Results communication and data use

Note: Content in this section draws on existing FASTR presentation materials and is subject to revision.

Overview

This section covers the complete process of communicating and using FASTR results:

Analytical thinking & interpretation - Frameworks for interpreting FASTR outputs, connecting data patterns to programmatic meaning, common interpretation pitfalls to avoid, building analytical thinking skills
Data visualization, communication & message development - Principles of effective data visualization, tailoring messages to different audiences, creating compelling narratives from data, best practices for presenting findings
Using data for decision-making - Translating insights into action, decision-making frameworks, prioritization approaches, monitoring implementation of decisions
Stakeholder engagement & advocacy - Identifying key stakeholders, engagement strategies, building buy-in for data-driven decisions, advocacy approaches
Practice: Generating quarterly reporting products - Quarterly reporting workflow, using the FASTR platform for automated reports, quality assurance for reports, distribution and feedback mechanisms

Moving from data to key messages

What is a result?

Results are what the analysis found…

Data quality scores
Coverage estimations
Service utilization numbers

They are often…

Many in number
Complex
Hard to understand ‘at a glance’
Lacking interpretation

What is a key takeaway?

Key takeaways are what the results are telling us…

Why the results matter
The ‘so what’

They should be…

Few in number
Simple and clear
Easy to remember
Actionable

Example: result vs key takeaway

Example 1 (Result):

In Q3 2022, the volume of ANC1 visits increased by 15% from the previous quarter—the largest quarterly rise in the period—followed by a 12% drop in Q1 2023. Since then, ANC1 volumes have remained relatively stable with no large quarter-to-quarter fluctuations from Q2 2023 through Q1 2025.

Example 2 (Key Takeaway):

While earlier periods show sharp fluctuations in ANC1 service volumes, particularly in 2020 and 2022, the relative stability observed from mid-2023 onward suggests improvements in the consistency of service delivery. This trend may reflect strengthened systems, reduced disruptions, or more predictable care-seeking patterns — providing a stronger foundation for sustained antenatal care coverage.

Choosing the right report format

Key considerations

Audience – Who will be using the report?
Purpose – Inform, persuade, summarize, or analyze?
Level of Detail – High-level summary vs. in-depth analysis
Accessibility – How will the audience access and use it?

Report format options

Format	Best For	Pros	Cons
Word/PDF Reports	Policymakers, technical experts	Detailed, formal, easy to print	Can be dense, not interactive
Slide Decks	Presentations, decision-makers	Visual, easy to follow, summary-focused	Less detailed, context can be lost
Infographics	General audiences, advocacy	Engaging, digestible, shareable	Limited depth, requires design effort
Posters	Conferences, workshops	High impact, visual summary	Not suited for complex data

Which format works best?

Audience	Format
Government officials and policymakers	Brief slide deck + executive summary PDF
Technical experts and researchers	Full word/PDF report + Data annex
General public and advocacy groups	Infographics + posters
Conference or workshop attendees	Poster + summary slide deck

Storytelling with data

Storytelling is a powerful communication tool to help translate data and data visualizations into compelling narratives to guide decision-making and convey important health information.

The goal of storytelling with data can vary and take various forms

Explanation of a data visualization
“Once upon a time story” and what we can learn from it
“Breaking news story”
“What happened” story
Causation or correlation story
“How” story

Elements of a data story

Plot: What questions will you answer from the data, and how?
Setting: What is the context?
Audience: Who is your target audience? (Identifying the audience is very important, and will dictate your storytelling)
Issue: What is the main health issue?
Implication: What are the actions/recommendations?

Storytelling can take different forms

Can include data visualizations/images
With or without numbers
Beginning to end or vice versa; does not need to be in chronological order

Be creative and remember to tailor the story to your audience.

Example: developing a data story

Part 1: Introduction and context

Setting, audience, why we care:

Examining routine data quality is critical to inform targeted action by the Ministry of Health

Issue:

In Somalia, data quality varies across indicators: ANC4, institutional deliveries and BCG vaccine indicators had fewer outliers, compared to Penta 3 and OPD.

Additional data/context to help explain the issue:

Zooming into specific States, Hirshabelle State exhibits poorer data quality with more than 3% outliers for outpatient visits. Similarly, Puntland State had 2.5% outliers for Penta 3 vaccines.

Call to action:

Further investigation is needed to identify the specific areas/facilities that need attention to improve data quality of OPD and Penta 3 indicators.

