How to prevent missing death screens for grandchildren

Coralee has been preparing the first batch of grandchildren data to give to Dora. Woohoo! During this process, she's found multiple grandchildren without death screens. As mentioned in a previous post, some of those were for adopted or step children. Many of them were for grands that should have been completed.

To try to prevent missing death screens, before I hit complete, I scroll through the entire grid to see if there are any purple lines that don't have a green circle with a check mark in the death column. If I find any that are missing, I figure out why they are missing.

The only purple lines that shouldn't have death screens are for grandparents. If they are grandparents of the soldier, determine if the soldier's parents are on the grid and, if they are, change the relationships as appropriate. Otherwise, it's fine for them not to have death screens.

For everyone else, either add the dummy death screen with name (adopted or step) and gender. Or input the death screen information you already found. It's easy to input a lot of information and forget to hit submit before exiting the screen.

It only takes a few seconds to scroll through the grid and make sure no grandchildren are missing death screens, and it will save a lot time when preparing future data.

March 2018 Checking statistics

In March, we checked 34 soldiers under our system. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 3
Missing HH member - 3
Duplicate people - 1
Wrong person - 5
Other - 9

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 6

Census Errors

Name - 40 (up from 5 last month)
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 89 (up from 33 last month)
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 1
Missing data - 19
Additional finds - 6
Quality Code - 24

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 10
Missing data - 27 (up from 10 last month)
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 9
Quality Code - 2
Additional finds - 6

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 8

The total number of differences for all 34 soldiers is 268. This is 128 more differences than February, when we checked 28 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized. 

February 2018 checking statistics

In February, we checked 28 soldiers under our system. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 4
Missing HH member - 2
Duplicate people - 1
Wrong person - 1
Other - 6

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 8

Census Errors

Name - 5
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 33
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 0
Missing data - 18
Additional finds - 14
Quality Code - 8

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 9
Missing data - 10
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 2
Quality Code - 2
Additional finds - 7

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 10

The total number of differences for all 28 soldiers is 140. This is 31 fewer differences than January, when we checked 31 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized. Please make sure all the soldiers' children are searched and added to the grid.

January 2018 checking stats

In January, we checked 31 soldiers under our system. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 3
Missing HH member - 3
Duplicate people - 1
Wrong person - 0
Other - 1

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 10

Census Errors

Name - 8
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 35
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 3
Missing data - 13
Additional finds - 23
Quality Code - 15

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 4
Missing data - 23
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 4
Quality Code - 6
Additional finds - 8

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 11

The total number of differences for all 31 soldiers is 171. This is 41 fewer differences than November, when we checked 38 soldiers. The number does not include errors found while assigning mothers to children. Probably 15-20 children who were listed on the Mil Info were left of the grid. That is a major error in a study that is collecting data on these children. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized. Please make sure all the soldiers' children are searched and added to the grid.

November 2017 checking stats

In November, we checked 38 soldiers under our system. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 4
Missing HH member - 0
Duplicate people - 7
Wrong person - 2
Other - 1

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 15

Census Errors

Name - 18
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 40
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 1
Missing data - 22
Additional finds - 20
Quality Code - 13

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 10
Missing data - 15
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 10
Quality Code - 6
Additional finds - 20

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 8

The total number of differences for all 38 soldiers is 212. This is 73 fewer differences than October, when we checked 40 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized.

October 2017 checking stats

In October, we checked 40 soldiers under our system. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 0
Missing HH member - 2
Duplicate people - 2
Wrong person - 0
Other - 4

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 8

Census Errors

Name - 11
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 70
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 1
Missing data - 15
Additional finds - 27
Quality Code - 16

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 8
Missing data - 68
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 12
Quality Code - 5
Additional finds - 19

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 17

The total number of differences for all 40 soldiers is 285. This is 69 more differences than July, when we checked 42 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized.

Project 2 and checking

I've recently given nearly all of you a Project 2 assignment (a couple of you are doing other things and have been given a temporary reprieve). There is a strong possibility that we will have to cut our sample size, and we cannot cut soldiers from Project 2. We need all of your help to complete it. Project 2 is so much smaller than Project 1 that we will need the whole sample to provide good information to users.

Since Project 2 is more difficult than Project 1, we'd like the soldiers that get checked to come from Project 2. So, beginning in November, if you have a Project 2 assignment, please send your partner two soldiers from that list to be checked.

Any questions?

