Designing an Effective Survey
Abstract
A survey can characterize the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of a large group of people through the study of a subset of them. However, to protect the validity of conclusions drawn from a survey, certain procedures must be followed throughout the process of designing, developing, and distributing the survey questionnaire. Surveys are used extensively by software and systems engineering organizations to provide insight into complex issues, assist with problem solving, and support effective decision making. This document presents a seven-stage, end-to-end process for conducting a survey. A survey is a data-gathering and analysis approach in which respondents answer questions or respond to statements that were developed in advance. In this document, the approach is described as a seven-stage process that includes the following steps: (1) Identify the research objectives, (2) Identify and characterize the target audience, (3) Design the sampling plan, (4) Design and write the questionnaire, (5) Pilot test the questionnaire, (6) Distribute the questionnaire, and (7) Analyze the results and write a report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA441817
Entities
People
- Mark Kasunic
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University