Why Real-Time Data is a Game-Changer for Data Quality
In mission-driven work, the quality of your data matters just as much as the work itself. At Family Promise, our new case management tool, Family Link, isn't just about streamlining casework—it’s about unlocking real-time insights that allow us to catch problems early, resolve them quickly, and ultimately improve outcomes for the families we serve.
"The most important thing isn't speed—it’s confidence. We need to believe in our data, train to it, trust it, and then use it to drive better outcomes."
Here’s why real-time data is a game-changer—and what we’ve learned along the way.
Real-Time Data = Real-Time QA
When data is entered into Family Link in real time, we immediately gain visibility into patterns, gaps, and potential errors. Instead of waiting months to spot a trend—or worse, only realizing mistakes at the time of reporting—we can work to:
Track specific data points each week, like whether exits are recorded correctly or stability outcomes are updated at discharge.
Identify unusual patterns, like suspicious birthday clustering (e.g., lots of "zero-to-five" ages, hinting at fabricated entries).
Create individual benchmarks with Affiliates (e.g., how many active families, what programs see more enrollments, typical services, average length of stay, etc.).
This live feedback loop allows us to QA as we go, not just during audits or annual reviews.
What We've Learned About Data Challenges
Since launching Family Link with our first Affiliates, we’ve uncovered important lessons about how seemingly small behaviors can cause big data problems:
Duplicate Records: When one case manager creates a family at intake, and another manages their case later without checking existing records, it leads to duplicate families—which distorts our reporting and caseload metrics.
Incorrect Program Durations: In some Affiliates, case managers enter all enrollment data at the end of the week without back-dating enrollments to the actual start date. This skews the average length of stay in programs, making it hard to assess program efficiency.
Endless Enrollments: Some Affiliates move families from one program to another without ever formally exiting them from the first. This practice artificially inflates program participation numbers and further distorts length-of-stay data.
Each of these issues highlights why ongoing QA isn’t just nice to have—it's essential for maintaining the integrity of the insights we rely on to tell our story and improve our work.
Repeatable Workflows for Quality Assurance
Real-time visibility is powerful, but only if it’s paired with easy-to-follow workflows. That’s why we’re beginning to build "training dashboards" and simple QA checklists that will help regular reporting users understand:
Where to look for missed exits and diversion tracking.
How to spot batch data entry patterns vs. real-time practices.
How to identify when services aren’t being properly recorded or when household records are incomplete.
These repeatable workflows mean everyone—from case managers to national leadership—can maintain data quality with just a few clicks each week.
Turning QA into Training Moments
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned? Data quality isn’t just about fixing numbers—it’s about coaching and building habits. When we spot a problem (like missed exits or back-dated enrollments), we don't just fix the record. We use it as a training moment:
Sitting one-on-one with case managers
Walking them through how to find and correct the issue
Reinforcing why accuracy matters for the families they support
Real-time QA turns every error into an opportunity for growth.
Scaling with Care
We’re pacing ourselves intentionally. It's tempting to rush out new dashboards and reports, but we know that adoption needs to happen at the pace of change our network can absorb. That's why our rollout focuses first on building simple QA processes, strong training tools, and a culture of ownership before layering on complexity.
Final Thought: Good Data Tells a Better Story
At the end of the day, data isn’t about systems—it’s about people. Families. Children. Communities. Good data tells a powerful story—a story of hope, resilience, and transformation. By investing in real-time data access and data quality today, we’re not just making casework easier—we’re laying the foundation to triple our impact by 2027 and help 75,000 families find stability, opportunity, and home.
And that is the real power of good data.