Reminder about quick checks

This is just a reminder about quick checks. When you're doing a quick check, primarily focus on searching for no finds. If you have extra time, please spot check the inputting. A quick check should only take 60 minutes. When you get to 60 minutes stop checking.

July 2017 checking stats

In July, we checked 42 soldiers under our system. All of the checks were supposed to be quick, but six of you decided to do full checks anyway. 

I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 5
Missing HH member - 2
Duplicate people - 0
Wrong person - 0
Other - 2

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 3

Census Errors

Name - 22
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 59
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 0
Missing data - 14
Additional finds - 19
Quality Code - 16

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 12
Missing data - 24
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 14
Quality Code - 4
Additional finds - 6

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 14

The total number of differences for all 42 soldiers is 216. This is 163 fewer differences than May, when we checked 42 soldiers. This drop in errors is to be expected since most of the soldiers were quick checked, so fewer differences would be found. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized.

May 2017 checking stats

In May, we checked 42 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 6
Missing HH member - 11
Duplicate people - 1
Wrong person - 0
Other - 5

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 2

Census Errors

Name - 55
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 124
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 1
Missing data - 42
Additional finds - 13
Quality Code - 21

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 15
Missing data - 29
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 21
Quality Code - 0
Additional finds - 16

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 17

The total number of differences for all 42 soldiers is 379. This is 22 more differences than April, when we checked 46 soldiers. This means that the number of errors increased while the number of soldiers checked decreased. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized.

Quick checks

Recently, there has been a little confusion about checking. We check our work for two reasons:

1. Quality control - We want to produce the best possible data collection.
2. Ongoing training - Checking helps us figure out where the holes are in people's knowledge of the work. It also helps keep us all on the same page and following the same rules.

When you do a quick check, try not to spend more than 60 minutes. Check the important stuff first.

• Tree
• Grid
• Update Relations
• Search for missing census decades and death information
• Make sure the inputter updated HH0 (You should be able to figure this out by noting whether fields that are always wrong in the original data have been updated and not have to recheck all of it.)

After you've done all this, if you still have time, spot check the inputting. Stop when you reach 60 minutes.

On your checking documents, write a note about everything you check. If you didn't find any errors in a decade or death screen, write that down. Make sure we can tell what type of error it is by looking at what you've written. Follow all the formatting instructions that Sandy has given you in the past.

I promise, we don't make you do checking as a punishment. We want you all to have the tools you need to do great work. The reason we do a quick check and a full check instead of two full checks is to save time.

April 2017 checking stats

In April, we checked 46 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 11
Missing HH member - 8
Duplicate people - 0
Wrong person - 0
Other - 11

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 10!

Census Errors

Name - 34
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 117
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 1
Missing data - 47
Additional finds - 19
Quality Code - 10

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 18
Missing data - 30
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 9
Quality Code - 4
Additional finds - 15

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 13

The total number of differences for all 46 soldiers is 357. This is 66 more differences than January, when we checked 41 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Some mistakes are inevitable, but please pay close attention so that the number of errors can be minimized.

Reminder - Do your corrections!

We have noticed that sometimes people get their checks back, and they forget to make all the corrections the checker said were needed. I don't mean corrections that the inputter didn't agree with. I mean the inputter entirely ignored the checking document she/he received.

We don't do checks to annoy everyone. We do them for two reasons:

1. Quality control of data
2. Ongoing training

When you get your checks back, you don't have to immediately stop what you're doing. But you must complete your corrections by the NEXT DAY. If you're in the middle of a soldier, you may do your corrections before you resume work on him the day after you receive your checks.

Also, you must READ EVERY LINE that the checker wrote. Ask questions if you need to. Make ALL necessary corrections. The checker should have made that easier for you by highlighting them in yellow.

If you don't read the checks or make the corrections, then everyone is just wasting a lot of time. Sandy will probably start randomly opening soldiers in the screens to see if the corrections have been made.

January 2017 checking stats

In January, we checked 41 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 3
Missing HH member - 8
Duplicate people - 1
Wrong person - 1
Other - 4

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 4

Census Errors

Name - 25
Typo/Reading/Wrong - 88
State Code - 0
Missing/Wrong URL - 4
Missing data - 35
Additional finds - 24
Quality Code - 13

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 9
Missing data - 15
Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 11
Quality Code - 4
Additional finds - 32

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 10

The total number of differences for all 41 soldiers is 291. This is 82 fewer differences than December, when we checked 42 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences.

