Are We All On The Same Page?

Imagine that you start a new job and your supervisor hands you a stack of files, points to a filing cabinet, and says, “put these files exactly where they are supposed to go,” with no additional instruction. I know I would probably look at the cabinet, see if I can figure out their process, and end up filing the records based on what makes sense to me. Odds are, my supervisor is going to come back and notice that my filing system doesn’t exactly match the one they had used previously. Now the new records are mixed in with the old files, other team members are having a hard time finding them, and it is going to take some time to go back and reorganize these files.

This is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to keeping your data clean in any database. We may have different ideas around how our records should be organized. If we’re not on the same page about our organizations data entry process, with the best intentions we end up entering data where it does not belong. Or even duplicating data entry tasks because the previous user did not enter the data in the way we expected.

How do we resolve this?

Get Everyone on the Same Page
First, you want to make sure that all users have an understanding of how records are organized in Altru. What is the Altru filing system? One of the easiest ways to do this is through training. Blackbaud University offers a great instructor-led course called, 
Altru: Constituent Record Management that walks through a constituent record and how it is organized. This course also demonstrates adding new records, as well as common record updates and the best way to execute them.

Write it Down
Once everyone understands how Altru records work, then you can discuss what data entry policies work best for your organization. Then, write them down! A written policies and procedures guide is the best way to keep your data clean. When all data entry staff have easy access to the policies and procedures guide, they are not relying on a specific person or word of mouth when they have questions about when and how data should be entered into your database.
If my supervisor handed me a policies and procedures guide along with that stack of files in the beginning, my filing process would have been much easier, and much more accurate!

To learn more about data entry in constituent records, check out the Blackbaud University course, Altru: Constituent Record Management. To see our entire training curriculum, including self-guided videos, click here.

Does your organization have a policies and procedures guide? Let me know here in the comments or in the Community!