Last week it was announced that the BBBS National Office IT and Research teams are working together to develop a new YOS/COS reporting tool. This new reporting tool will be available to BBBS agencies in the first quarter of calendar year 2021 and will replace the existing YOS/COS Infographic (although the YOS/COS Infographic will remain available for agency use for at least six months after the new reporting tool goes live).

Last week’s announcement of the development of a new YOS/COS reporting tool may have caused many BBBS staff members to ask “Why now?” With all that is changing in the world and how BBBS agencies are operating, what makes now the right time to change the way YOS and COS results are reported to agencies?

While this is a fantastic question, there are actually several reasons why now is the perfect time to develop a new YOS/COS reporting tool.

First, the BBBS network recently started using newly revised versions of the YOS and COS. Many of the questions and answer sets on the new surveys are different than those on the previous version of the YOS and COS. As a result, the current survey reporting tool – the YOS/COS Infographic – needs to be updated in order to continue to accurately report the information collected by the new YOS and COS. Since the current YOS/COS Infographic already requires updating in order to stay current with the new versions of the surveys, it makes sense to look at revising and expanding the reporting tool at this time as well.

Second, the National Office IT team recently expanded its reporting development capabilities by hiring a new ETL Developer, Jennifer Bodiford. Jennifer will help the IT team Extract, Transform, and Load data in support of a variety of reporting initiatives. The addition of an exceptionally talented ETL Developer to the National Office IT department makes it easier than ever for the IT team to tackle the development of a complex business intelligence instrument like a new YOS/COS reporting tool. Simply put, the National Office IT team now has the person for the job!

Third, changes in staffing responsibilities on the National Office Research team also support now being the right time to develop a new YOS/COS reporting tool. Development of the YOS and COS has always been supported by exceptionally talented National Office researchers. Earlier this year, this responsibility shifted to another talented researcher, Rebecca Porzig. Rebecca’s new focus on the YOS and COS brings a fresh set of eyes to the surveys and to guiding the development of a new associated reporting tool.

As you can see, there are several reasons why now is the right time for BBBS to develop a new YOS/COS reporting tool. The recent change to the new versions of the YOS and COS necessitates the reworking of the reporting tool. The BBBS National Office now has expanded report development capabilities. And responsibility for the development of the YOS and COS has shifted to a new National Office researcher equipped to update reporting to both fit the changes to the survey and remain in line with best practices.

All told, there is no better time than now to develop a new YOS/COS reporting tool!

If you have any questions about the YOS/COS Infographic Replacement Project, please email the project team by clicking here. We will get back to you as soon as possible.