Part 2: Deeper analysis (OPD)

For outpatient visits, zooming in even further into Hirshabelle and Puntland States suggests that the high proportion of outliers in Hirshabelle State are not spread throughout the State, but rather in specific regions. Hiiraan region requires further investigation to understand reasons for the high 4.7% outliers and to improve data quality.

Part 3: Deeper analysis (Penta 3)

For Penta 3 immunization, Ayn Region and Ras-Asayr Region in Puntland State need further attention with >6% outliers. Showing disaggregated data is imperative as national and state-level estimates of data quality indicators can mask specific regions requiring further data quality investigation.

Dissemination and data use roadmap

A data use roadmap is a strategic plan that outlines how data will be utilized, shared, and disseminated effectively. It serves as a guide for ensuring that the analytical product developed reaches its intended audience and achieves its goals.

Why is developing a dissemination and data use roadmap important?

Establishes metrics and indicators to evaluate the success of data use
Clearly identifies key stakeholders, target audiences, and dissemination platforms/forums
Outlines the steps needed to achieve data dissemination goals
Anticipates potential challenges and barriers in data dissemination and use and develops strategies to solve for them

Dissemination and data use roadmap components

Component	Description	Example
Who is your end user or users?	Identify target audience	RMNCAH-N national coordination platform
Objectives of your message	Focus on one specific objective per audience	Facilitate the use of data for decision-making and policy development
Key messages	Define the core messages you want to communicate	RMNCAH-N trends and identification of lagging districts
Dissemination channels	Specify existing dissemination channels or forums	Quarterly RMNCAH-N platform meetings
Timeline	Identify the timeline with key milestones and deadlines	Next platform meeting is in Q2
Steps required & Who is accountable	Define steps and assign roles and responsibilities	Get on agenda for platform meeting – Director; Finalize presentation – officer
Monitoring & Evaluation	How will you know if you are successful?	The % of quarterly reports that were disseminated in relevant forums; A list of actions that were taken as a result of the data is created and maintained

Three spheres of influence

The Three Spheres of Influence framework helps direct attention to the actions that can be taken from FASTR data. The sphere of control encompasses actions within a team’s immediate capacity — such as defaulter tracing, register reviews, and outreach coordination. The sphere of influence covers actions requiring collaboration with partners, such as securing logistics or advocating for policy changes. The sphere of concern includes broader systemic factors like the national policy environment, external financing, and population dynamics that provide important context but are outside direct control. When planning actions from FASTR findings, teams should focus first on what they can control, then on what they can influence.

Action plan for FASTR moving forward

An action plan will help guide FASTR activities at the country level over the next year. Consider:

Your use cases

Is there anything you want to change or add to your data use case?

Report finalization

Is the report you made at the workshop the one you want to use moving forward? If not, how will you finalize your report?

The process for continuously updating and disseminating your quarterly analyses

Who will be responsible for uploading data to the analytics platform? Creating the reports?

Continued competency building and step-down

How would you like to practice? (e.g., solo, in a group, in regular weekly meetings?)
Who wasn’t at this training that needs to understand this content? What additional training is needed?

Action plan structure

Section	Description
Action step(s)	List specific steps or tasks needed to achieve the objective
Responsible person	Identify the person responsible for each action step
Resources needed	Identify resources (e.g., time, materials) required for each step
Timeline	When will you complete this step?
Evaluation metric	Identify metrics or criteria to assess progress or success

End user mapping

End user mapping helps ensure that our outputs will meet the real needs of our end users.

Key questions for end user mapping

Who is my end user? (e.g., head of a regional health bureau, regional health authority, national policy maker?)
What does this end user need to accomplish with the report? (E.g., make a decision, discuss in a meeting, make programmatic decisions, etc.?)
Based on the information we can include in the report, what information are they most interested in? What do they need to know? (e.g., high level trends, detailed insights, comparisons across states/regions/districts/woredas?)
What do they like about current reports? What do they dislike? (e.g., they like maps and scorecards; they dislike too much text, complex technical details)
How do they like to receive their information? (PPT, brief, key messages/bullet points, graphs, maps, dashboards?)

User mapping example

Question	Example Response
Who is the end user?	Head of a regional health bureau/authority
What does this end user need to accomplish with this report?	Make a decision; Direct their team
What kind of insights do they need?	High-level trends by service and by sub-national area; Performance comparisons – who to hold accountable?
What do they like about current analysis? What do they dislike?	Like: actionable information, simple visuals; Dislike: overly technical content or content not aligned with decision-making needs
How do they like to receive their information?	Presentations at top management meeting
Design implications for your output	Short PPT with results focused only on service trends; Add actionable recommendations

Contact: fastr@worldbank.org