Chapter 11
Managing a research project
Suggested solutions to questions and exercises
1. Describe the role of the research agency executive in managing a research project.
Once a project gets under way the research executive becomes the pivotal person in the
research team. He or she is responsible for liaising with those who commissioned the
research and those who are involved in executing the fieldwork and processing the data.
The level of responsibility or autonomy will depend on seniority and experience. Some
of the tasks will include:
 Administering the project on a day-to-day basis, checking progress, answering
queries from field, DP, the client
 Making contributions to discussion about questionnaire/discussion guide design
 Laying out the questionnaire/discussion guide
 Briefing and liaising with the fieldwork supplier on the set up of fieldwork
 Preparing interviewer or recruiter briefing notes
 Briefing and liaising with the DP supplier about data entry, coding and data
processing
 Liaising with the client about preparation and delivery of stimulus material
 Checking the accuracy of data tables
 Listening to tapes and preparing transcripts and notes
 Interpreting the data
 Preparing presentations and draft reports
 Liaising with the client about progress, meetings, presentation and report
2. List the information that you would give to a fieldwork supplier to ensure that they
are fully informed about the requirements of a project.
 The type of job it is
 The research design
 The methods of data collection involved
 The research locations needed
 The equipment needed
 Sample and population details (target population, incidence in general population)
 Type of sampling procedure to be used
 Sample size required
 Details of the sampling frame, if relevant
 Details of quota controls, if relevant
 Length of questionnaire
 Stimulus material or test product needed and who is providing it
 Turnaround time
 Details of previous similar jobs and key learning from them
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If it is a repeat of a previous job, the implications for the questionnaire or recruitment
screener, the use of sampling points or fieldwork locations, or particular interviewers
Details of interviewer briefing session
Details of client attendance at fieldwork
Details of return of questionnaires/datafiles/tapes for transcription
For a multi-country project or one that involves international fieldwork to avoid any
misunderstandings it is important that the briefing is as detailed and thorough as possible.
3. Make a list of the things you would look out for in checking the suitability of a
questionnaire for fieldwork.
 Is the questionnaire the right length for achieving the strike rate on which the costing
and timings are based? (If not, questions will need to be removed or modified, or the
job recosted and timings renegotiated to reflect the lower strike rate.)
 Is it likely to overburden or bore the respondent? Are all the questions necessary? Do
they require too much effort from the respondent? Might they over-tax the
respondent’s memory?
 Do the questions make sense? Are they clear and unambiguous? Might they confuse
the respondent?
 Is the language suitable for the sample? For example, will all the respondents in a
business survey understand the jargon or technical/business language used? Will
younger respondents grasp the meaning of the rating scales?
 Is the balance of questions right? Are there too many dull and repetitive questions?
 Is the content relevant to the sample? Are the questions or topics within the
respondent’s frame of reference? Will the respondent be able to articulate an answer?
 Is the order or flow of questions logical, with no unexpected jumps or changes of
subject?
 Are instructions to respondents and/or to interviewers in the right place?
 Are instructions to respondents and/or to interviewers easy to follow?
 Has the questionnaire (the program in computer-aided questionnaires) been set up so
that order bias is minimised, for example by using tick starts or by rotating the start
order in lists and grids?
 How many versions of the questionnaire are there? What are the differences between
the versions and how are they to be administered?
 Is the self-completion questionnaire or form laid out clearly so that it is easy for the
respondent to fill it in?
 For paper questionnaires, are the page breaks in convenient places?
4. List the information that should be included in a detailed set of interviewer briefing
notes. For the next project in which you are involved, write a detailed set of briefing
notes for interviewers or recruiters. If possible, compare your version with the version
used for the project.
Briefing notes may include information under the following headings:
 Introduction and background to the research
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Contents of the interviewers’ work pack
Importance of the briefing notes
Fieldwork location and sampling area (if appropriate)
Sampling practice or procedure
Details of specific eligibility criteria
Details of how to present the research to potential respondents
Detailed questionnaire instructions
Details of incentives for participants
Fieldwork timings
Return of work arrangements
Project management issues
Thanks
5. Describe the two main approaches to managing a multi-country research project.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?
The two main approaches to managing multi-country projects are (1) the central coordination approach and (2) the local approach.
In a centrally co-ordinated approach, the project is managed from the ‘hub’or centre with
some input from each of the markets involved. In a local approach, each individual
market or operation handles its own design, fieldwork and analysis.
A central co-ordination approach is suitable when it is important to ensure standard
practice or implement the same programme of research in a number of countries. It is
more likely to ensure that data across a number of markets will be comparable. A further
advantage is increased efficiency in project management, with fewer points of contact,
fewer relationships to manage. It is likely that less paperwork – fewer briefing
documents and so on – will be required. The disadvantage of a central co-ordination
approach is a loss of sensitivity in measurement and understanding – some of the
differences between markets may be lost or sacrificed to standardisation. The research
design or research method used may not be equally suitable in each market or for each
culture. Those at the local level may feel at a remove from the research at best – with no
feeling of ownership over the findings – and alienated at worst.
