Building a Data Collection Plan

By Patrick Waddick

Step 2: Define Operational Definitions and Methodology
The improvement team should clearly define what data is to be collected and how. It should decide what is to be evaluated and determine how a numerical value will be assigned, so as to facilitate measurement. The team should consider consulting with the customer to see if they are already collecting the same (or similar) data. If so, comparisons can be made and best practices shared. The team should also formulate the scope of the data collection:

• how many observations are needed,
  
  
• what time interval should be part of the study,
  
  
• whether past, present, and future data will be collected, and
  
  
• the methodologies that will be employed to record all the data.

It is best to obtain complete understanding of and agreement on all the applicable definitions, procedures and guidelines that will be used in the collection of data. Overlooking this step can yield misleading results if members of the improvement team are interpreting loosely defined terms differently when collecting data. Serious problems can arise for the organization when business decisions are made based on this potentially unreliable data.

If the team wishes to examine historical data to include as part of the study, careful attention should be paid to how reliable the data and its source has been, and whether it is advisable to continue using such data. Data that proves to be suspect should be discarded.

Next Page > Repeatability, Reproducibility, Accuracy and Stability
Page 1 > Building A Sound Data Collection Plan
Page 2 > Define Goals And Objectives
Page 5 > The Data Collection Process
Page 6 > After The Data Collection Process
Page 7 > Sample Populated Data Collection Plan