Data Collection · The sources · Component
The maintenance
How each source is kept current, and how reliably — because manual sources drift and their drift is invisible.
The deliverable
What it is
A source maintained by hand is a source maintained when someone has time, which means its accuracy varies with how busy that person is.
The dependency is usually invisible until the person is away, at which point a report quietly stops being correct without stopping being produced.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The dependency
Who the source depends on.
3 attributes: Maintained by · How many could · If unavailable
LearnThe drift
How far the source has moved from reality.
3 attributes: Error rate · Last checked · Check frequency
Learn
Ask what happens to the reporting if the person maintaining a manual source is away for a month.
The other components in the sources
The source map
Where each fact lives, across every system that holds it — because most organisations hold the same fact in three places with three values.
LearnThe source of truth
Which source is authoritative per fact, and who decided — the small decision that converts a recurring argument into a lookup.
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