Using Outcome Measurement to Strengthen Internal Programs
Organizations are often asked to demonstrate their impact. Funders want to understand results, community partners want to see progress, and leadership teams need confidence that resources are being used effectively. For many organizations, this makes measurement feel like an obligation, something that’s only completed for grant applications, annual reports, or external evaluations. However, the most […]
Improving Community Outcomes Through Connected Data Systems
Many organizations work toward the same goals: supporting individuals, strengthening communities, and facilitating access to essential services. However, the challenges they address are often too large for any single entity to solve alone. A nonprofit may understand the needs of the people it serves. A school system may have insight into academic performance and student […]
How to Build an Outcome Measurement Framework That Defines Success
Every organization has a story to tell about the work it does, the people it serves, and the changes it hopes to create. The challenge is making sure your story is supported by meaningful information that demonstrates progress and impact. To build an effective outcome measurement framework, organizations must first determine what aspects they want […]
Outcome Measurement: Moving From Data Collection to Verifiable Impact
Organizations today have access to more data than ever before. Program participation numbers, attendance records, demographic information, surveys, assessments, and case notes can all provide valuable insight into the people and communities being served. However, collecting information is only the beginning. The real challenge is understanding what that data means, and using it to answer […]
Community Data-Sharing 101: Picking a Data Steward Partner
As one of the final stages of the partnership-building phase of a data-sharing project, you must pick which of your partner organizations will be the “Data Steward” agency. We’re not talking about who the decision-maker is, or who the public face is. We’re talking about who will roll up their sleeves and run the day-to-day, nuts-and-bolts of the managing a shared data system: confirming the integrity of the uploads, housing the data, ensuring data security, and processing all of the data draw-down requests
Community Data-Sharing 101: Demystifying the Data-Sharing Agreement
If you’ve been following my blog to date, you can see the high level of forethought, work, and skill that go into putting together a multi-organizational data-sharing community partnership. I have seen talented, influential community leaders navigate these waters without fear, overcoming all obstacles in their path—only to come up short at the prospect of drawing up the data-sharing agreement (DSA).
Community Data-Sharing 101: The Data-Sharing Agreement as a Living Document
In my last blog entry, I gave general advice about writing a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA), using the Quad Cities Data Warehouse project’s Standards of Operation and Practice (SOPO) as an example. I mentioned that you can divide DSA components into two categories: things you want to be hard-wired into the system, and things you want to leave more fluid.
Tech is My Career, Partnership is My Goal
Thoroughness counts for a lot in my world. From product development to quality assurance, rollouts to system upgrades, we do the small things well so the big things can function reliably. What I’ve found in my career, and especially during my time at nFocus Solutions™, is that an emphasis on thoroughness has a place in the equation long after the products are developed and released. It is also important in the customer relationships – our solutions initiate the relationships, but our Client Support Team sustains and even builds upon them.
Scouting Success Upfront
You see it here and there in the software business – the assumption that every challenge and every objective will automatically work within a single tool’s framework. It’s basically “universal fit” thinking that our teams try to avoid through collective discussion and understanding.
Software That’s Simple Is Software You Need
Overcomplicated solutions are common these days, especially in the software profession. For some reason, computer technology tends to lead people towards convoluted tools when straightforward options are either available or designable.