Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

Discussions around using and interfacing with the Church MLS program.
veehb
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Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#1

Post by veehb »

We have been pushing our priesthood and Relief Society leaders to enter their visits into MLS each month. It's been a struggle, but we are getting there. This month a ward Relief Society President noticed that the numbers (percent contacted and sisters contacted) have been changing from month to month. She scanned her February 2013 report and her March 2013 report and noted that the percentages for each month on the March report was lower than those reported in the February report. I looked at similar data in the home teaching statistical report and see the same problem. I have attached her memo for your reference. It shows the unit numbers for our stake and this ward. Seems to be a pretty general problem. I'm surprised to not see anyone else reporting this. Why are the numbers changing (and moving downwards for this ward)?
I'm the stake executive secretary in the Bennion Utah East Stake.
Thanks for looking into this.
Vee
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Mntview RS Visiting Teaching Percentages.pdf
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russellhltn
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#2

Post by russellhltn »

Off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure any sister that moves out will drop off all stats. So if it's an active sister that moves out, then the stats will trend downward. In comparing the two, I'm only seeing one sister that moved out. (As shown by the number of sisters contacted.)
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veehb
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#3

Post by veehb »

But, previous month's visiting teaching statistics are historical in nature and should not change based on changes in current months numbers. We are seeing the previous twelve months historical data changing. I would expect them to remain constant. Or, maybe I don't understand what the previous twelve months of visits represent.
russellhltn
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#4

Post by russellhltn »

I guess it depends on one's viewpoint. I completely understand it from a programming point of view. When someone moves out, their record is no longer in the ward and you don't have their history. Holding on to everyone who has moved out in a hidden file for stats is a lot of extra programming effort.

But I could take a different view: Are you grading your teachers, or looking to see how well you are doing with reaching the members you are currently responsible for? If the former, then no, the numbers shouldn't change. But the latter requires looking at who is still in the ward.

Or, you can look at it another way - if they do the legwork and get you the information needed to move out the "inactive" sisters who no longer live in the ward boundaries then they can improve things across the board. This "bug" works both ways.
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veehb
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Location: Taylorsville, Utah, USA

Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#5

Post by veehb »

Sorry to be slow in getting back to the forum. So the percent visited number for the previous twelve months is recalculated each month, based on the total number of members in the unit in the current month. That will explain the change in historical data. We had assumed that prior months' data became a constant and once calculated and into the next month would Not change. Does storing the past data as constants really take more data storage space?

I am also ago software engineer and understand the value of keeping a database as small as possible.

Thanks for your explanation.
russellhltn
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#6

Post by russellhltn »

veehb wrote:Sorry to be slow in getting back to the forum. So the percent visited number for the previous twelve months is recalculated each month, based on the total number of members in the unit in the current month.
Kind of. I think it's based on the members still in the ward. Move-ins are not counted.
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lajackson
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#7

Post by lajackson »

veehb wrote:So the percent visited number for the previous twelve months is recalculated each month, based on the total number of members in the unit in the current month.
Yes, except that records moved into the unit in the current month are not counted. They are included during the second month.

But that is the underlying reason the numbers change each month. Those who have moved out are no longer included, so the ratio changes. With large numbers and few move outs, the results do not change much. If a ward is very transient, there will be quite a bit of variation.
veehb
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#8

Post by veehb »

Thanks for the clarification. This is confusing to those making the entries each month. I'll try to explain it to them.

Could I make a suggestion? Why not make the data for previous months become a constant and not recalculate them each month. I see no value in having historical HT and VT statistics change based on current month numbers of members in the unit. Looks like it would be easy to set the historical data to a constant and leave it the same for the rest of the year until it drops off.
Gary_Miller
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#9

Post by Gary_Miller »

veehb wrote:I see no value in having historical HT and VT statistics change based on current month numbers of members in the unit.
There is lots of value in having the numbers reflect those who are currently living in the ward. There is no need to dwell on those who have moved.
russellhltn
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Re: Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching Data Changing Each Month

#10

Post by russellhltn »

Quoted for emphasis
russellhltn wrote:Are you grading your teachers, or looking to see how well you are doing with reaching the members you are currently responsible for?
What MLS is really recording is the individual visit history. The stats are derived from that.
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