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→Determining the right data for you?
=Form - Essentials=
==Determining the right data for you?==
Maybe you have an existing form or you know exactly the questions you want to ask. Before you start building your form in SmartSimple, ask yourself: who, what, why, and how.
'''Who are we collecting this data for?'''
Identify who needs to use this data. Some data may be used by internal teams. If so, which teams and who specifically? Some data may be used for reporting to government agencies or 3rd parties or to show the outcomes of funding. If so, delineate who needs the data. '''What data do I need to collect?'''
Even if you are using a template, a common form, or an existing form, ask yourself: what is the data I really need to collect and do I have a question that will return that data? If you don’t need a question, remove it. Every question you add to a form makes the form harder and longer to fill out. All the information you don’t need distracts from what is important.
'''Why are we collecting this data?'''
Identify why you are asking each question. Some answers may be essential for making your funding decision, others might be used for reporting outcomes. If you don’t need to know an applicant's mission statement to make a decision, maybe you don’t need to ask that question.
'''How are we going to use the collected data?'''
Identify how the data will be used in your processes. If you are using this information for reporting, will the answers be anonymized and rolled up into an external facing public search or maybe sent to a government agency or 3rd party? If you are using the information for decision making, how will the answers be made available inside the system and restricted to specific people? How will you mitigate bias based on demographic or personal information submitted? Are you going to allow people to self-identify and is that information optional?
==Determining the right structure for you?==
