How Much do Data Miscommunications Cost?

NASA lost a $300 Million spacecraft when one team used meters and another used feet.

Data can trip up organizations of all shapes and sizes to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. In the 90s, a spacecraft was completely destroyed because data was communicated incorrectly (one team used meters and another team used feet). $300 million evaporated into the atmosphere of Mars because of miscommunicated data. While the Mars climate orbiter story made quite the splash, these data miscommunications are happening every day, and the cost to your organization is staggering.

When data silos lead to fraud

Education organizations cannot afford miscommunication on the scale of the Mars spacecraft. But, there’s concerning data that shows that education organizations are losing a considerable amount to fraud because of siloed data that resulted in millions of dollars in theft. Even if you’re not hosting fraudsters in your midst, data miscommunication still results in wasted dollars. This can be devastating in schools and smaller organizations where the budget margins are already razor thin. 

What kind of data miscommunication do you have? 

So, how does a data miscommunication happen? It might happen when people don’t have standard operating procedures or a common institutional language. Someone might ask for copies of handouts, but without a clear request process, things might get copied in grayscale vs. color or things might end up double-sided that don’t need to be double-sided, resulting in reprints. The fix here is to create a process, a repeatable series of steps that can guarantee the results you’re looking for. 

Data miscommunication happens when things are ambiguous. I was once asked about observation coverage after a big shakeup in personnel. Misunderstanding the type of observation asked for, I gave the answer of 80% coverage. Alas, they were looking for a different type of formal observation, so my calculation was useless. This miscommunication caused needless confusion and headaches. There was a lot of time spent apologizing and a lot of staff time wasted. 

Penny wise but pound foolish manual data mistakes

But the worst data miscommunication is also the most pernicious; the manual mistake. This is when a process that should be standardized and completed via automation, is instead done “by hand”, resulting in transcription errors that multiply at each iteration. Think of hand counting attendance instead of using a system, or someone using pen and paper instead of a cash register to make change. This reliance on manual processes often comes from a good place; rather than investing the time and efforts to transition to an automated system, it’s good enough to do it manually. But, I’d challenge you to look critically at these costs and factor in staff time and staff hassle. An automation can count attendance, but it can’t teach first grade. Your team needs to be working on what only they can do. 

Your solution: The Cohort Achievement Tracker

This philosophy, of de-hassling educators and saving time, is the north star for Instructional Data Solutions. Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. That means automating reporting, simplifying data collections, and getting educators back to what matters most: educating. Our Cohort Achievement Tracker (CAT) is the tool we wish we had when we were in the classroom. The CAT takes your data from source, whether it’s attendance or assessments, and quickly analyzes it by any subgroup you select, at the push of a button. It creates family-facing reports, flags students for RTI groupings, and can even show which students are at the cusp of mastery and just need a little nudge in that direction. 

Final Thoughts And How to Take Action

Want to learn more? We invite you to view our video tour of the CAT or sign up for a free one-on-one tour here. What are you looking to do with your data collection and analysis? How are you preventing data silos? Join the conversation on social media and share.

About Instructional Data Solutions: Our mission is to remove barriers to enable education organizations to focus on what matters most. We assist school systems and education organizations of all sizes by collecting, analyzing, and clearly communicating data. We are committed to empowering educators through comprehensive data analytics and tailored support. Additionally, we provide dedicated support for operational needs, process improvement, and special projects, offering customized solutions to enhance effectiveness and success. Our solutions bridge the gap between data collection and instructional improvement in PK-12 settings.