Providing Services with An Impact
Applied Research
Data-driven insight you can act on.
We work collaboratively with clients to solve real-world problems by turning evidence into action. We systematically collect and analyze different forms of data to help clients obtain improve efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance outcomes. ser
Services offered:
Data cleaning
Univariate and bivariate analyses
Graphic representation of results with accompanying write-ups
Written reports, briefs, memos
Verbal presentation of findings to key stakeholders
By transforming data into knowledge, we work with our clients to answer questions that directly inform decisions, policies, programs, and/or operational improvements.
What is happening and why it is happening? We utilize data to uncover current conditions, trends and patterns, and identify factors that contribute to outcomes.
Who is being affected and how? We examine whether certain groups are impacted differently.
What are the risks and opportunities? We examine trends to help clients anticipate issues and areas for improvement to support evidence-based planning.
Where should resources be focused? Data can be used to identify what initiatives are effective and efficient to inform decisions pertaining to prioritization.
Benefits to clients:
Access to proven methodologies that enhance credibility of findings and strengthen funding requests, policy recommendations, strategic plans, public communications, and credibility of reports
Knowledge translation through clear and accessible communication of large volumes of information
Empower clients to make informed decisions based on real evidence
We tailor each contract according to the services required, as well as the project’s scope, size, and budget.
Community and Stakeholder Consultation and Engagement
Listening that leads to action: Community voices shaping real solutions.
Community consultation is essential for creating programs, policies and projects that are collaborative, practical, meaningful, sustainable, and deliver real, lasting benefits. By directly engaging with community members and key stakeholders in planning, design, and decision-making processes we provide our clients with valuable insights into local priorities, needs, and lived experiences, which can be used to guide responsible, respectful, and responsive policy and program development.
We recognize the importance of community engagement in the consultation process in fostering trust and transparency, strengthening relationships, and creating shared ownership, which are crucial for creating impactful projects. Respectful engagement is particularly important for Indigenous and other historically underrepresented communities. Our consultation strategies prioritize collaboration, and ensure engagement processes align with the local community’s values and protocols and create opportunities for lasting relationships.
Services offered:
Focus groups, interviews, and community meetings to understand lived experiences, priorities, and needs. Fostering dialogue and encouraging collaboration, focus groups, interviews, and community meetings provide qualitative, in-depth insights that highlight what factors shape experiences and outcomes, and encourage a shared commitment to creating solutions.
Community-wide surveys to systematically obtain information about community needs, perceptions, priorities, and experiences from people affected by programs, policies and projects at scale. Capturing diverse voices, community surveys allow for the development of inclusive solutions.
Environmental audits with community members to obtain the perspective of community members while observing the environmental conditions.
Benefits to clients:
Neutral third-party consultation are perceived as being more impartial and transparent, which can increase participation and encourage more open and honest feedback
Systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative data that ensures feedback is accurately captured and translated into actionable insights
Connect community and stakeholder feedback with relevant research, best practices and knowledge of the local context to enable clients to make decisions reflective of input and evidence
Support strategic planning, policy and program development, and resource allocation by identifying community priorities, emerging concerns, service gaps, and perceived opportunities for improvement
Create a framework for meaningful engagement that helps to build lasting relationships, which increases community support for initiatives and improves implementation success
We tailor each contract according to a project’s scope, size, and budget.
Literature Reviews/Environmental Scans
Grounding decisions in evidence and context.
We review and systematically summarize existing research and contextual information to identify what is already known, highlight gaps and emerging trends, reduce the potential for duplicating efforts or implementing outdated or ineffective practices. By grounding decisions in the best available evidence and a clear understanding of the broader landscape, we help our clients develop informed, transparent, and defensible policies and practices that are responsive to evolving community needs and real-world conditions.
We examine academic and grey literature, and translate voluminous and complex information into clear, accessible and actionable formats by summarizing key insights, distilling technical information, and tailoring communication to our clients needs and decision-making context.
Benefits to clients:
Identification of knowledge gaps, best practices, and emerging trends to support evidence-based decision-making and opportunities for innovation
Provide evidence to strengthen grant applications, strategic plans, business cases, and policy recommendations
Reduce redundancy by identifying programs and services that already exist
Assist with resource allocation by identifying areas of greatest need and potential impact
Program Evaluation & Policy Research
Using evidence to strengthen policy and practice.
We provide independent, evidence-based expertise to support high-quality program evaluation and policy research. By applying rigorous and appropriate methodologies, we help our clients assess program design, implementation, outcomes, and impact, as well as operational practices, and the relevance and effectiveness of their policies. These efforts help to identify what is working well, where inefficiencies exist, and how resources can be better allocated to enhance performance and reliability. Program evaluation and policy research also provide insight into training effectiveness, wellbeing and safety outcomes, risk mitigation strategies, and community impacts, which can be used by our clients to align operations and practices with public concerns and regulatory standards. Using these tools, we support our clients in creating safer operations, reducing incidents, improving stakeholder trust, and streamlining systems.
At Dawson Analytics Inc. we bring our field experience and sector knowledge, stakeholder engagement strategies, and data-driven insights to help clients strengthen accountability, improve practice, inform policy decisions, and support continuous learning and development. We offer objective analysis, practical recommendations, and clear reporting that is tailored to meet our clients’ needs.
Services offered:
Creating or modifying program descriptions and logic models.
Creating or modifying theory of change models.
Conducting evaluability assessments to determine program needs.
Creating and modifying evaluation plans to assess program processes, impacts and effectiveness.
Developing or modifying evaluation frameworks, including research design and methodology, and data collection instruments.
Identifying or developing key performance measurements.
Performing evaluation analyses and interpreting the results.
Liaising with key stakeholders.
Benefits to clients:
Provide evidence of effectiveness of programs and demonstrate value of investments made by funders, stakeholders, and the community
Provide reliable information to guide decisions about program design, implementation, modification, or discontinuation
Identify successful activities and areas with limited impact to target improvements and inform resource allocation
Demonstrate accountability to funders, governing bodies, stakeholders, and community members
Provides evidence and insight necessary to support long-term planning, policy development, and organizational decision-making
We tailor each contract according to the services required, as well as a project’s scope, size, and budget.