The Green Ship Incentive Program Pilot Data Memo

The pilot data collection/validation and analysis memo will require that you collect pilot data that tests the data collection instruments or provide a data validation strategy for data that is already collected by the program. For proposed primary data collection, the pilot data memo should include the measures and metrics, data collection strategy, and analysis of your pilot data. For proposed secondary data analysis, you should focus on a data acquisition and validation procedure. Data analysis should focus on improving the data collection instruments or creating a procedure for data validation and analysis for data already being collected by the program. Format: 2 page maximum (including footnotes and embedded graphics, such as the logic model, but not including appendices), single-spaced, memo format, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, with full and complete citations.

▪        Step 1: for proposed primary data collection, test the preliminary data collection tools and make corrections to improve the proposed data collection tools; all data collected should correspond to the evaluation design and logic model (if you are not proposing primary data collection, please skip this step)

▪        Step 1a: identify 2-3 individuals who would be appropriate for a pilot test of your data collection tools; you can choose any individuals, though ideally, these individuals should be similar to the program participants

▪        Step 1b: have these 2-3 individuals complete all of your data collection tools, and provide feedback to you on ease of understandability (were they confused about any of the questions/tasks?), ease of completion (how long did they take to complete the tools?), validity (did they answer the questions/complete the tasks in the ways that you expected?)

▪        Step 1c: write a brief description of the individuals who completed your data collection tools, their feedback, and your strategy to improve the tool(s) given the pilot tester feedback; provide the original data collection tools with markups and revised (clean without markups) versions of the data collection tools in the appendix

▪        Step 1d: provide a timeline for data collection and analysis in a spreadsheet format, also called a Gantt chart, these can be created in Excel: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=gantt%20chart&u=76870426 

▪        Step 1e: propose an analysis procedure, and design data reporting table templates for reporting (how will you report on the results of the proposed analysis of the data?)

▪        Step 2: for secondary data acquisition and analysis (for data that are already collected by the program), design a procedure that validates the data and provide an analysis strategy (if you are not planning on using secondary data analysis, please skip this step)

▪        Step 2a: create a schedule/timeline for data acquisition (how often should data be collected?, and for how long of a period will data collection last?); all data should correspond to the evaluation design and logic model; also called a Gantt chart, these can be created in Excel: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=gantt%20chart&u=76870426

▪        Step 2b: provide a procedure for validating the data you acquire (how will you confirm that there are no errors in the data set, and that the data set includes all the variables that you need?)

▪        Step 2c: propose an analysis procedure, and design table templates for data reporting (how will you report on the results of the proposed analysis of the data?)

▪        Step 3: include these sections for the memo

▪        brief description of the program, include the logic model diagram in the appendix

▪        a summary of the process and outcomes/impacts evaluation design

▪        results

◦        pilot data collection strategy and the results (and provide the original data collection tools with markups and revised set of data collection tools in the appendix) including data collection timeline and analysis strategy, and/or

◦        data acquisition, validation, and analysis strategy (include data collection tools and reporting templates in the appendix)

▪        Step 4: put these sections into the memo format; put the logic model diagram in the appendix; use descriptive subheadings for each section; make sure to include quotation marks for text that you have taken from existing sources and provide a complete citation as a footnote or endnote

▪        Step 5: the memo should be addressed to a decision maker with interests in the program (please provide the name and the person’s role/title in the “To:” line), and you should identify your position (please provide a role/title for yourself in the “From:” line; you could be internal or external to the decision maker’s organization)

▪        Step 6: write an Executive Summary that summarizes the most important “takeaways” of the memo (hint: the reader should be able to read the subject line and the Executive Summary and understand exactly what you are proposing without reading the rest of the memo)