Our Foundations
We accomplish our mission by following 3 foundational ideas:
- Data is what allows us to figure out how we grow
- Data is what enables us to solve cutting-edge questions
- Data is what allows us to make informed decisions
Data Philosophy
IVMF's Data Philosophy
Our goal is to advance the practice and policy supporting America’s military families through research, analytics, and data solutions that empower action in the following focus areas: post-service economic opportunities, community-based care coordination, business ownership, and data/evidence-driven services.
Our Mission & Core Principles → Unlocking the Value of our data → Better outcomes for our partners
Our Principles
All our work is centered around these principles:
- Data should be accessible to the end users
- Data should be shared as much as possible
- Data should be managed via strong governance
- Data should be relevant and accurate
- Data should have a stated purpose and be useful
Our Value
The foundations of our philosophy come from our understanding of why data is valuable to IVMF:
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Data allows us to answer cutting-edge questions, helping us unlock new opportunities and get the most out of work today.
Data that is the primary enabler for IVMF to tackle more complicated questions around the impact we have on veterans. Taking the next step in terms of complexity (using our information to predict and not just look back) will help position us as a leader and influencer in the data space.
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Data enables us to figure out how we can improve, creating new outcomes for those we serve.
Data that is clean, timely, and relevant allows us to understand where obstacles exist and how we can overcome them. Data helps us understand and get more out of the information we have today – enabling outcomes we didn’t think possible.
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Data allows us to make informed decisions, giving a quantifiable dimension to our programs that can be continuously improved upon.
Our data enables more than simply tracking outcomes. It allows us to continuously improve and adapt to meet our goals and mission of serving those who served.
Our Guiding Principles
As an organization, we define all our research and analytics work around the following principles:
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Data should be leveraged
We strive to share our data to the fullest extent permissible. As a result, data also shapes how we select our projects – prioritizing activities that have the highest impact on the community we serve.
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Data should be relevant and accurate
When shared with users, our data should always meet the need a user wants to fulfill. Additionally, our goal is for the user to always be confident that the data they are receiving accurately reflects reality and can be used to draw conclusions as needed.
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Data should be managed
In order to facilitate accurate and relevant data, there should be well-documented processes that determine the rules to govern data quality. These rules should be transparent and easily accessible to anyone at IVMF.
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Data should be broad and inclusive
Our understanding of data is comprehensive, covering both quantitative and qualitative information. Additionally, our data reflects the lived experience of the people we serve – as opposed to determining outcomes on its own.
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Data should be accessible
Our data assets should be created and managed in ways that enable the user to easily access, understand, and manipulate their data as needed.
Our Data Strategy
The IVMF data strategy defines how our organization handles all stages of the data lifecycle, along with defining key aspects of our goals and providing a roadmap for the future of IVMF’s data.
