Data collection plan

Last Updated on 13 September 2023

Collecting data is key to the measure phase, and therefore to your whole project. You need to make a data collection plan so that you can efficiently work out how and when you are going to collect data, so that you don’t waste resources.

Your data collection plan needs to include who is going to take the data, over what period, using what equipment and importantly what data is to be collected.

If you collect too much data, you can end up wasting resources and holding up the project. Even more key is to avoid performing the project with insufficient or inaccurate data, as this will lead to the wrong interpretations being made, and the wrong factors being altered.

Define the purpose of the data collection plan

The first step in creating a data collection plan is to define the purpose of your data collection. Why are you collecting this information? What do you hope to achieve with it? What do you want to find out, and how will this information help move your business forward or improve processes and procedures.

Once you’ve defined why and what, write down what goal(s) will be achieved by collecting specific types of information–such as customer satisfaction scores or quality scores–and then use those goals as guides when deciding what type of surveys or questionnaires might work best for obtaining accurate answers from customers, suppliers and employees alike.