Data value map

This resource and the following information was contributed by Gail Birkbeck, Former Head of Strategic Learning & Evaluation (Euro-Africa) at The Atlantic Philanthropies (from 2004-2017) .

Authors and their affiliation

Dr Tadhg Nagle and Prof Dave Sammon, both at University College Cork (Ireland)​

Year of publication

2017

Type of resource

Tool

Key features

Originating in the Information Sciences, this visual map considers how data is acquired, integrated, analysed and delivered to end users. Underpinning these components is the issue of governance and the promotion of behaviour for good data practice. Completion of the map is guided by a series of short questions.

You can find a paper on the Data Value Map here.

If you have any questions about the people, process or technology component of a data project the Data Value Map is a great starting point. Go to www.datavaluemap.com for an excellent how-to-guide as well as a YouTube clip on building a model of data in your organisation.
 
The tool was developed using design science research and evaluated by practitioners in real-world settings. 

Who is this resource useful for?

• • Advocates for evaluation
  • Commissioners/managers of evaluation
  • Evaluation users
  • Evaluators
  • Those involved in evaluation capacity strengthening
  • Other – Knowledge Brokers / Knowledge translators

How have you used or intend on using this resource?

What is especially helpful about the Data Value Map is how it creates a shared understanding among a range of stakeholders about the data in an organisation. The consideration the tool affords to issues of data governance such as data access and data lifecycle was particularly relevant to me in my (former) role as Head of Strategic Learning and Evaluation in a foundation that was spending down and where projects, that had generated vast amounts of evaluation data, had to consider issues such as data ownership, data protection and sharing data with others.
 
More recently it has proved very useful in planning how to monitor and evaluate strategy as well as in developing an actionable data strategy for a not-for-profit organisation. Use of the Data Value Map demonstrated that monitoring data was not integrated with evaluation data which led to replication, as well as learning loss. In addition, it highlighted the extent of data the organisation acquired, generally as a by-product of other projects, but which wasn’t fully appreciated or used effectively. By using the Data Value Map every data source was in the one place and management had a model of all the data in their organisation.​

Why would you recommend it to other people?

This is a great tool on many levels.
 
Firstly, not only can the Data Value Map be used in planning a data project, it’s a great resource to chart and audit the existing data in an organisation such as; what data is gathered and by whom, where it’s stored, whether it is integrated with other datasets and how it is used and delivered to others.  Good data practice is also promoted in the governance component covering issues from metadata to data quality and data lifecycle. Data governance is one of the most important aspects of any data project, yet it’s a problem area for many organisations.
 
Secondly, the fact that it’s a visual tool helps to build understanding of all the components of any data gathering exercise and how they are linked. Much has been written about the persistent communication gaps between the data creator and the data user. However, the visual nature of this tool can help remedy this by making clear all from steps from data generation to when it is used. It also encourages conversations about how to unpack learning to appeal to different needs and audiences.
 
Finally, in 2014 Desouza & Smith stated that “nonprofits and other social change organizations are lagging their counterparts in the scientific and business communities in collecting and analyzing the vast amounts of data that are being generated by digital technology” (p. 39). Use of the Data Value Map may alter this trend by helping non-profits to rethink how data is collected, stored, analysed and delivered in their efforts to tackle persistent social problems.