ANLY482 AY2017-18 T2 Group 16 Methodology
Data
- Forecasted and Actual number of volunteers, beneficiaries and sessions per programme, from 2012 to 2017
- Sector served per session in each programme, and the number of beneficiaries served (from 15 separate .pptx files)
- Where these volunteers were recruited from
- Annual Report figures on the number of volunteers, beneficiaries (from .pdf files)
Midpoint Methodology
Based on the data, the group has decided to split up the work into three components.
1. Trend-based insight generation
YMCA has indicated that their forecasted figures have remained the same throughout the years (they have been copying it over since 2012), but they have used these inaccurate forecasted figures as a planning gauge. They have also listed out the actual number of volunteers, beneficiaries and sessions completed per year, from January to December.
From this data, some of the questions we may answer include:
Performance:
- Has YMCA improved its efficiency of volunteers over time? Has it occurred only in specific sectors or programmes?
- What is its peak efficiency ratio for each sector or programme?
Time-based:
- When are the peak periods for YMCA, in terms of total number of sessions, and in terms of sector?
- Are there certain months or times where YMCA has not been able to recruit the number of volunteers forecasted?
2. Sector-based insight generation
YMCA discussed three main sectors that it serves - youths, elderly, and disabilities. However, it is unsure of whether it is using volunteers efficiently. For instance, while programmes involving disabilities typically require one volunteer for every beneficiary, other programmes involving youth may be able to cater for a larger number of beneficiaries served per volunteer. Therefore, some of the questions we may answer include:
- What is each sector's average volunteer efficiency, in terms of number of beneficiaries?
- What is each sector's highest and lowest volunteer efficiency, and does it match the actual needs of the sector as mentioned by YMCA?
3. Programme-based insight generation
YMCA would also like to know how each of its 14 programmes have been performing in terms of efficiency. Some programmes occur once a year, yet have a perceived high impact (which YMCA defines through speaking to its participants, generating qualitative feedback). Other programmes occur on an ad-hoc basis, and may be seen as inefficient in terms of manpower. Therefore, some of the questions we may answer include:
- What is the peak and average efficiency of each programme?
- After accounting for the number of sessions per year, is each programme efficient in its use of volunteers?
