Field protocols and supervision are essential for maintaining data quality, ensuring enumerator safety, and supporting efficient operations during data collection. Clear protocols and active supervision help teams respond to challenges in real time and uphold ethical and methodological standards.
Purpose of Field Protocols and Supervision
Provide clear instructions on logistics, safety, and communication for all field staff
Ensure consistent application of data collection procedures across teams and locations
Enable rapid identification and resolution of issues during fieldwork
Support enumerators and supervisors with guidance and troubleshooting
Key Components of Field Protocols
Logistics: Detailed plans for transport, accommodation, daily schedules, and contingency arrangements
Safety and Security: Procedures for risk assessment, emergency contacts, and incident reporting
Communication: Regular check-ins, reporting lines, and use of communication tools which is essential for both the implementation and for conducting high frequency data quality checks
Ethical Standards: Reinforcement of informed consent, confidentiality, and respectful engagement with respondents
Data Handling: Secure transfer and storage of collected data, including backup procedures
Supervision in the Field
Assign experienced supervisors to oversee enumerator teams
Provide regular feedback on data quality for supervisors to better support enumerators
Document and address any issues or deviations from protocol
Resources
The survey teams presentation covers how to assign roles and responsibilities to each survey team member, as well as how to recruit, organize, and train a skilled, efficient, and dependable survey team
Adhering to a standard field procedure during data collection streamlines the survey team's work by saving time, helping them anticipate unforeseen problems, and avoiding miscommunications with households or village representatives
For more information, please contact the Assessments and Targeting Unit in HQ VAM at global.assessmentandtargeting@wfp.org.