What to change
Treat collection coverage as part of the comparison context. Ask the measurement owner to identify what changed and which observations may now be absent or treated differently. Keep the change in the report notes and compare independent operational evidence where appropriate. Do not invent a multiplier to restore the earlier total. The practice needs an honest explanation of what the current measurement can support before deciding that a campaign or website has deteriorated.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: A fictional report marks a measurement break instead of joining the periods as fully equivalent. After a collection-setting change, fewer visits may be observable in analytics even though operational enquiry records do not show the same decline. The measurement owner explains the affected measures and marks the reporting break. Your team uses compatible independent evidence cautiously and avoids inventing a correction factor. The result is a narrower but defensible conclusion about observed activity, rather than an unsupported claim that unobserved demand disappeared.
What this means for your practice
A change in consent or collection settings can alter which activity is visible in analytics. A lower recorded total afterwards does not automatically establish fewer visitors or enquiries. Ask the measurement owner what changed and which measures are affected. Keep that change beside the trend and compare consistently observed evidence where available. Independent operational totals may offer useful context, but they still need compatible definitions. Avoid inventing a multiplier to recreate earlier coverage. Your practice needs to understand what the current report can support and where comparison is limited before deciding that a campaign or website has deteriorated. The collection decision and the performance interpretation should remain clearly distinguished.
How to check the result
The narrative distinguishes changed observation from established behavioural change.
A mistake to avoid
A collection change is not evidence that unobserved activity disappeared.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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