid surveying for data you can find

another way
• Test or pilot to a sample group before
distribution
 Interviews

• Personal Interviews
– Can be used to obtain more in-depth information
from (key) informants on an issue.
– Can be used to obtain individual perspectives
 Interviews Cont’d.
 Focus groups
 A focus group is a carefully planned and moderated
discussion to obtain perspectives on a defined area
of interest in a non-threatening environment.
 Participants express their views openly; it is not an
attempt at problem-solving and does not seek
consensus.
 It is particularly useful in evaluation, where the
aim is to obtain as wide a range of
stakeholder/beneficiary views as possible.
 Groups typically contain 6- 10 people: large
enough to provide for a range of views but small
enough for everyone to contribute.
 Interviews Cont’d.
• Focus Group interviews
– Can be used when interaction of participants will
generate ideas
– Can be used as good sounding boards for ideas of
new services
– Can be used to survey participants on the same
organisational level
– Can be used to survey departments or teams with
a common goal or interest
 Interviews: Advantages & Limitations

• Interviews work well for:

– Personal contact
– Immediate responses
– Allowing participants to express themselves in own
words
– Allowing the collection of a large volume of rich data
– Allowing discussion, probing and unexpected insights
– Investigating problems
 Interviews: Advantages & Limitations Cont’d.

• Interviews do not work well as:

– They are costly in terms of time and resources
– The quality of data is reliant on the skill of the
interviewer
– Anonymity is not possible, so “frank and open”
discussion is subjective
– They can be extremely difficult to schedule
without directive from management
 Observation
• Reviews the environment in which actions
take place in order to create a view of “how
things work”.

• Watch, follow and record activities as they are

performed –then interpret observations and
draw conclusions.
 Observation Cont’d.

• Observation involves
– Selecting the representative group you will
observe
– Investigating information repositories (files,
collections)
– Silently observing work routine and
following up with verbal questions
 Observation: Advantages & Limitations

• Observation works well when:

– You are more interested in “behaviour”
rather than “perceptions” of the users.

– You require a qualitative view of how things

work.
 Observation: Advantages & Limitations…

• Observation does not work well as:

– Observation changes behaviour. What is
observed is not normal behaviour
– There is no way to verify observations and
the inferences drawn from them
– The observer may be biased and not
completely objective
 Secondary Data Collection
• Primary data are first hand made data
collected from the original source by an
investigator.

• All the methods discussed above can be

grouped as primary data.
 Secondary Data Collection…
• Secondary data is existing data that has been,
or will be, collected for another purpose.

• The use of secondary data represents a cost

and time saving and effort should be made to
establish what secondary data exist and the
relevance of it before collecting primary data.
 Secondary Data Collection Cont’d.
• Even if secondary data does provide
appropriate indicators, it may be out of date or
it may not cover the geographic area and units
of study required.
• Once secondary data has been deemed
available, appropriate and relevant, it must also
be assessed for reliability.
• Caution should be taken when using data for
which sampling and methodologies used are
not described.
 Secondary Data Collection Cont’d.
• Secondary data can be collected from a
number of different sources, including:
– Official records and surveys undertaken by
government agencies, research institutes,
or other aid agencies.
– Project documents and reports
– Literature reviews by academic researchers
Potential Pitfalls in Data Gathering
Representative Sample
 Sample may be small, good enough, wrong
Bias
 Solution: use outside consultant or third party
Wrong methodology
 Solution: use open‐ended questions for qualitative
data; use close‐ended questions for quantitative data
Timeline
 Be realistic. Plan for an adequate period
 Ensuring Data Reliability and Validity

• Data gathered should be tested for reliability

and validity:
• This can involve things like:
– Comparing data from multiple sources;
– Using large samples in a survey
– Asking about an issue in 2 or more differently
worded questions
 Data Analysis
• Data processing or preparation plan
• Transcription of interviews and observation
findings
• Editing responses
• Coding responses
• Data entry (where applicable)
• Data analysis – using specific techniques to
summarise data gathered in a useful way
 Data Analysis
• Analysis should essentially do the following:
– Present the information gathered in an
appropriate summary form, e.g.
• Summarise data
• Identify patterns
– Address the key objectives of the assignment /
report
– Provide the basis for reaching conclusions or
drawing inferences and making recommendations
 Presentation of Data
• Many reports rely on narrative data to present
most, if not all of the necessary data;

• Narrative data may be represented in three(3)

ways:
– Standard writing style;
– Tables; and/or
– Figures, Charts, diagrams, maps;
 Conclusion
• Data gathering lie at the heart of a successful
report writing.

• There is thus a need to ensure that data is not

only gathered but that what is gathered is
relevant and reliable.