4.2 Sample Lesson: Monitoring and Control
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Monitoring: Using Data
Monitoring: Using Data
Data analysis follows collection. This may sound really obvious, but it's astonishing how much information is gathered and ignored!
How you use the data you collect is important... how easily can the information you've gathered be analyzed and shared with others? Be sure to take ease of analysis into consideration as you determine what kind of data you collect.
The data analysis process looks like this:
- Collect data.
- Review data.
- Flag significant variance from plan. Agree ahead of time with the project sponsor/champion what constitutes "significant" and be sure to communicate with her if you have any uncertainty about whether a variance is significant — nobody likes surprises!
- Investigate significant variances. What's going on... are people working hard enough... do they have everything they need... do they understand how their work fits into the project overall?
- Plan and take corrective action. Follow up to make sure corrections are implemented, then monitor results.
- Preserve documentation for posterity (i.e., the next project!).
Always, always remember the purpose of monitoring:
It's not about assigning blame, it is about correcting deviations and keeping the project on track.