Assignment 1: Matrix to Focus and Plan Data Collection
• Review the " Matrix to Focus and Plan Data Collection" (PST 5.1) located in Chapter 5 of the Dessinger and Moseley textbook (2004).
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• Refer to Assignments 1, 2, 3, and 4 for the background you have provided on your planned evaluation project.
(Note: This assignment is another building block that will eventually become part of your confirmation evaluation plan for your course project.)
Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:
1. Create a matrix to focus and plan data collection for your proposed evaluation, providing detailed background information about the program and the evaluation; also providing three (3) columns labeled with the appropriate headings: (1) Where will we find the data? (2) How will we collect the data (techniques and tools)? and (3) How will we store the data? .
2. Provide under Heading 1 (Where will we find the data?) at least three (3) sources for data related to the previously established confirmative evaluation questions.
3. Provide under Heading 2 (How will we collect the data (techniques and tools)?) appropriate techniques and tools for collecting the data.
4. Provide under Heading 3 (How will we store the data?) a list of storage areas and description of the processes needed for storage.
5. Provide a rationale for elements of the evaluation listed under Heading 1 (Where will we find the data?).
6. Provide a rationale for elements of the evaluation listed under Heading 2 (How will we collect the data (techniques and tools)?).
7. Provide a rationale for elements of the evaluation listed under Heading 3 (How will we store the data?).
8. Assess the value of this matrix in planning and conducting an evaluation.
9. Provide at least three (3) reliable, relevant, peer-reviewed references (no more than one used previously), published within the last five (5) years that support the paper's claims.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA. Single space the items in the matrix. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Project Assessment Tools
Background of Assessment Project
Project assessment has great impacts on the overall state of any project in the long run. It encapsulates future productivity gains, cost efficiencies, the achievable results from software choices that can be incorporated into the design of the projects and the options available for product quality improvement. Such options may be explored when and if the need arises to beat competitions in the markets. Project assessment primarily guides people towards achieving their desired solutions by providing the best business outlines that can yield favorable outcomes.
Type of information the Survey is intended to collect
Some of the key components for considerations during project assessment often include checking documentation needs, the required business practices, and the available business practices, regulatory requirements from various professional bodies and federal agencies, and the necessary documentation platforms. Evaluating the factors thereof provides insights into the current market situation and the customers' expectations, the gaps that exist between productivity and the customer needs; such information creates the realistic project expectations proving room for proper cost projections. Such cost could cover manufacturing costs, advertising, and marketing costs as well as the fees required by commerce chambers to promote products from various producers.
Project assessment follows distinct and valuable stages towards realizing the importance of the exercise. Firstly, project requirements, prevailing operational practices as well as expectations are discussed. The second step would involve the evaluation into the areas of competence, and the existing status of a firm and thirdly, the needs required to propel a firm or company from the current business practices to the goal practices would be evaluated and documented. To move from the existing practices to the projected goals, a company may have to examine the migration plans, software utilization, and the process flows.
Purposes of the assessment
The final stage of the project assessment involves presenting findings to the project team. The results basically arise from data collection using questionnaires, oral interviews, and observations followed by data analysis and drawing inferences and conclusions from the analysis for presentation to the project team. The project team in the case is part of the stakeholders concerned with project improvements. Such improvements may result in increased sales and larger market shares for products and services. Product assessment eliminates situations where companies exist without proper information on their current positions, have unrealistic expectations and improperly defined project goals.
The project assessment relies heavily on consumers' expectations. The outcome, therefore, is customized and directional with specific aims towards achieving customer needs. Some of the key aspects that may require unique considerations include workflow automation, electronic notifications, compliance improvements to eliminate imminent lawsuits, and cost savings that may encompass administrative costs and IT costs. Such reductions have integral effects on cost reduction as a measure that may influence demand for commodities thereby increasing sales.
The rationale for using a questionnaire
A questionnaire is an important tool in data collection; it is a standard way of collecting views and comments from selected individuals for analysis(Kumar & Phrommathed, 2005). . The questionnaires structurally provide the platform through which the extent of particular issues and topics can be explored within a given population of interest. Descriptive surveys also invariably seek to determine the number of people who participated in particular behavior. Sample sizes used with descriptive questionnaires often reflect the views of the study population(Rattray & Jones, 2007). Questionnaires also provide an avenue through which aspects can be explored analytically to draw relationships between particular concepts; the concept thereof has aided theory building and theory testing in commercial environments such as marketing and other environments.
