3.9: Data Analysis

Overview

This will likely be your largest section. Data is the information you collected in your Review of Literature that supports the details of your proposal. In this section, you arrange that information into easily digested presentations. This section should be in text (sentences and paragraphs), but it is important to provide charts, graphs, and illustrations for quick reference by your audience. These may be included in this section or in an Appendix at the end of the project.

Step 1 – Gathering Information

Use the prompts below to collect as much information as you can about your proposal. Too much is better than not enough. Start with the same sources as you used in your Review of Literature, but do not limit yourself. Any illustrations that you find in your search for information may be copied and pasted, as long as you identify the source.

Prompts

Cost Analysis prompts:

• How much do you estimate this project will cost?
• What are the initial costs?
• Where will the funding come from?
• How will it be sustained?
• Will you need a sponsor or underwriter?

Staffing Estimates prompts:

• Who will staff the project?
• Is this a new position or positions?
• Where will the staff fit into the flow chart?
• Will there be support staff needed?

Training Requirements prompts:

• With the new project, who will need training?
• Who will do that training?
• Will you need outside trainers or consultants?
• Are there training opportunities available?
• For what cost?

Staff Responsibilities prompts:

• Who will be responsible for what?
• What are the job descriptions for each new position?

Site Changes prompts:

• What changes in the site (office space, rooms, equipment, materials, etc.) will be necessary?

Timeline prompts:

• What is a timeline for implementing this project?

Assessment prompts:

• How will feedback, evaluations, or other assessment be collected and used?

Step 2 – Arranging Information

Arrange your information in visual ways. You may simply arrange some of it as a bulleted list, like the arrangement of the questions, above. Other ways to organize include charts and graphs, tables, flow charts, matrices, priority lists, timelines, slides, cluster diagrams, hierarchical diagrams, and so on. Your word processing program contains many graphics options built in.

Many people find it useful to arrange information initially in a planning matrix. Use the examples below to transfer information from the bulleted list to some other graphic.

If “costs,” for example, is the driving principle behind your proposal, list it first:

Matrix

	New Position	Who Responsible	Site Changes	Timeline
Costs	?	?	?	?
New position?	Job description	Who trains?	?	?
Source?	Hierarchy	?	?	?
Start up?	?	?	?	?
Income/profits?	?	?	?	?
How sustained?	?	?	?	?

List the bullet points from under “costs” down the left side of the matrix and the other categories of data along the top. Fill in the blanks as you can. A “costs-driven” matrix lends itself to graphs and charts:

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Your planning may be “event” driven, or driven by what has to happen in sequence before your proposal is accepted:

Event-Driven

What	Who	Where	When	How much
Hire new people	Boss	Main office	Within 6 weeks	Salary Job

A flow chart is one way to illustrate events:

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)

If your project is driven by a timeline, use “date” on the top, left and list dates down the side:

Date	What	Where	Who	How much
Dec 07	Blueprints		Lead contractor \(\rightarrow\)
Jan 15 08	6-7K		administration
May	Contact schedule		Liaison

A timeline is a good way to illustrate, well, time:

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\) - Timeline

Step 3 – Put information into text

Provide explanations for whichever format you choose. Use at least one sentence for each horizontal line in your planning matrix. For example, if you choose the “Timeline” format, please provide something like the following:

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\):

In December of 2007, the lead contractor should provide the administration with a written, viable set of blueprints. The cost for this should be in the 6-7 thousand dollar range. The following January, the administration’s liaison meets to establish contact schedule.

[And so on, putting the Who, What, Where, and How Much into prose form for each When (date)]