The gathering of data is an essential component of any research project but the data derived from it will only be valuable when your company can get more utilize it. You need to be able to understand and make use of high-quality data to make data-driven decisions that improve your business. This means you must to properly collect your data using accepted methods.

Step 2: Put your design into operation

After you've figured out how to gather the information that you need, it is time to implement your plan. It will depend on the type of information that you need to gather. It could include administering surveys conducting interviews, or observing study participants, or even conducting experiments and testing.

You might have to perform other mathematical calculations to prepare the data to be analyzed. For instance, you might calculate averages, medians or even modes. It is possible to record quantitative data immediately after it occurs, or shortly following, to prevent the information from being lost.

This could be as simple as recording an amount or number in a notebook, but might require more sophisticated software that lets you monitor and record the performance on a computer screen. It is important to make sure that your data are accurate and reliable. Even if your results don't come out exactly as you expect the proper record-keeping will allow you to spot and correct mistakes that might be inadvertent.