New Assessment Shows Remote DQAs Successful

In a new brief on Conducting a Remote Data Quality Assessment on COVID-19 Indicators Reported by USAID Projects, JSI experts in conjunction with Palladium assess remote data quality assessment (DQA) methods and their effectiveness.

It is good practice to conduct periodic DQAs to identify the strengths and weaknesses of performance data, enhance the understanding of data collection methods, and determine whether the data are of sufficient quality to influence management decisions. A DQA typically involves the deployment of data collection teams to conduct in-person reviews to verify data. However, due to COVID-19 international and domestic travel restrictions and social distancing requirements, this has not been feasible.

This assessment found that there may be advantages to conducting DQAs remotely, including an expansion of the geographical reach of the assessment and a reduction in the cost and time it can take to collect data. With advances in virtual collaboration technologies, and a growing desire for a smaller carbon footprint, remote DQAs may be relied on with increasing frequency in the future.