Susan Davis

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Less Data, More Action

Many monitoring surveys go unanalyzed and unaddressed, as seen in rural health facilities. Despite receiving findings and recommendations, organizations often lack the resources or commitment to act. This prevalent issue raises the question: why collect data if it won’t be utilized? For more insights, read Susan Davis’ article in Engineering for Change.

Stacks of monitoring surveys. Were they ever analyzed and acted upon?

From a recent article in Engineering for Change by Susan Davis

A few months ago, I was visiting rural health facilities where, in most cases, WASH conditions had deteriorated after previous interventions. I was thrilled when the implementing organization came back to me with a list of their planned actions for current and future programs based on the findings and recommendations. This is, unfortunately, rare in my experience. Many organizations do not have the funds, time, or mandate to actually use the data they are collecting.

If you’re not going to act on the data, or someone else cannot act on the data, why are you collecting it?

Read the full article

 

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Response to “Less Data, More Action”

  1. Brad Kauffman

    Excellent point! I participated in an Engineering for Change webinar yesterday which showcased the mWater platform for sharing WASH project information across organizations. I think this is an important step in helping to highlight areas of need, as well as identifying areas where WASH projects have been implemented but are no longer functional.

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