Research approach and methods
The quality of information product depends on series of complex events across the entire information production process. Information flows through human observations, organizational work practices, user interface interactions, application system tables, data extraction and manipulation scripts, secondary data storage's, reporting and analytical tools and ends up being used by human subjects for many kind of decision making. Tracing quality of information in such a complex process requires multi-professional expertise and complementary methodologies. Therefore, the QUALIDAT-project has chosen to use three complementary research approaches to study the same information production process:
● USABILITY STUDIES: Study the users and their actual hands-on work situations.
● DATA ANALYTICS: Track the entire information flow from data entry to data utilization.
● MANAGEMENT STUDIES: Study information management, decision making and governance best-practices.
All of these research approaches are used to study same issues by their complementary methods. Each method can provide insight that others cannot from information production processes from data entry to data manipulation and finally to utilization. Each method can identify challenges in information quality (e.g. accuracy, timeliness, credibility) across the previously identified processes. All these findings are then used to identify information quality issues and risks interfering with the resulting decision making.