INFORMATION AUDIT EXAMPLE BY CAMRIS: Alternative Development (AD) Program in Peru

Overview and Purpose The principal objective of IA for the Peruvian alternative development (AD) program is to discover what information is available, ascertain its credibility, review its completeness, and determine how it is being used. After these initial steps, the IA further requires an assessment of whether the available information is adequate for the purposes of managing AD activities. When informational gaps can be identified, IA seeks solutions to fill those gaps. Therefore, the IA is both descriptive and proactive.
The scope of the IA for the Peru alternative development program is broad. This is the first IA of its kind, and there are no previous benchmarks on which to build. Therefore the IA must set expansive parameters to identify, locate, review and process virtually all information that could be valuable for managers and decision makers. These parameters also include AD program sources such as the internal information system (run on CorVu? software[2]) and the coca impact household survey (carried out annually by DEVIDA[3]).		By 2002, a Price Waterhouse survey carried out with 150 top executives in 96 leading companies (83% US, 14% Europe, 3% Asia/Pacific) showed that 82% of surveyed companies said that they were involved in KM activities.
Moreover, the IA comprises information that can help characterize coca growing and alternative development receptivity and adaptability at the individual and community levels. As a result of the evidence-based information compiled by the IA, current and future decisions will be more reliable and have greater programmatic use. Lastly, IA provides a platform for operations research (OR) to assess programming performance and to develop models that simulate, test and validate the effectiveness and cost efficiency of diverse strategies and program interventions. The IA process developed and carried out for the Peru AD involves six modules (see box below and figure). These modules lay the groundwork for meeting the IA objectives and scope described above. The sequence and flow is depicted in the figure. Information Audit Modules This module, the first of six, describes methodology and instruments for use in the information audit. Three methodology components are used for the first module of the IA as described in the following sections: Component A: General Approach to IA Methods for Alternative Development Component B: Interview Guides for Information Users Component C: Information Review Protocol and Rating Forms While the current IA provides results of information already reviewed, it is designed not as a stagnant product but rather as an evolving IA capability within the ADP. Information acquired on an ongoing basis is expected to undergo the same review and rating process to maintain evidentiary quality and reliability. Furthermore, informational content will continue to accumulate into an AD knowledge base that will be repeatedly tested and refined as it becomes a true decision support tool. The flow and development of this capacity is depicted in the figure. Within this general framework of operations research support for the Peru ADP, the development of an enhanced, evidence-based decision making support system will require the internal loops depicted in the figure. Relationship of Information Audit to ADP OR Activities Information Flow Model: Evidence-Based Decision Making in Alternative Development For more information on Information Audit, please click here.