Key Tasks Gather general information on public service delivery using a questionnaire, at meetings with community residents, or in discussions with community leaders. If people identify specific services that are delivered at unacceptable or below-standard levels, you can develop a data collection strategy to get more detailed information on that particular public service and to further explore significant discrepancies. Data collection typically will involve documenting specific complaints and their causes, and developing a comparative profile of services provided to the neighborhood compared to other neighborhoods or the whole district. It is important to provide clear evidence of actual levels of service and of residents' personal experiences. For instance, videotapes or photographs of instances of poor service can be extremely useful when you have to produce evidence.
Citizens have the right to find out from government offices what service records they maintain.
In most cases, these offices are required by law to share with the public the information they collect. Collect this information every one or two years. The first time will provide you with a baseline from which to compare changes over time. Data should be presented clearly, concisely, and evocatively. If public service delivery is a serious problem, you will need to build your political strategy around a very strong presentation of data.