Analysis

The organisations we work with have chosen to make people’s lives better based on information. Our job is to put the information through a series of checks so that we can find out what it is telling us. Below are some of the checks we use.

Economic analysis

Economic analysis

Cost benefit for example, the return on investment in a service to help unemployed people back into work
Data envelopment how organisations, for example hospitals, compare with each other in terms of their efficiency
Unit costing the cost of a service per person
Financial modelling applying accounting information to practical decisions
Statistics

Statistics

Modelling for example, to understand what would have happened if a service had not been put in place in an area
Segmentation putting people into groups based on information so that organisations can do their work better
Regression whether the changes in the numbers are the result of the work of the organisations, rather than just chance
Multi-level how settings make a difference to the results organisations can achieve, for example variation across schools
Evaluative techniques

Evaluative techniques

Logic model whether the way organisations, services and programmes are designed should make people’s lives better
Process mapping how the transactions between those who are part of the process result in changes in people’s lives
Impact evaluation the extent to which organisations actually make most people’s lives better, not just those of a few
Cost-benefit analysis whether you get back more than you put in
Qualitative techniques

Qualitative techniques

Synthesis objective and balanced summary of qualitative information
Focus groups highlighting disagreements and finding out about collective options through discussion
Structured interviews experiences, views, and opinions of those using the services provided by organisations