Reliable decisions depend on reliable data, yet the conditions under which information is collected are often difficult. Remote locations, short timelines, large teams of temporary enumerators and sensitive questions all increase the chance of error, delay or harm. Mobile data collection has removed many paper-based problems but introduced new ones, from corrupted submissions to unsecured devices and unclear ownership of respondent data.

The Risk Management for Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course teaches participants to treat survey quality and safety as risks to be identified, rated and controlled. They begin by learning a straightforward risk method and applying it to each stage of a data collection exercise. Design topics include defining indicators, writing clear questions, choosing sampling approaches and testing instruments before launch.

Technology and ethics occupy the second half of the programme. Participants build and test electronic forms, practise secure data transfer, set up monitoring rules to catch suspicious entries and prepare protocols for consent, privacy and incident response. Hands-on labs use free tools and sample datasets, and the course closes with each participant presenting a quality assurance plan for a survey of their choice.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Build a risk register covering design, fieldwork, technology and data protection risks.
• Write clear, unbiased questions and test them through cognitive interviews and pilots.
• Choose a sampling approach and explain its limits, including non-response bias.
• Construct electronic forms with skip logic, constraints and multilingual labels.
• Manage devices, synchronisation, back-up and version control in the field.
• Apply consent, anonymisation and encryption practices to protect respondents.
• Design supervision, back-checks and quality dashboards to detect errors and fabrication.
• Plan enumerator training, safety and contingency arrangements.

The programme is suitable for people who plan, run or rely on surveys, including:

• Monitoring and evaluation officers
• Survey managers and field supervisors
• Research officers in universities and think tanks
• Statisticians and data managers in government agencies
• Programme managers commissioning baseline and endline studies
• Market and social research consultants
• Data protection and information officers
• Humanitarian assessment and information management staff

Participants leave the course with:

• A completed risk register for a survey they are planning.
• A tested electronic questionnaire built in a free mobile data tool.
• A field protocol covering consent, privacy and incident reporting.
• A set of data quality checks and a simple monitoring dashboard design.
• An enumerator training outline with safety guidance.
• A short quality assurance plan ready to share with a commissioner or donor.

Training is hands-on and centred on a running survey case. Methods include:

• Short explanatory sessions on risk, design and ethics
• Labs where each participant builds and tests electronic forms
• Pilot interviews carried out among the group
• Analysis of anonymised datasets containing planted errors
• Peer review of risk registers and quality assurance plans

Delegates completing the lab work and attending the sessions are awarded a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion, issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.