Recently, articles have been posted to news sites in the development industry with headlines that read something along the lines of, “Well, Our Initiative Failed.” Conversely, other articles in the space speak to fears associated with the budget cuts that would come if donors knew a past initiative did not accomplish the desired outcome.

Trial and error are part of any learning process and should be embraced by the development industry, yet it seems that development assistance professionals live in a culture where even minor failures are seen as taboo. A mindset such as this can lead to drainage of precious resources, which is unfortunate when data-driven decision making is so accessible due to advances in technology that have driven high mobile penetration rates in developing countries.

A focus on regular monitoring, evaluation, and program improvement initiatives are essential to organizations striving for success. In this post, we will explore why, and how, to manage risk in development assistance projects in order to help your organization create sustainable change across the globe.

Monitoring and Evaluation, A Tool

Monitoring and evaluation have become part of all development assistance projects, yet there are still organizations missing key opportunities for performance management. Data collected for MEL provides organizations with information necessary for risk assessment, decision support, resource management, project development, and quality assurance for continuous improvement throughout each of the project stages. Program evaluation of this nature is essential to determine if key performance indicators are in positive zones during the length of the project.

Continuous Improvement

If MEL are being done effectively over the life of a program, then the lessons learned need to be quickly incorporated into the program’s interventions to make the program itself more effective. Not utilizing data to fuel worthwhile program interventions is a missed opportunity for organizations and the people that the organizations seek to assist.

Also important to note is the impact that timely data collection can have on the program improvement process. In the time between data collection, data analysis, and planning of next steps, the situation on-the-ground in the country of interest may have developed further than the study shows. Accurate and timely data collection and reporting is imperative for donors, NGOs, and governments to assess their effectiveness and communicate their success.

GeoPoll’s remote mobile survey methodology allows organizations to collect on-the-ground data from granular target populations without the need for on-site survey enumerators, it is truly remote monitoring and management made easy. GeoPoll’s robust surveying platform and large respondent database provide actionable data that measures project process, demonstrates community attitudes and perceptions over time, and allows organizations to more effectively track the outcomes of project interventions. GeoPoll has multiple survey mode offerings that allow us to reach respondents across all SECs. For fast, cost-effective data within days, contact us today!

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Development assistance is a field marked by complexity. Stimulating, or facilitating, growth in emerging markets is a multi-faceted process that typically transcends theoretical thought. Projects in which social change must sweep entire regions can require granular processes per community, which makes organizational leadership challenging and resources limited. Building local capacity for growth and change in developing areas is often the goal of these development aid efforts, yet long-term goals like these allow for years-worth of efforts to go without critical analysis of what is truly effective. Without reliable processes to track progress, years of work can be for naught.

In this post, we will discuss how data collection can help development assistance organizations make more thoughtful and strategic choices that may keep projects on track and allow for more effective aid efforts.

Data for development assistance

The private sector is ever-obsessed with data, and as a market research company we can easily see why. Data-driven decision-making is more than a buzzword. Advances in data collection and analytics tools have made using data a join-or-die situation for corporations. This is because the impact and capabilities provided by technology, and data, are exponential. Not only has the new lens on data’s role in business revolutionized the private sector, but the way in which the world views information itself is also changing more and more each day.

Today, data is more than just large excel sheets of numbers. It is answers to pressing questions. It is insights into the minds of consumers or people in a community. It is proof of progression, recession, or stagnation toward goals. Data is information, and for the International Development sector this information can mean better use of resources and a greater impact.

Although development assistance is far from the process of selling products or services, the data collection process can be similar. Corporate brands conduct significant amounts of research when launching a new product in order to understand consumer perception and engagement. Research of this nature collects data that can be analyzed to direct decision-making that will protect investments in time, labor, inventory, and more. Social sector organizations should be regularly conducting research tailored to their projects in order to collect similar data. This research can provide information for leadership that can share insight into how projects are truly impacting the areas they are intended to serve. Shifts in approach, small or large, can be strategically planned based on the data received from research, and leaders within the organization can make data-driven decisions to ensure that projects are truly on track to accomplish goals.

GeoPoll’s technical staff understand that many implementers in the international development assistance field may be new to conducting primary research for the purpose of data-driven decision-making, which is why we always provide a baseline of expert knowledge to clients throughout the research process. In addition to the help GeoPoll provides with conducting research and understanding results, GeoPoll has developed a new training program for international development organizations. Training sessions are available for organization leaders, or teams of workers, and focus on how to utilize research-based data collection to make thoughtful choices in development assistance.

GeoPoll was built to fill the need for gathering research data in hard to reach places. Every day since our establishment in 2012, GeoPoll has been bridging the data-gap by providing clients with high quality data on tailored audiences in remote areas of the world, all in real-time. To learn more about our research capabilities and training sessions, contact us today!

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The training on data-driven decision making for international development

On June 2, 2018 in Dar es Salaam, GeoPoll’s Audience Measurement Specialist, Akinyi Okulo, led an  Introduction to Data-Driven Decision Making – Radio Media training. 25 participants from 20 Tanzanian community radio stations engaged in the training seminar, under the five-year USAID-funded Tanzania Media and Civil Society Strengthening (TMCS) Activity. Also known as Boresha Habari, the FHI 360-led TMCS Activity’s goal is to strengthen Tanzania’s media ecosystem by building the local capacity of media outlets through training and technical assistance.

To further this goal at the GeoPoll-led training, GeoPoll staff provided trainees with nationally representative audience measurement data that measured specific program indicators. GeoPoll also trained Tanzanian media stakeholders on practical ways of using audience measurement data to improve the quality of community radio programming, increase listenership, and generate additional advertising revenue—all of which is intended to strengthen Tanzanian civil society and improve democratic governance.

 GeoPoll planned and led the highly tailored day-long training with the goal of improving the use of data to drive programming decisions among Tanzanian community radio stations. The training combined theoretical learning with real audience measurement data and practical group exercises.

Akinyi first led the participants through a well-known theoretical framework on data-driven decision making that focuses on the relationship between information, data, and knowledge. With this high-level framework in mind, trainees then analyzed real Tanzanian audience measurement information for radio that GeoPoll had collected before the session, as well as nationally representative GeoPoll SMS survey results that provided insight on Tanzanian perceptions and opinions about radio.

To bridge the gap between the theoretical framework and the practical application of data, participants took part in small group exercises. The group exercises focused on drawing out specific data points from real GeoPoll survey results and then designing advertiser strategies based on the data analysis and interpretation.

The training was a great success. Local stakeholders were educated on a mix of theories and developed practical knowledge about evidence-based decision making within media. In this way, GeoPoll is working to support a sustainable, self-reliant, and locally lead community radio ecosystem within Tanzania.

Let GeoPoll train your team on data driven decision making

GeoPoll is a leader in collecting data in emerging markets. With years of experience, our staff are extremely knowledgeable about both data collection and analysis. The GeoPoll team can impart this knowledge upon your staff through a similar training on data-driven decision making. Contact us today to discuss the training possibilities for your organization.

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