Collection versus
Analysis and Evaluation Responsibilities
One issue not often considered in setting up a CI unit, but
a potentially important one, is determining who will evaluate the accuracy and
reliability of the raw data you and others collect. Specifically, do those who
collect the data also analyze and evaluate it, or do you separate the collectors
from the analysts? As with so many other elements of the CI process, there is no
clear-cut answer. What is important is that you recognize the issue and deal
with it.
There appears to be an optimal balance among the four stages of
CI: needs, collection, analysis, and dissemination. We have found that the skills most useful in needs tend to be those most
useful in analysis as well. Conversely, the skills most useful in collection
tend to be similar to those needed for dissemination. These observations lead to
some potential guidelines for assembling and managing a CI team or unit. One way
to visualize this is to look at these four stages and see how they might be
allocated between, for example, two people (see Table 3.1).
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