Measure a substantive response with a denominator you can defend
https://civictechfund.africa/guides/closing-feedback-loop/

A receipt confirms that a channel accepted a report. It does not establish that the responsible office answered the issue or that the problem was resolved. Define those milestones before building a dashboard.

A fictional 20-case cohort

MilestoneCasesMeaning

Eligible reports received in the stated period20Defined starting cohort

Automatic receipt issued20Receipt only

Reasoned response from responsible office1260% of the 20-case cohort answered

Resolution supported by applicable evidence735% of the cohort; not 100% satisfaction



Eight cases remain without a substantive response at the observation cutoff. Do not delete them to improve the percentage. Seven resolutions do not tell you whether every participant was satisfied, whether the service caused the result or whether the other cases will later be answered.

Set a reviewable reporting rule

Define the eligible case, receipt window, observation cutoff and exclusions before calculating.

Record the first substantive response separately from automatic receipts and transfers.

State which evidence permits a resolution status and allow the participant to challenge a mistaken closure.

Publish aggregates without private case details. Review small groups for re-identification risk rather than exposing a case list.

For response-time summaries, state which cases were answered and keep unanswered cases visible. Do not describe the answered subset as the whole cohort.



Research on civic-technology participation highlights feedback and dialogue as part of engagement. This reporting card is an original operational proposal, not a measured result for SEMA, Loop, the fund or a government programme. It does not announce a new grant call. Private identifiers, contact data and attachments belong in controlled case records, not the public worksheet.



Text equivalent: 20 reports → 20 receipts → 12 substantive answers → 7 evidenced resolutions → 8 still unanswered

Eligible-case definition: __________________________

Receipt window: __________________________

Observation cutoff and timezone: __________________________

Exclusions with reasons: __________________________

Cohort count: __________________________

Substantive-response definition: __________________________

Answered count: __________________________

Unanswered count: __________________________

Resolution evidence and count: __________________________

Privacy review: __________________________

What the figures do not establish: __________________________

Original response ladder. Counts are fictional; receipt, answer and resolution are separate milestones.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2017.1349939