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DATA COLLECTION

A very important part of every documentation process means getting information from the field, obtaining data, and getting the opinion of those involved. How do we do this? How do we make sure that we have the opinions of everybody? And that nothing is forgotten?

What data do I need to tell my story? And how do I get it?

 

Language issues
IFAD- ENRAP training workshop
language can be a major barrier between the lead trainer and the participants. This is what happened in this workshop, where the lead trainer could only communicate in English, and not in the language with which participants were more confortable with (Mandarin Chinese). In the absence of an interpreter, the role of the lead trainer can be significantly curtailed. Preferably, this interpreter should not be one of the participants, as this additional role can significantly reduce his or her participation and contribution to the debate.

Organising the collected information
Documenting the Farmer-led Approach, Bangladesh, 2009
Representatives of threeorganisations got together in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, to discuss about documentation, and to "learn by doing", with a practical exercise. After identifying what exactly they wanted to document, they started putting together the information they had (from their organisation's existing reports and documents, and also from what they "had in their heads"). One concern which came up almost immediately was how to organise all this information. Is it fine to do it chronologically? Is it not better to look back at the way in which all activities were organised in the project's original proposal? A discussion among all participants led to one agreement: the best is to do it is the way all participants find it easier, considering that what we want is just to group activities (or information, in general). The way which is chosen does not really matter. Grouping information is supposed to help us see what information is missing, or help us add more information easily.

Stories, and a bit more
Pankaj Gupta, ISEC campus, Bangalore, India
on the ENRAP online discussion
Stories help enliven a report, and give a graphic account of the way projects impact individuals. But sometimes I have found too much emphasis being given to gathering stories from the village visits, and I feell we need to be cautious. Often, villagers are eager to plase the project officers that from part of the systematization team, they have stock answers ready even before the questions are asked. Far from this being a benefit, it is a hurdle to getting valida data. It needs to be overcome by looking at this critically, and by cross checking it with other research tools like perseonal observation, transect walks, and a secondary data review.

The wonders of internet
Edith Fernandez Baca , December 2008
Since 2007, ETC Andes has been developing an online tool to help organisations run their own documentation process. This is meant to make use of the internet in order to gather and show the available data and information. Our experience has shown that, by using the internet, we make sure that people from different countries, or different regions, are equally involved in a documentation process. We have learned that there is a large demand for this service, but we have also seen that using the internet works best if it is accompanied (preferably) with face to face meetings with a facilitator.

Going about it as a storyteller
SDC Knowledge Management Toolkit, January 2009
Storytelling is used in organisations as a communication tool to share knowledge with inspiration. The language used in authentic (experience, not fact oriented); it is the narrative form that most people find attractive... How to go about it?
1. Be clear about the key message of your story
2. Build your story on an own experience. Note keywords. What is the lesson learned?
3. Tell your story. Build an atmosphere of curiosity. Use a dramatic voice. Observe your listeners
4. If indicated, relate your story to the topic discussed
More information: www.daretoshare.ch

More than a camera
Spate Irrigation Network , September 2008
One of the activities promoted by the Spate Irrigation Network involved using a video camera and filming the work of farmers and extension agents. But their experiece showed that using a camera is not enough. "One also need to have the ideas, vision, knowledge and expertise. On practical terms one needs finance too. The final production of the video took took much time and dedication. Technical aspects like the angle of shot, the movement of camera, the time of recording, the darkness and radiance are very important.  But in filming local topics one needs to capture reality, when it occurs. This sometimes means compromises on quality because catching the right moment is the main thing. The way farmers plough cannot be directed. One takes the footage, when it occurs and there is no studio or stage set. The light may be nicer and softer early in the morning or late in the afternoon but in the Sheeb documentary the farmer ploughs at midday and this is when the filming has to be done..."

Take into account that, perhaps, not all information is necessary
Intercooperation Pakistan , June 2008
The IC team in Pakistan tried to follow the method outlined in "Learning from experience", but did not feel confortable with the amount of information collected. "One indication is that roughly 60% of the collected information on BDSPs was not used at any time during the process, which implies lacking efficiency on our part. Except the information on objectives and strategies / approaches items few other data were further used and/or discussed. This holds true for collected information on items like, for example, title, location, starting date and duration, problems, main achievements and difficulties faced. In addition to this, it was not always clear how the collected data were supposed to be further employed during process. It seemed to us as if a lot of information was “sitting idle” once collected..."

Quality of the information collected
ILEIA, April 2008
The different cases in which ILEIA was involved have shown the importance of collecting high quality information before a documentation process starts. In this sense, the different workshops which ILEIA attended were well organised: they all included participants from different backgrounds, or with different responsibilities, thus representing different sources of information: the SEE Foundation invited all staff members (including the driver and the concierge); CONCERN invited representatives of the District Council, of the local NGO, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Land, as well as many beneficiaries. Having them all in the workshop meant having different opinions and perspectives. The workshop organised by CONCERN showed another positive aspect, in that they collected and sent different internal reports and documents to ILEIA (the project’s initial proposal, the mid-term evaluation, the extension proposal, etc.). These helped us understand the project better - especially because they were provided in advance, and also because we could read them (and then see that the information in them was taken into ac-count). The SEE Foundation clearly had information available, but having it all in Chinese, we were not able to use it. In contrast, VETAID showed very little additional information (and that which was shown was not known by their own staff), and relied on all that is “in our own heads”.