Data Management
If you’re going to evaluate outcomes meaningfully, your data needs proper structure. Good data management means practitioners and managers can actually see and understand what the information is telling them when visualised in charts and Business Intelligence tools.
Data management involves detailed work like:
Ensuring drop-down menu items don't mix up multiple concepts which would otherwise prevent reporting on any of them
Examining the provenance of questions in your forms—what problem was each designed to address?
Verifying that response options actually help answer the question
Confirming questions remain relevant to current practice
Ensuring that the data is useful when aggregated, not just as a record of what happened with a particular service user
This rigour is particularly important when managing look-up code requests and highlights why recording your design thinking at each development stage matters.
What EO Can Do for You
We help ensure your data is structured to support your performance management frameworks, enable clear visualisation in business intelligence tools, and allow for transparent and ethical use of technologies like machine learning. Of particular importance is ensuring that data structures are mapped to key local and national government datasets such as GIAS (Getting Information About Schools), and the CBDS (Common Basic Dataset).
Working with Software Suppliers
We can also collaborate with your software suppliers to ensure data structures serve your service’s needs rather than technical convenience, making your systems genuine assets for service improvement.
Whether you’re designing a new service, commissioning software, or trying to understand what your data is really telling you, EO can help.
