QOS: Activity 3 – System for Obtaining Information

This is part of a series on Quality as an Organizational Strategy (QOS). Read the introduction or explore other activities: Activity 1 – Purpose, Activity 2 – System, Activity 4 – Planning, Activity 5 – Managing Improvement.

Data Rich, Knowledge Poor

Most organizations swim in data. They collect satisfaction scores, track financial metrics, monitor operational indicators, and generate countless reports. Yet when leaders need to make important decisions, they often lack the knowledge required to act wisely.

The problem isn’t too little data—it’s the absence of a systematic approach to gathering, organizing, and learning from the right information. Without such a system, organizations remain reactive, responding to the loudest complaints or most recent crises rather than addressing root causes.

A system for obtaining information (figure 1) solves this problem. It ensures you systematically gather knowledge about how well you’re fulfilling the need your organization exists to serve.

Figure 1. System for gathering information
(Source: Quality as an Organizational Strategy, 2024, p. 216)

Sources of Information

Information flows from multiple sources, and an effective system taps into all of them:

People Sources include customers, patients, employees, partners, and other stakeholders. Methods might include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, shadowing, and listening sessions. The richest insights often come from direct conversation and observation rather than survey data alone.

Internal Sources already exist within your organization but may not be systematically reviewed. Customer relationship management systems, financial data, complaints and compliments, operational metrics, web analytics, and incident reports all contain valuable signals about how the system is performing.

External Sources provide context and perspective from beyond your walls. Industry publications, research, conferences, benchmarking data, regulatory changes, and technological developments help you understand how the need you serve is evolving and how your performance compares to others.

From Data to Knowledge

Collecting information is only the first step. The real value comes from organizing and analyzing (figure 2) it to extract knowledge that guides action.

Figure 2. System for processing customer feedback and resources.
(Source: Quality as an Organizational Strategy, 2024, p.230)

For quantitative data tracked over time, display at least 24 months on Shewhart charts. This enables you to distinguish between random variation (common cause) and signals requiring action (special cause). Leaders who understand this distinction avoid tampering with stable processes while quickly addressing unstable ones.

For qualitative data, look for patterns and themes. Categorizing feedback and displaying it in Pareto charts helps prioritize where to focus attention. A few categories typically account for the majority of issues—these become candidates for improvement.

The key is moving beyond reporting data to analyzing what it means. What is the data telling you about your ability to fulfill your purpose? Where are customers struggling? What patterns emerge over time? What special causes appear that require investigation?

Building the System

You don’t need a perfect information system on day one. Start with what you have, identify the most critical gaps, and build systematically over time.

Begin by asking: What information would help us better understand whether we’re fulfilling our purpose? What do we need to know about our customers’ experience? About our processes? About factors in the external environment that might affect our ability to serve?

Once you’ve identified priority information needs, design methods to collect it. Some methods will be active (going out to gather information through interviews or observations), while others will be passive (setting up systems that capture information as work happens).

Establish regular routines for organizing, analyzing, and communicating what you learn. Information that sits unused in databases helps no one. Create forums where leaders review and discuss information together, building shared understanding of what it means and what actions it suggests.

Connecting Information to Action

A system for obtaining information serves three purposes:

Immediate problem-solving: Some information points to problems requiring quick action. A broken process, a safety concern, a service failure—these need rapid response.

Improvement feedback: Information helps teams working on improvement projects know whether their changes are producing the desired effects. It provides real-time learning that guides adjustment.

Strategic planning: Information gathered systematically over time reveals patterns and trends that should inform planning. What strategic objectives make sense given what you’re learning? Where should you focus improvement effort?

Without a systematic approach to obtaining information, organizations fly blind or chase distractions. With it, they develop increasingly sophisticated understanding of their system, their customers, and the opportunities to improve. This knowledge becomes the fuel for strategic improvement.

Next: In Activity 4, we’ll explore how to use this information in planning for improvement.

Sources:

Clifford M. Norman, Lloyd P. Provost, and David M. Williams. Quality as an Organizational Strategy: Building a System of Improvement. (Provident-Heierman Press, Austin, TX). 2024

Clifford M. Norman, Lloyd P. Provost, and David M. Williams. The QOS Field Guide: Guidance, examples, tools, methods, and exercises for using Quality as an Organizational Strategy to build a system of improvement. (Provident-Heierman Press, Austin, TX). 2025

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David M. Williams, Ph.D. works with leaders and improvement teams to learn and apply Improvement Science to achieve results and adopt quality as a strategy. He is coauthor of Quality as an Organizational Strategy and The QOS Field Guide.