Monitoring systems

Why monitoring systems?

For many organizations, the data-related challenge is not having too little data, but rather having data that is not useful or used for real-world decisions. Because of this, organizations miss opportunities to enhance their performance and continuously improve across all of their activities.

IDinsight’s work on decision-focused monitoring addresses this problem through multiple pathways.

1. We work closely with clients to identify the ways in which ongoing data streams can generate timely, relevant insights for maintaining high performance or for corrective action.
2. We improve the speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness of data generation. When possible, we build off of an organization’s existing processes rather than introducing unfamiliar systems and workflows. This often involves building customized data engineering solutions.
3. We aggregate and visualize data in ways that communicate clearly to decision-makers and provide them with the level of granularity they need for strategic action.
4. We co-design analyses using the data streams to identify thresholds or triggers for action, taking the guesswork out of meaningful monitoring.
5. We equip team members responsible for data quality with any additional training they need and also help them communicate the value generated by their work.

Investments in decision-focused monitoring systems show their value soon after new systems are up and running.

Frontline workers, managers, and leaders all have better inputs for decision-making, and visibility into overall organizational performance.

Moreover, well-built and active monitoring systems can generate customized reports for funders and constituents, reducing administrative burden.