Once communities have quality reliable data, they can start to look for patterns, shifts, trends, and reductions in their data.
When we analyze our data, we can:
Tell our community’s story;
Determine cause and effect of agency participation, system processes, and program efficiency;
Support system changes, quality improvement, and make informed policy decisions; and,
Have conversations with team members about what is working well and what needs improvement.
UNDERSTANDING IMPROVEMENTS
Run charts are a powerful data visualization tool that can help Anchor Communities determine if a test of change or improvement project they introduced resulted in a desired impact (e.g. a reduction in the number of individuals experiencing active homelessness). Shifts and trends are ways in which run charts visualize the impact of change.
Quick guide to shifts and trends:
Run chart: a graphical display of a set of data points that are shown in the order they are collected and offer a clear view of how things are changing over time.
Shift: at least six consecutive data points above or below the median.
Upward shift: points are all above the median.
Downward shift: points are all below the median.
Trend: at least five consecutive data points in a trajectory.
Upward trend: trajectory is upward.
Downward trend: trajectory is downward.
Communities can see the data visualized through run charts in their data dashboards.