Research Data & Evaluation
We leverage data to strengthen programs, sharpen decisions, and drive lasting results.
A-G brings the methodological rigor of a research institution with the operational awareness of a team that has spent decades inside federal programs. We design and execute qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research that strengthens programs, informs policy, and guides investment decisions—from national cross-site evaluations and predictive analytics to data integration, visualization, and real-time performance reporting.
Our work ensures data is not simply collected but leveraged—to improve outcomes, allocate resources effectively, scale what works, and retire what doesn’t.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Program Evaluation
We design and implement formative, process, and summative evaluations for federal programs, grant-funded initiatives, and multi-site implementations. Our evaluation work covers the full lifecycle: evaluability assessments, logic model development, indicator design, data collection and analysis, and reporting that connects findings to actionable recommendations.
Applied Research & Analysis
Beyond evaluation, we conduct original research that advances knowledge and informs policy. This includes literature reviews and environmental scans, needs assessments and landscape analyses, policy analysis and legislative review, qualitative research (interviews, focus groups, case studies), and quantitative analysis using administrative, survey, and claims data.
Data Integration & Visualization
Our data visualization work goes beyond dashboards. It's about intentional design. We first seek to understand how leadership actually consumes information, and design intentional systems—interactive tools, executive briefs, and real-time displays that answer the questions leaders are asking, not just the questions the data happens to support.
Predictive Analytics & Reporting
We help organizations move from backward-looking reporting to forward-looking intelligence. Using statistical modeling, predictive analytics, and performance benchmarking, we identify patterns, forecast risk, and equip leaders with the information they need to intervene earlier and allocate resources more effectively.
Grants Management
As advisors to federal agencies administering grants, strategic partners to community based grantees, and recipients of grant funding ourselves, we bring a unique 360-degree perspective to the federal grant lifecycle. From pre-award planning and application development to implementation, compliance oversight, performance monitoring, and closeout reporting, we do it all.
Evaluation Technical Assistance
Not every organization needs a full evaluation team. Some need help building their own. We provide evaluation technical assistance to grantees, coalitions, and program teams—helping them develop evaluation plans, design data collection instruments, build internal analytic capacity, and interpret findings for continuous improvement.
How Research-Driven Strategy Helped to Define Identity for America's Newest Military Service
The Challenge: Building Culture and Meaning Through Language
As the Space Force emerged as an independent service, Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman emphasized the importance of linking systems directly to Guardian identity, describing the Space Force as a “highly technical service” whose culture is defined by its capabilities as much as its people.
This effort required more than creative naming—it demanded culturally informed, defensible research that could withstand senior scrutiny and shape institutional identity for decades to come. SAF/PA needed a partner with deep expertise in military culture, qualitative research, human subjects compliance, and executive-level communications.
Our Approach: Guardian-Centered, Research-Driven Strategy
By conducting in-person focus groups at Space Force installations across the country, A-G ensured broad representation and candid feedback, mirroring the Space Force’s commitment to Guardian-driven decision-making. Discussions explored how language, symbolism, and naming conventions reinforce warfighting identity, mission clarity, and pride of service—critical components for a new military branch defining itself on the global stage.
What made A-G’s solution unique was the integration of cultural fluency and methodological rigor—ensuring that insights were not only analytically sound but also deeply aligned with Service values and operational realities.
The Results: Defining Space Force Weapons Naming Strategy
A-G delivered rapid, insight-rich analysis that directly informed senior leader decision-making and enabled the Space Force to move confidently toward finalizing its weapons system naming conventions. In just three weeks, the A-G team conducted 15 in-person focus groups across Space Force installations throughout the continental United States, capturing diverse Guardian perspectives at scale. Within an additional six weeks, the team delivered insight-rich analysis that directly informed senior leader decisions and enabled the Space Force to move confidently toward finalizing naming conventions.
Evidence Strengthens Everything
At A-G, research and evaluation are woven into every capability we offer. When we develop a strategy, we ground it in evidence. When we engage stakeholders, we measure the outcomes of that engagement. When we manage grants, we build evaluation in from the start. Our integrated model means clients get one team that can design the program, implement it, evaluate it, and improve it.
Ready to Turn Data Into Direction?
Whether you need an independent evaluation of a federal program, grants management support for a multi-site initiative, or a data strategy that turns reporting into real-time decision-making, A-G brings the evidence, expertise, and operational understanding to deliver findings that matter.