How can you analyze data in fragile and conflict affected states? What happens if you ignore the analytics and move on gut feeling? Read more about the three key steps for better data analytics in difficult places.

1. Data analytics on a shoestring
Three steps to better decision-making in
fragile and conflict affected states
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2. 1. WHAT IF THE SPREADSHEET IS BLANK?

3. Data to rely on with
regards to an institution’s
operations, functioning
and performances
Example: Number of civil
servants
Data in fragile and
developing countries
Economic data collection
and statistics
Example: GDP growth
Data collected Data needed
There is a misalignment of data collected vs. data
needed to design and implement institutional
reforms
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4. Management must be able to evaluate its own
capabilities and performances
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- How many payments have
been made this month?
- How many children
graduated?
- What´s the cost of processing a
procurement?
Performance metrics examples: Capability metrics examples:
- What´s the education of my
staff? What's their age?
- How staff have roles and
responsibilities assigned?
- What's the cost of maintaining
the FMIS system?

5. Why do decision making in the blind?
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6. 2. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES
OF DATA-POVERTY IN FRAGILE CONTEXTS?

7. Successful data collection for institutions in fragile states
might be costly and require getting one’s hands dirty
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Performance metrics examples:
Poor validity
Unavailable
Unreliable
The data may poorly
represent the problem
The data is often populated
manually, with many errors,
and few options to quality
control
The data is not likely to be
readily available when needed.
Often the data only exist in hard
copies. If digitized, data might
lack of structure

8. Might be possible to only deliver analytics that are
fairly simple
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But you rarely need a fancy
performance dashboard
Questions needing
to be answered are
often simple – and
often information
is lacking:

9. Not engaging with data analysis during planning
can dramatically increase risk of reform failure
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Performance metrics examples:Both an under- and over-estimation of
an organization’s existing capacities and
needs
An issue being wrongly scoped or
overlooked
Solutions addressing issues that either:
(i) do not exist, or (ii) do not have to be
prioritized

10. 3. MANAGEMENT CAN IMPROVE THE
CONDITION BY FOCUSING ON THREE STEPS

11. 3 steps to better decision-making
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Identify data sources
within processes
Improve information
management practices
within organization.
Move from blank
spreadsheet to
management-by-
spreadsheet
Where is information
recorded in processes?
How is it recorded?
What change can be made to
processes to improve
recording and query?
Is it possible to leapfrog?
What questions need
answers?
How to integrate data in
decision-making process?

12. Focus on core data-generation activities:
accounting, record keeping and archiving
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Public institutions
perform
administrative
processes that contain
traditional elements
of accounting, record
keeping and
archiving
Ledgers, payrolls or
registries are
goldmines of
information about an
institution’s
capabilities and
performance

13. 13
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