How to avoid toddler-like meltdowns about your data
Have you ever tried putting a toddler to bed when they’re off their routine?
If you’re a parent or caregiver, you’re already cringing because you know it’s a nightmare.
Bedtime routines are a sacred system – a protocol – that allow evenings to run smoothly.
Everyone knows what to do and when, and every step has its place.
And on a good night, that routine goes off without a hitch. Without it – pure chaos.
I feel like organizational systems for data collection, use, and reporting are similar, although much less likely to cause a tantrum.
If there’s a system in place (and by system, I just mean a set of structures and procedures), people know what to collect, how to collect it, where it lives, and how they can access it to use it on a regular basis.
If there’s no system in place, your team is probably swimming in spreadsheets of the clients you’ve served for each year/season of your program and paper evaluation forms that have been scanned in and are now just large PDFs that may or may not be legible.
Am I right?
I say this without judgment because I’ve been there.
I have worked in schools and direct service programs.
I have lived with the piles of paper surveys on my desk and in my filing cabinet.
Getting a system in place is intentional. It doesn’t happen by accident.
It takes planning and time, and let’s be honest – lots of people in child- and family-serving organizations don’t have a ton of free time.
(Also note that I did NOT say that it costs money – it doesn’t have to!)
That’s why the third step of the Engage with Data process is to work together to get that system in place.
Only once we 1) discover what you’ve got and 2) assess what you need can we start planning how to tell your story.
Step 3 is all about figuring out what works for your team to help you stay organized and prepare a data-driven story of the difference you’re making.
And if that system ends up being a series of well-designed spreadsheets? Cool.
A subscription-based database? Cool.
What matters is that it works for your team.
We’ll figure out what best meets the needs of your organization so you can get back to doing the work that matters most.
And then when people ask you about what you do, you’re armed and ready to tell them … with stats and without toddler-like meltdowns.
Ready to engage with your data?
Let me help you get started.
This free Google Sheet will guide you through reflecting on the data you have and the data you need to start telling your story.
