How to gather requirements based on Survey or Questionnaire

A survey or questionnaire is used to elicit business analysis information—including information about customers, products, work practices, and attitudes—from a group of people in a structured way and in a relatively short period of time.

What are Surveys / Questionnaire

1. A survey or questionnaire presents a set of questions to stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs), whose responses are then collected and analysed in order to formulate knowledge about the subject matter of interest.
2. The questions can be submitted in written form or can be administered in person, over the telephone, or using technology that can record responses.

Types Of Survey or Questionnaires

Close Ended

• The respondent is asked to select from a list of predefined responses, such as a Yes/No response, a multiple-choice selection, a rank/order decision
• The responses to close-ended questions are easier to analyze than those gained from open-ended questions because they can be tied to numerical coefficients.
• The Questions should be asked in a way that does not influence the response data

Open Ended

•  The respondent is asked to answer questions in a free form without having to select an answer from a list of predefined responses.
• Open-ended questions are useful when the issues are known and the range of user responses is not
• The responses to open-ended questions are more difficult and time-consuming to categorize, quantify, and summarize as they are unstructured and often include subjective language with incomplete or superfluous content

Steps For Conduction Survey or Questionnaire

Prepare

• Define the objective: A clear and specific objective establishes a defined purpose of the survey or questionnaire. Questions are formulated with the intent of meeting the objective.
• Define the target survey group: Identifying the group to be surveyed in terms of population size and any perceived variations (for example, culture, language, or location) helps identify factors that can impact survey design.
• Choose the appropriate survey or questionnaire type: the objective of the survey or questionnaire determines the appropriate combination of close-ended questions and open-ended questions to elicit the information required.
• Select the sample group: Consider both the survey or questionnaire type and the number of people in the identified user group in order to determine if it is necessary and feasible to survey the entire group.
• Write the survey questions: Ensure that all the questions support the stated objectives.
• Test the survey or questionnaire: A usability test on the survey identifies errors and opportunities for improvement.

Distribute the Survey or Questionnaire

• When distributing the survey or questionnaire it is important to communicate the survey’s objectives, how its results will be used, as well as any arrangements for confidentiality or anonymity that have been made.
• When deciding on a method of distribution (for example, in-person, e-mail, orsurvey tool), business analysts consider:
  • the urgency of obtaining the results
  • the level of security required, and
  • the geographic distribution of the respondents.

Document the Results

• Collate the responses
• Summarise the results
• Evaluate the details
• Break down the data into measurable increments.

Advantages of Conducting Survey or Questionnaire

1. Quick and relatively inexpensive to administer.
2. Easier to collect information from a larger audience than other techniques such as interviews.
3. Does not typically require significant time from the respondents.
4. Effective and efficient when stakeholders are geographically dispersed.
5. When using closed-ended questions, surveys can be effective for obtaining quantitative data for use in statistical analysis.
6. When using open-ended questions, survey results may yield insights and opinions not easily obtained through other elicitation techniques.

Disadvantages of Conducting Survey or Questionnaire

1. May require follow-up questions or more survey iterations depending on the answers provided.
2. Use of open-ended questions requires more analysis.
3. The response rates may be too low for statistical significance.

Conclusion

Survey questionnaire designers aim to develop standardised questions and response options that are understood as intended by respondents and that produce comparable and meaningful responses. They are used to gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders to determine if value has been met or exceeded and they are effective and efficient when stakeholders are geographically dispersed.