December checking statistics

December 2016 checking statistics

In December, we checked 42 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

MILIN?/MAR? - 2

Missing HH member - 12 (this number tripled!)

Duplicate people - 0

Wrong person - 1

Other - 13

Inferred Relationships

Incorrect relationships - 8 (this number dropped by half)

Census Errors

Name - 44 (too high!)

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 126 (this number went up)

State Code - 0

Missing/Wrong URL - 3

Missing data - 35

Additional finds - 20

Quality Code - 17

Death Errors

Typo/Reading/Wrong - 24 (this number nearly tripled)

Missing data - 32

Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 17

Quality Code - 3

Additional finds - 9

Tree Errors

Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 7

The total number of differences for all 42 soldiers is 373. This is 77 more differences than November, when we checked 48 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. So, in December you checked fewer soldiers than in the previous month but increased your errors. Let's see if we can reduce these differences in 2017.

Checking responsibilities

Here are a few notes on your responsibilities as checking partners in our monthly checking system.

• You must send soldiers to be checked to your partner in a timely fashion. Please give your partner at least a week to do the checks. If possible, send your soldiers by the middle of the month. Please take holidays into account when you do your planning.
• You and your partner must coordinate with each other. If you are going on vacation at the end of the month, let your partner know, so she/he can get you soldiers to check. You need to check those soldiers before you leave on vacation.
• If your partner does not send you soldiers to check, it is your responsibility to contact her/him, so you can get them. I have no way of knowing if your partner has not sent you soldiers.
• You must check your partner's soldiers in a timely fashion. Do not procrastinate and leave this task until the end of the month.
• Make sure you copy Sandy and me when you send the checking documents to your partner. We evaluate and use this information.
• If you have some really good reason why you don't think you can do checks during a given month (such as surgery, 3-week-long vacations), you need to contact me and make your case for why you should be exempt from checks that month. I will let you know if I approve the request. Please do this BEFORE I send out the month's checking partners, so I don't have make adjustments to the schedule. If you do not do this, I will assume that you've planned your work so that you'll be able to get your checking done.
• You must complete your checks before the end of the month and send them to your partner, Sandy, and me.

I recognize that checking is not any fun, but it is an important part of the work we do. We have found it useful for ongoing training. That is, we look at the checks and find things that inputters are forgetting or are confused about. This enables us to correct these problems and make sure everyone understands the rules. It also helps us ensure that the quality of our data is good. We would like to provide our users with the highest quality data possible.

November checking statistics

In November, we checked 48 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

• MILIN?/MAR? - 3
• Missing HH member - 4
• Duplicate people - 1
• Wrong person - 0
• Other - 8

Inferred Relationships

• Incorrect relationships - 16

Census Errors

• Name - 29
• Typo/Reading/Wrong - 98
• State Code - 0
• Missing/Wrong URL - 8
• Missing data - 21
• Additional finds - 8
• Quality Code - 18

Death Errors

• Typo/Reading/Wrong - 9
• Missing data - 37
• Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 9
• Quality Code - 1
• Additional finds - 15

Tree Errors

• Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 11

The total number of differences for all 48 soldiers is 296. This is 22 fewer differences than October, when we checked 44 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. So, in November you checked more soldiers than in the previous month and reduced your errors. Good work!

October checking stats

In October, we checked 44 soldiers under our system. I've reviewed all of the checks, and I've tallied the number of differences. Some of these are errors, and some are judgment calls. Here are the categories and the total number of differences for each category.

GRID Errors

• MILIN?/MAR? - 7
• Missing HH member - 5
• Duplicate people - 5
• Wrong person - 2
• Other - 4

Inferred Relationships

• Incorrect relationships - 16

Census Errors

• Name - 47
• Typo/Reading/Wrong - 79
• State Code - 0
• Missing/Wrong URL - 2
• Missing data - 39
• Additional finds - 17
• Quality Code - 18

Death Errors

• Typo/Reading/Wrong - 12
• Missing data - 29
• Missing/Wrong URL/Source - 6
• Quality Code - 3
• Additional finds - 8

Tree Errors

• Missing/Incorrect information/relationships - 19

The total number of differences for all 44 soldiers is 318. This is 130 fewer differences than September, when we checked 48 soldiers. Some differences/errors affect the data more than others. If we checked other pensions, we'd probably find similar differences. Let's see if we can reduce these differences in November.