Fall 2024

The Devil is in the Details

Data Quality is Important!

I’m passionate about data, because good data tells a story. It’s a powerful tool that helps us see whether a program is running efficiently and achieving its goals. Without reliable data, decisions can end up being scattered and ineffective.

The County collects a lot of important information, like the number of birth certificates issued, how many dogs leave the shelter with new families, and how long people experiencing homelessness stay in that situation. This data helps us follow state and federal regulations and gives us insight into how well our programs are working. It’s the foundation for decisions about program funding, direction, and public policy.

But quality data doesn’t just happen on its own—it requires careful attention. It’s not just about counting things and logging them. We have to ask: Are we counting the right things? How is that information verified and stored? Who can access it and make changes? If these details aren’t managed properly, the data becomes unreliable, and poor data leads to poor decisions.

One common issue we find in audits is that the data is not always accurate. Sometimes it doesn’t actually measure what it’s supposed to. Sometimes information is entered without being checked against a reliable source, or it’s changed by someone who shouldn’t have access to it. These kinds of errors can throw off decisions and make it hard for programs to reach their goals.

It sometimes feels like organizations treat data quality as an afterthought. Everyone is focused on delivering services, so they don’t spend enough time ensuring the data is accurate. But to me, this is critical! If we don’t monitor how our programs are performing, how can we make smart choices about where public resources go or how programs should be run?

When we audit, we dig into the data that programs use to make decisions. We ask tough questions, such as: How is the data defined? Is it reliable? Who can access and modify it? Our goal is to make sure leaders—and the public—have accurate, trustworthy information to guide decisions about which programs to support, and how they should operate.

Two Audits Headed for Landing

Field Trip to Multnomah County Auditor’s

Office Open House

In September our office attended the open house for the Multnomah County Auditor’s Office. They gave presentations about their office and its different roles. For example, they have not only performance auditors, but also an Ombudsman, and they administer the County’s Good Government Hotline. Their physical space was redone and looks wonderful, and it was great to connect with other local government auditors in the area!

Washington County Auditor Kristine Adams-Wannberg, Clackamas County Auditor Jodi Cochran, Multnomah County Auditor Jennifer McGuirk, and City of Portland Auditor Simone Rede

Archiving 40 Years of Documents!

One of our long-term office projects is archiving our audit reports and working papers. Audit reports, for example, have to be kept as permanent, historical records. We have a lot of old, hard copy materials in the office and more recent electronic files that have never been archived. (Heaven help us if there is a massive coffee accident in our file room where the old hard copies are kept!)

It is important we keep appropriate records of past work. We need to do this not only to be in compliance with the state of Oregon’s archiving rules, but also to preserve the history of the office for the public to access in the future. In fact, I was struck looking through some of the audits how things change and how they remain the same! The first performance audit under an elected County auditor was in 1981 and was titled, “County Needs Plan to Close Revenue/Expenditure Gap.”

We have really appreciated the help of the County’s Department of Assessment and Taxation’s archiving function and our Department of Information Technology Services in helping us get on track!

The first performance audit issued under the elected Washington County Auditor’s Office.

Auditor Fiona Howell Earle starting the process of archiving old audit reports

Status of Audit Schedule Projects

Did You Know...

Auditors have to have, reasonable, sufficient evidence for the findings and recommendations issued in an audit report. This means we are required to have quality information, and enough of it, to support what we state in an audit. Our audits go through a rigorous quality control process to make sure we’ve got the information correct before an audit gets published. 

Invite the Auditor!

If you’d like me and/or staff to attend or speak at a meeting with your community group, make a request by emailing us at:

countyauditor@washingtoncountyor.gov.

A big thank you to Labrador Retriever Canook who visited our office for some love (and snacks) last week!