A local approach is suitable when it is necessary to tailor the research to the particular
local setting, and ensure that the objectives, the design and approach are suited to the
circumstances and the culture. Involving those at the local level can mean that not only is
there a greater sense of ownership of the project and the findings but that there is a
greater sensitivity to issues of market or cultural context. If one of the aims of the
research is to make comparisons across markets, this can be a disadvantage – translating
or interpreting objectives and methods to suit the local context may mean that
comparisons across markets is more difficult, if not impossible.
6. What do you need to know in order to design an analysis plan?
Listed below are the sorts of things to consider when developing an analysis plan:
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What questions is the research designed to answer? What am I looking for in the
data?
Is there a theory or model that might be useful in suggesting a framework or an
approach?
What did the exploratory research tell me? What clues did it provide?
What hypotheses do I want to explore?
What types or groups of respondents are of interest? On what basis could the sample
be usefully classified or segmented?
How will the data vary between these groups of people? What relationships or
differences do I expect between different groups?
The brief and the questionnaire are useful as guides for planning tables, statistical tests
and other analyses. Revisiting the original research problem, the research objectives and
any background information about the issue is vital.
7. What issues do you need to think about in requesting the following:
(a) a set of top breaks
In requesting a set of top breaks, the first priority should be to think about the information
requirements. Only those variables that are relevant to the analysis needs and the aims of
the research should be included as top breaks. It is also important to think about the
layout and appearance of the top breaks, specifically the number of top breaks that can fit
across the page and the order in which they appear, as this can have an impact on the
speed and efficiency of conducting the analysis and interpretation of the data.
(b) a set of summary tables
In requesting a set of summary tables, it is important to think about which values or
variables you summarise or combine; how you want the summary table to appear – what
should be the row variable and what should be the column variable; what base you want
the table to be calculated on – whether you want to filter the table on a particular base, for
example ‘those who buy now’ or ‘those who have heard of the brand’.
(c) summary and inferential statistics?
For requesting summary and inferential statistics, you need to think about what
information you need from the data to support your ideas or hypotheses and the story that
is emerging from the data, and how you can present this in an effective way.
For questions with rating scales a mean score may be useful in summarising the findings
and allowing you to compare with other mean scores; for arithmetical variables, for
example, annual turnover or number of employees, you may want the mean, the median
and standard deviation for the same reasons. If you need a mean score, think about how
it should be calculated. For example, if the rating scale runs from +2 to –2, you will need
to decide whether the mean score is calculated using this scale, or whether it should be
changed to +4 to +1 to make comparison with other data easier, or to fit with the
convention used by the client.
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To test hypotheses, you will need to specify which values or variables should be tested
and at what level of significance. You may need to indicate what type of test is most
appropriate.
8. List the checks you should make to ensure that a set of data tables are accurate and
meet the requirements set out in the table specification.
The following checks should be made on all tables to ensure they are correct and to
specification:
 Is the total sample as expected? In other words, have all responses been included?
 Does the demographic profile match the profile of the sample or the quota controls?
 Are the headings on the tables correct (project number, name, dates, client name,
table title and so on)?
 Is the set of tables complete? Did you ask for a Table of Contents? (If so, check off
all the tables against your spec and against the questionnaire.)
 For the main top breaks – are the cross breaks or top break headings correct?
 Are the top break totals correct?
 For each table:
 check that the base size is correct
 that the question has been handled in the way set out in the spec, e.g. filtered on the
correct base
 that summary statistics – means, mean scores – have been calculated correctly
 that summary codes (overcodes) are correct (that they do not total less than any item
contained in the overcode)
 that the data look right – if there are any unexpectedly high or low numbers, check
them thoroughly.
9. Describe how you would start the detailed process of analysis.
Once an accurate set of tables, or for a qualitative study, a set of transcripts, tapes and
notes, are available the main stage of the analysis can begin. Data relevant to the
research problem are selected and some informal analyses are prepared (for a quantitative
project, highlight interesting numbers, extreme values, anything unexpected; for a
qualitative project, prepare summaries of the key themes or issues emerging from each
interview or group). The next step involves preparation of tables, charts or diagrams that
summarise the findings and that build in comparisons with other relevant data. It is
important throughout this process to refer back to the analysis framework and to test out
ideas or hypotheses in the data and record the findings. As the analysis process continues
it is important to look for other data that support the story or argument that is emerging as
well as data that continue to develop the ‘story’. Comparison of the findings with data
from exploratory or secondary research is useful and can drive the analysis forward. In
this way the ‘story’ continues to build. The data are mined for evidence that supports the
findings as well as evidence that may refute them, to ensure that the story that is
emerging is robust and credible.
10. Why is it important to monitor the time spent on projects?
Recording and monitoring the time and costs associated with a project – filling in and
analysing time reports – is important for several reasons. Information in the time report
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system can be used to cost new projects – checks can be made to see how long various
aspects of similar projects took. To be useful the information in the time report system
must be accurate and up to date – hence the need for accurate and timely completion of
the dreaded time sheets. The information in the time report system is also important for
workload planning – those managing the work can assess how busy people are
(utilisation rates) and use this information to assign projects, decide on staffing levels and
determine if there is a need to develop new business. The information on time spent is
also important for reviewing individual projects, to assess how time spent on the project
compares with the original costing or the fee charged to the client. If a project took
longer than the original costing suggested, it is important to know why so that any pitfalls
may be avoided on future jobs or built into the costing.
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