3 Map your information flows

Data flow mapping is relevant for members of an organisation who are already aware of program data management. It indeed presupposes that the different stakeholders of the exercise have mastered the same program data management language (e.g., terms such as: flow, information, data, etc.). Collaborative and spatial, said mapping is there to materialise the flow of program data.

Unlike the other two tools - that offer media with which to interact and provide multiple resources - here, the user is at the centre of the exercise and of the production of information.

Indeed, here we “simply” provide guidance, advice, and a few key concepts that you need to know in order to facilitate a collective workshop and represent the data flows within your organisation. The latter can range from half a day to a full day depending on the number of participants. Building on the framework suggested by CartONG, you will thus be able to mobilise the stakeholders you have identified to participate in this exercise and map a department, a team, etc.

Through this exercise, you will get a “representation of the ‘now’” – that will feed your self-assessment in its entirety – and that you can also compare to the organisation you would like to have at the scale of the department, the team, etc. mapped. There will thus be a dual dimension of both assessment and projection. One very important element should be noted: it is quite possible to apply this method to an entire organisation, if – and only if – you have previously carried out the mapping of the different subgroups that compose it. There is indeed a critical size for the session to succeed: bringing more than 15 people together would make the exercise much more difficult.

You may access the detailed description of this methodology by downloading the document below.