Number of people in a target Audience
The numbers of the target audience in a given population often depend on the population size and the type of study involved("Types of Surveys", 2016). In some studies, the sample size representing the entire study population are often deprived through various scientific formulas.
Methods for Distributing Questionnaires
Some of the ways through which questionnaires can be distributed to the target respondents include mailing the questionnaires to the respondents. The mailing approach, however, would be ideal where market segmentation is done and specific population targeted. The second method often involves the use individual interviews where the moderators seek out eligible respondents while observing the sampling requirements. They often sometimes observe certain walk patterns while collecting data. The approach helps in achieving the representativeness of the data collected. Individual interviews guarantee better response rates because trained moderators can often guide the respondents by offering explanations to questions that appear unclear to the respondents.
Data collection
Data collection falls into two primary data collection and secondary data collection. In secondary data collection involves the collection of data originally collected by someone else for other purposes. Such data could be published or unpublished. Primary data collection on the hand includes the collection of first-hand data. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are often applied in primary data collection.
Ways of Providing Confidentiality to the Respondents
The Respondents' confidentiality can be upheld by ensuring that the data collected is safeguarded and only available for the intended purpose and can only be accessed by the approved personnel. When the need arises to share such data with other agencies, some steps should be taken to alter personal information on the data collected. Personal information on the data sheets can be redacted before such data can be shared with other agencies. When collecting data, it is necessary to assure respondents that the information collected from them will only be used for the survey and shall be protected from any malicious intent.
Sample Closed-Ended Questions on the Respondents' Demographic Information
1. What is your name___________________________
2. What is your ageMark the appropriate box
18-19
20-25
26-30
30
3. What is the highest level of education you have achieved so far?
4. What is your Gender? Mark the appropriate box
M
F
5 How long have you been in your current position?
10 years
10-15 years
15-20years
20years
Example of closed Ended Questions
1. Does our website have a unique color scheme?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
1. Our products are of high Quality
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
3. We have a robust marketing strategy
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
4. We have an effective customer care department
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
5. Our promotional strategies are up to the mark
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
6. Our website allows clients to register complaints
Strongly agree
Agree Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
7. The website's color scheme is appealing
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
8. It is easy to access website pages
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
9. We offer affordable services
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
10. Our products are fairly priced
Very Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
11. Our company provides proper feedbacks to clients.
Strongly agree
Agree Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
12. Our management system is effective
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
13.Our new program has potentials of increasing sales
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
14. Using commerce chambers to boost the visibility of our product is a fair practice
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
15. Our new program is embedded on a suitable online platform
Strongly agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Examples of open Ended Questions
1. What features would you like to be incorporated into our program
2. Do you have any reservations about the design features of our program? If yes, which ones?
3. What Improvements would you recommend to weed out the concerns you have regarding our program?
4. What are yourviews on our program in comparison to the latest innovations from our competitors?
5. What are the benefits of our new program over the previous model?
Using Questionnaires in data collection present some disadvantage to the researchers. Some of such weaknesses involve having little control in subject being of discussion; biases may also arise during observations(Del Greco, Walop & McCarthy, 1987). Mailing questionnaires may also result in low response rates hence impact the quality of research.
The lessons learned in survey development include the need to understand the subjects under study, developing of proper research questions that can generate adequate responses to the issues under research and the need to test the tools of research before commissioning a full study.
References
Del Greco, L., Walop, W., & McCarthy, R. H. (1987). Questionnaire development: 2. Validity and reliability. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 136(7), 699.
Kumar, S., & Phrommathed, P. (2005). Research methodology (pp. 43-50). Springer US.
Rattray, J., & Jones, M. C. (2007). Essential elements of questionnaire design and development. Journal of clinical nursing, 16(2), 234-243.
Types of Surveys. (2016). Socialresearchmethods.net. Retrieved 19 August 2016, from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/survtype.php