Organizing the Data Entry Process

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Successful data entry projects are largely influenced by the design of the process. The data entry process should be well organized to ensure that it is carried out competently and efficiently. Here is how a typical data entry process is organized. A professional data entry expert would have a well-defined data entry process and management policy in place.

1. Who gets the Work done? The Data Entry Management Team:

The data entry management team consists of the project manager who allocates the project to the designated data entry team, led by the data entry supervisor. The data entry team consists of the data entry clerks who execute the data entry and data organizers who carry out the quality control, data merging and cleansing.

2. Testing the Data Entry System:

The data entry supervisor, the data organizer and the data manager ensures that the data entry system (procedure and equipment) undergoes a trial before being implemented.

3. Learning: Imparting Data Entry System Training:

Before each project, the data entry operators are trained on how to carry out data entry for the specific project, and the use of equipment. The data entry supervisor carries out the training. The training includes familiarization with the use of the data entry manual, troubleshooting guide and maintaining a logbook.

4. Tracking the Data Entry Pathway: Audit Trail:

It is important to conduct quality and validation checks for each data entry project. Each day’s work need to be completed and the details entered into the book, following which, the person and a Vetter, sign it off. This helps ensure that records are in place for any eventuality. Other QA/QC procedures include:

• Incorporating QA/QC during and post data entry.

• Double data entry and verification using computer to check that these values are in agreement

• Documenting  all changes made during the process including detection and rectification of errors

• Ensuring that data standards are complied with

5. Saving Data: Data Entry Project Backups:

As part of effective data entry project organization, backups are carried out every day to ensure that the work is saved and is available in case of emergency. These backups have to be stored in a safe and inaccessible room.

6. Consolidating Data:  Merging Data Entry Files:

Where large-scale data entry projects are concerned, the total project may be broken up into smaller tasks to enable the data entry work to be completed in a short period. The data files generated at the end of each mini data entry project must be merged one data entry file and checked to verify the successful completion. As a good practice, each mini data-file should be checked and cleaned before merger into a master file.

The final data entry output in the form of single or merged files may be saved or transferred to the client, at the completion of the assignment.