Development programs are working to tackle complex problems in increasingly complex environments – but as issues become more complicated, many programs find themselves collecting a deluge of data points and crafting countless static reports for context analysis. Data overload makes it difficult for teams to pinpoint the connections, patterns, and perspectives needed to inform strategies. And over time, research and knowledge are lost because they aren’t systematically captured and shared. A client approached Abc Advisory with this issue after over five years of programming, seeking a knowledge management solution.

Abc Advisory developed a web-based knowledge management system to help our partner capture, manage, and analyze multiple data streams. The system aligns with the program learning agenda and is fully integrated into team work flows, facilitating context analysis. It supports thoughtful, context – driven decision making and adaptive management.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our partner requested training for volunteers and staff to support a country-wide study on perceptions of transitional justice in Sudan. Volunteers had not been identified and only select staff were in place. Those staff had significant technical expertise as lawyers, but their research experience was limited to work on a pilot study. During the pilot study, our partner faced issues with:

• Survey design: The survey utilized double-barreled questions and overlapping answer choices.
• Data collection: Many concepts were unclear to respondents, and the paper-based questionnaire was distributed rather than administered orally.
• Data management and analysis: Hard copies of data required digitization and our partner lacked the ability to carry out analysis.

We co-created a revised data collection system, research plan, and questionnaire for the follow-on study. To familiarize staff with research methods and roll out new tools and processes, Abc Advisory delivered customized Arabic/English training modules using a Training of Trainers model. Topics included research design, research ethics, and data collection. We created a digital platform to house materials so that once identified, volunteers would have continued access to the curriculum for self-paced learning. This support improved our partner’s ability to carry out robust and methodologically-sound research on perceptions of justice in Sudan.