Planning for data collection
No matter what kind of data you are gathering for your M&E activities, plan how to collect and record it. Firstly, it is helpful to have a table that includes each of your indicators, the data source, frequency or timing of collection and the person responsible. However, you may have other information you wish to include.
Next, once you have developed your table, decide where the data will be recorded and stored. For simple count data or descriptive statistics, a table or spreadsheet can be updated with information when it is collected. Qualitative data may be recorded by a notetaker or interviewer, but analysis tools may be employed for gathering insights. For large surveys, the data collected may be stored in a larger database, within the survey instrument or tool, or aggregated by another tool. Your M&E technical specialist can help you decide which resources will be required to record and store data for your programme.
Objective: Using the indicators selected for your campaign, develop a data source and collection plan by outlining your data sources, collection intervals and methods, and person responsible.