Questionnaires & Interviews

1. Questionnaires & Interviews DeDe Tumbrink Elizabeth Brown Christie Schillinger

2. Gather information from clients, customers, stakeholders, vendors, or any other business associates • Who…? • What…? • Where…? • When…? • Why…? Inform associates of services, qualifications, capabilities, or any other business knowledge • Did you know…? • Would you believe…? • Can you imagine…? Validate you and your client comprehend everything talked about or clarify further if necessary • Do you need further clarification about…? Gain a sense of whether your client is interested in making a commitment to your project or proposal • Are you ready to make a commitment to…? • Are you interested in pursuing…? Engage your clients in the discussion and promote a collaborative dialogue • What are your perceptions of…? • What do you suggest…? Purpose of Questions Obtain Information Provide Information Ensure Understanding Measure interest Encourage participation

3. Open-Ended Questions that have no pre-specified answers Closed-Ended Questions answered from a specified set of responses Key Question Types

4. Open-Ended Defined • Also known as “infinite response” or “unsaturated” questions • Use this type when: • You cannot anticipate all possible responses • You do not know the precise questions to ask • You require explanation • To reveal personal opinions or beliefs • When help is needed to define the “big picture”

5. Open-Ended • Advantages • Puts respondents at ease • Gives respondents stronger sense of involvement • May divulge previously unknown information • Disadvantages • Length of time to answer is typically longer • Summarizing is difficult • Responses may be vague or incomplete • May result in unnecessary information

6. Closed-Ended Defined • Also known as “dichotomous” or “saturated” questions • Use this type when: • major answers to questions are well known • Forms of Questions • True / False • Multiple Choice • Rated Scale • Ranking

7. Closed-Ended • Advantages • Do not require a large time commitment to answer • Results are easily quantifiable • Responses do not require interpretation • Disadvantages • Useful information may be overlooked • May be perceived as leading, irritating or even threatening to the respondent • Discourages disclosure

8. The Power of “Why?” • “Why” is an excellent question to have in your bag of tricks. The answer… • May point out a business rule • May expose assumptions held by the person you are questioning • Can reveal implicit requirements that no one thought to mention • May supply rationale behind the requirement • May identify dependencies • May provide additional details that solidify the analyst’s understanding of a requirement

9. Questionnaires Liz Brown

10. Questionnaires • Mainstream data collection tool for… • Obtaining specific, targeted information • Measuring impact of implementation • Administered electronically or in print • Flexible • Low cost • Easy to administer • Confidential

11. Methods of Questionnaires

12. Questionnaire Steps • Selecting Participants • Using samples of the population • Designing the questionnaire • Careful question selection • Administering the questionnaire • Working to get a good response rate • Questionnaire follow-up • Send results to the participants

13. Questionnaire Guidelines • Place the most important questions toward the beginning • Group items into logically coherent sections • Do not crowd a page with too many items • Avoid abbreviations and biased questions • Number questions to avoid confusion • Pretest the questionnaire to identify confusing questions • Provide anonymity to the respondents

14. Interviews Christie Schillinger

15. Interviews • Mainstream data collection tool for… • Obtaining information from several different stakeholders • Gathering up-to-date info that is not found in documents • Administered in person • Flexible; ability to ask additional probing questions • Medium to high cost; travel could be involved • Time consuming • May be confidential; not anonymous

16. Methods of Interviews

17. Prepare general interview plan Interview method List of questions Anticipated answers and follow-up questions Confirm areas of knowledge Set priorities in case of time shortage Prepare the interviewee Schedule/coordinate time Explain the reason for the interview Inform of the topics of discussion Interview Preparation

18. Appear professional and unbiased Record all information Confirm tape recording policy Understand all issues and terms Separate facts from opinions Allow interviewee time to ask questions Summarize key points End on time Be gracious Interview Guidelines

19. During the Interview Gather… Facts, Opinions, Speculation Observe… Emotions, Body Language

20. Post-Interview Follow-up • Prepare interview notes • Prepare interview report • Recaps interviewer / interviewee names and roles • Interview date • Summary • Open items • Detailed notes • Look for gaps and new questions

21. The Real World

22. Questions?