318 Managing Data and Information

Unit Overview

318 Managing Data and Information is a unit within the CMI Level 3 module that improves the ability of the leaders within the organisations to oversee the handling and use of data within the workplace. Data and information have become critical in supporting the activities of the organisation and teams involved in accomplishing specific tasks. In the modern era of evidence-based practice. It is critical to ensure that there is effective handling of data that provides both the evidence that the employees should follow in accomplishing different tasks as well as ensuring that they are able to adapt to the approaches implemented within their areas of operation.

Leaders must, therefore, be able to effectively collect, analyse, interpret, store and share information and data whenever necessary to support their teams. The current corporate era is characterised by different forms of technologies that could be used to manage data, and the leader understands the various approaches that are effective in their areas of responsibility and contribute to meeting the principles of safety and security on the data and information that is perceived to be critical and sensitive for the organisation.

318 Managing Data and Information is a unit that introduces the learners to different principles of managing data within the workplace. The learners are guided to develop desirable behaviours and skills of interpreting and collecting data as well as those that are involved in shaping meaningful data and information to support organisational activities. Leaders are also guided to understand the principles of integrity, validity, and security of data and information, which are utilised within the organisation to ensure that activities and performance are not compromised by inaccurate or irrelevant data. This unit is taught in 21 hours of guided learning and contributes 5 credit values towards the completion of the CMI Level 3 module.

Suitability of the Unit

318 Managing Data and Information is a unit that is highly suitable for leaders in different hierarchies within the organisation. The unit contributes to building t eh ability of the leaders to effectively handle the information. While all stakeholders are required to effectively interpret information in a way that supports activities within their areas of responsibility and operation, it is the duty of leaders within teams and units to ensure that the information is available to their teams. This unit is, therefore, suitable for building these capacities among the leaders and ensuring that they promote the security, confidentiality and integrity of the information that is put under their care.

The unit is designed to serve the learning needs of the first-line managers. These are leaders within the organisation who are required to directly support the team members or deal with the customers in different areas of operation. As such, the unit contributes to building its ability to use and manage information in a way that supports its activities and ensures that it does not compromise the position of the organisation in general. The unit can also be pursued by current or aspiring senior and middle managers who develop the necessary infrastructure to handle data and information. Employees can also use the unit as a stepping stone toward higher leadership roles and responsibilities.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the unit, the learners should be able to:

• Assess information flow using different channels within the organisation and across different stakeholders

• Suggest improvements that can be used to improve the flow of information in their areas of responsibility based on organisational assessment

• Collecting information from different sources that na be used to support management decision-making within the workplace

• Analyse information that they have collected from different sources to be able to identify relevant information to support decision making

• Use the analysis of information to make and justify management decisions made within their areas of responsibility and the organisation in general

• Communicate information with stakeholders to facilitate the accomplishment of the organisational goals and objectives.

Key Learning Areas

This unit is aligned with the role of the leaders in influencing the activities by providing and supporting the use of information to make decisions within the workplace. The main areas of learning include:

Management of Information

This area of learning lays the primary and basic foundations of managing information within the workplace. It helps the learners to understand the information flows as well as channels and networks that can be set up within the workplace. In this area of learning, the learner is made to differentiate and understand elements of manual and IT systems and how they contribute towards the accomplishment of the organisational goals and objectives. Lastly, they are guided to understand the legal and ethical frameworks that guide the use of information within the workplace.

Using Information to Make Management Decisions

This area of learning focuses on the use of the information collected within the workplace setting in informing various decisions and approaches within the organisation. It contributes towards the ability to use information to make and justify management decisions.

In this area of learning, the learner is guided to understand principles of records management as well as effectively conducting both primary and secondary research and using the findings of the research in supporting their decisions. They are also guided in understanding decision-making models and the roles that information plays in each model. In this area, learners are made to understand the information management systems that can be used effectively within the workplace to achieve the desired objectives and goals.

Dissemination of Information

This area of learning focuses on approaches that the learner can use to communicate the management decisions as well as justify them to stakeholders. The learners are taught the internal and external communication channels as well as the strategies that they can use to communicate with alignment to the business objectives. They are also guided to identify approaches to select the best communication channels for their organisation and area of responsibility.

Evaluation

Upon completion of this unit, the learner is required to complete an evaluation. A written assessment is used to determine the mastery of the theoretical frameworks and information that has been taught within the unit. Supervised practice and simulated exercises can be incorporated into the learning process to evaluate the practical use of these principles within the workplace.