Idea to retire: Viewing data as an output (Neal Myrick, Steve Schwartz, Brookings)

It is rare to talk to federal administrators and not hear something about “data-driven decision making.” Administrators dedicate significant time and information technology resources to decisions about their agency’s viability and to defending their standing in appropriations discussions. However, the questions asked of the data by senior officials for these purposes are dramatically different than the questions asked by a front line case manager for a social service organization. Unfortunately, it is the former that has the loudest voice in procurement and system design conversations. The prevailing top-down approach to data collection and use also puts little actionable information in the hands of the people responsible for gathering data. As a result, the incentive to collect data is diminished while opportunities for informed program improvements and abilities to measure outcomes against costs are missed. A small shift in our approach to data collection and visualization could lead to big improvements in the effectiveness of social service delivery.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2016/03/10-viewing-data-as-an-output-myrick-schwartz