ISO 9001:2015 CertifiedCIN U73100WB2010PTC150981info@iqsystem.in
IQ Systems and ResearchPrivate Limited

Data quality is created in the field, not repaired in the office

The nine stages in which a typical assignment is executed, the quality controls that matter most in practice, and how we mobilise teams anywhere in India.

Delivery model

Nine stages, from inception to hand-over

  1. 01Stage

    Inception and study design

    Review of the terms of reference, finalisation of the sampling frame and sample size, selection of the survey design (cross-sectional, panel, census or complete enumeration), and preparation of the inception report and detailed work plan with district-wise timelines.

  2. 02Stage

    Instrument development and translation

    Survey instruments are drafted and translated into the relevant regional languages, followed by back-translation checks. Instruments are programmed into CAPI / CSPro with in-built range, skip, consistency and mandatory-field validations, so that invalid data cannot be recorded at source.

  3. 03Stage

    Recruitment and training

    Enumerators are recruited from the survey geography itself, with the required linguistic proficiency and educational qualification. Classroom training on the instrument and protocol is followed by mock interviews and supervised field practice; only candidates clearing the post-training assessment are deployed.

  4. 04Stage

    Pilot and instrument finalisation

    Pilot testing in a non-sample area, debriefing of the field team, and refinement of the instrument, application logic and field protocol before full-scale launch.

  5. 05Stage

    Field mobilisation and data collection

    Deployment in supervised teams under Field Coordinators. Every record is GPS-tagged and, where required, supported by time-stamped photographic evidence. Data are synchronised to the client server or FTP daily, allowing near-real-time monitoring of progress and coverage.

  6. 06Stage

    Field quality control

    A three-tier quality regime: 100% scrutiny of submitted records by the supervisor; accompaniment of a defined proportion of interviews by the Field Coordinator; and independent back-checks and spot-checks on a random sample of completed interviews. Records failing verification are re-administered.

  7. 07Stage

    Data management and analysis

    Data cleaning, de-duplication, consistency checks, coding of open responses and construction of derived variables. Analysis in STATA and SPSS, with tabulation plans agreed with the client in advance.

  8. 08Stage

    GIS integration

    Where the assignment has a spatial component, field coordinates are integrated with base maps, geo-referenced and validated, and thematic outputs are prepared for planning and decision support.

  9. 09Stage

    Reporting and hand-over

    Submission of draft and final deliverables — data sets with full documentation and metadata, tabulations, maps and analytical reports — followed by client review, incorporation of comments and final hand-over.

Quality assurance framework

A documented quality management system

Certified to

ISO 9001:2015

Certificate
20IQFT76
Dated
24 November 2020

The controls that matter most in practice:

  1. 01Mandatory GPS capture, with accuracy thresholds specified per assignment — up to 1 metre for consumer indexing; 3–5 metres for tower and sub-station survey.
  2. 02Photographic evidence with GPS tag and time stamp at defined stages of the field protocol.
  3. 03Daily upload and reconciliation of records against the sampling frame, preventing accumulation of backlogs.
  4. 04Independent back-checks on a random sub-sample, with defined tolerance limits and mandatory re-survey on failure.
  5. 05Segregated data custody and backup, with storage and retention as per client and statutory guidelines.
  6. 06A defined escalation and corrective-action route for any process or quality deviation.

Geographical reach

Mobilisation capability

The ability to place trained, language-appropriate enumerators on the ground quickly — anywhere in India — is the operational backbone of our business.

  • Completed assignments in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Goa.
  • Operations across both urban and rural areas, including remote, hilly and hard-to-reach habitations.
  • Temporary project offices and enrolment centres set up as each project requires.
  • Field manpower mobilised across the North, North-East, East, West, South and Central regions.
  • Empanelled field resources with proficiency in Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu and other regional languages, with 6 to 9 years of average field experience.
  • Permanent field staff based out of West Bengal, supplemented by ad-hoc and empanelled resources across all regions, so that several geographies can be surveyed simultaneously.

This distributed structure has allowed concurrent operations — teams working simultaneously in West Bengal and Odisha on PMFBY crop cutting experiments, and across Bihar and West Bengal on Aadhaar enrolment — without dilution of supervision or data quality.

Peak deployment

Aadhaar enrolment
120
certified operators for Aadhaar enrolment
PMFBY
100
enumerators in 20 teams for PMFBY crop cutting experiments
Tower survey
60
surveyors in 30 teams for transmission tower survey
Map of States with completed assignments