Framework

Data-driven decision cycle

The question it answers

When a manager must show that a programme or team's work is paying off, how should they frame questions, gather data and report so each round of decisions improves?

Origin
James Bell Associates, 2018
Diagram type
Cycle
Level of analysis
Firm
Topics
Data & analyticsStrategy & leadership
Magnifying lens over a line chart tile, icon for data and analytics

Diagram

Data-driven decision cycle

  1. Formulate key questionsPin down what you must know to choose an action: how many, where, how long, who differs.
  2. Collect and analysePick available data, add new data, and check quality before calculating.
  3. Communicate to decision-makersPresent to the right audience, at the right rhythm, with a concrete recommendation.
  4. Refine and repeatUse results to fix the process, which raises the questions for the next round.

When to use it, and when not to

Use it when

A programme, team or whole organisation needs to show that what it does works. Not when the question is unclear or the data cannot be trusted; fix the data first.

Pitfalls

Pitfall

Handing leaders data without context; reporting only to satisfy procedure.

Sources

References

Listed A–Z by author surname, Harvard style. A source with a DOI links to https://doi.org/…; one without links to its page or says plainly that it has no DOI.

  1. James Bell Associates (2018) Guide to data-driven decision making: using data to inform practice and policy decisions in child welfare organizations. Washington, DC: Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.No DOIjbassoc.comSource page