Demystifying data in the social sector

Every good data analyst is aware of the “Garbage in = Garbage out” formula.  What this means is, the analysis is only as good as the data. One cannot expect to get actionable insights from data when there is a data quality issue, data integrity issue & data that does not capture the outcome indicators. 

In the social sector, there is no dearth of data. Every activity could be a step to possible interventions, policy ideas and partnerships. Every day spent on the ground is an experiment in the making, leading the organization to pave new paths to solve a complex problem. When this is the case, how can the organization know if they are onto something great? Through evidence. Always. By recording each activity, by doing that activity over a repeated period of time and capturing that activity in both a quantitative and qualitative manner. This is too basic, isn’t it? Yes, it is. But “capturing the activity” is not something everyone gets right. In fact, how you capture the activity is what most non-profits get wrong.

I’ve had the opportunity to ponder over some of the challenges with data in the social sector since I spend ~40% of my day working as a data specialist at a non-profit organization. And here’s what I have learned - Non-profits can become more "data-smart".

1)      Understanding data in an abstract sense: The term “Data is the new oil” is tossed around so often that people are pressured to believe it. Most people don’t relate to it in their everyday lives, thus they do not find it relevant. Those who believe it is important, do so, due to the donor reporting norms in the organization.

2)      Data is an after-thought: In most organizations, proposals are your appetizers, programs are your main-course, data & M&E is your dessert. For best results, proposals, programs, Data and M&E should be baked together. Data should inform the proposals, data should inform the program design. M&E should not be an after-thought.

3)      Quick solutions over deliberate decision-making: Changes on the ground may affect the program strategy. The decisions for changes in program strategy should not occur in isolation. Temporary data solutions to cater to the immediate program needs can harm the long term data strategies. Elaborate planning on how the data captured due to the change can integrate into the larger program data can save time & effort later.

4)      Assuming systems in pilots will last forever: New programs have different data scoping needs compared to a well-established programs. Pilots are highly volatile & require agile solutions. Organizations should learn from evolving programs and set up a more sustainable data system in time. In short, sustainable data solutions can only be built once the programs become stable.

5)      What data architecture?: Most data collection happens via google forms, SurveyMonkey which leaves data dispersed in unmanageable places & structures. Dashboards are built on the scattered pile of data and more data is added to the sheets, until one day, the delicately balanced data system collapses. A robust data architecture comes with planned data engineering. Identifying data sources, stringing the data together & building a structure that allows for visualization. Visualization should be thought of only after data engineering is well-handled.

Data architecture is the first step for refined impact measurement. Data strategy baked into the organizational strategy is known to most organizations in the private industry, but it is yet to become a norm in the non-profit world. With most activities now moving online, due to the pandemic, we have more data at our disposal now. Using this opportunity to make the shift towards becoming more "data smart" should be the way forward.

Self-Reflection handbook 101

1 whole year has passed by without me taking a break to check into myself. One. Full. Year.

It’s not like I haven’t had opportunities to do so, it doesn’t mean I haven’t reflected at all. I have had few short conversations about things I care about with people who matter to me. But the question I ask myself today as I type this out is, “Has that been enough?” The answer is no. A big NO in fact. 2019 has marked a monumental change in my life.

It’s the year I moved back to India, started my career in the social sector, got engaged to the love of my life, set my wedding date, realized what it means to leave a piece of my heart in a different continent, shifted my perspectives on a ton of issues, got my first climate change panic attack, realized my parents are getting old, saw myself fit and stand out in a career I was proud to have, understood what it meant to do a balancing act with the parents and in-laws, freaked out about getting married, saw my first North Indian wedding, had my first north Indian trip, discovered my love for all things art, cotton clothes and many many other small & big experiences both.

But as I sat down to write this, the blank screen intimidated me. I felt absolute loss for words and all the experiences that had to somehow magically transform themselves into beautiful words seemed to shy into their shells, disapproving the lack of colour that the whiteness of the screen exhibited; the colour that my eyes somehow seemed to get adjusted to. After a lot of deliberation and debate with myself, I gathered these questions I could ask to push myself to think about the past year constructively.

1)      What has become the 3 most important things to me in the past year? (My priorities)

2)      What are the 3 main perspectives I’ve developed in the past year?

3)      What are the 2-3 things have I changed my mind about in the past year and why?

4)      Have I become more empathetic & compassionate compared to the last year? If yes, which incident triggered it? If not, would I like to work towards it, this year?

5)      Have I become more courageous than I was, last year? If yes, what led to it? If no, is that something I’d like to work towards?

6)      Have I identified what my strengths are, the past year?

7)      Do I know what my weaknesses look like the past year?

8)      What are my most effective go-to self-care tips?

9)      What are the successful mantras I’ve identified this year to sustain my relationships with all my loved ones this year?

10)   What is it (are things) about my job that makes me want to go to work everyday?

11)   What is it (are things) about my job that I wish to change?

12)   If I could describe my ideal job description, what would that be. (Create a checklist & check your current job against it)

13)   Has my goal about where I want to be in 3 years changed over the past year? If yes, how & why. If no, is it because I haven’t thought about it or is It because I’m too sure of it?

14)   Have I read enough over the past year? What are some of the reformative / formative areas I’d like to read more about?

15)   What aspects of physical care have changed in the past one year?

These 15 questions are intentionally vague, allowing me to paint a broad stroke of every thought that occurs to me when I read the question – isn’t that the point of reflection anyway?

I write this piece on Day 7 of self-isolation amidst the corona outbreak in India. The situation is obviously grim and I have too much time on my hands now anyway. I hope to use this template of self-reflection every now & then to keep in touch with myself and everything important to me. 

The hope is, as a person spending a lot of time with myself indoors for the next couple of weeks to come, I end up writing more than I did the past one year by using these questions as my prompts. I don’t have to start on a blank screen staring at me anymore, I have these 15 questions nudging me to indulge in my thoughts, nurture them and hopefully grow. If we all don’t bring our best versions out at a time of crisis like this, then as a human race in totality, what have we been preparing for, anyway?