What a Yankee Legend Can Teach Us About Research - 7th, 8th, & 9th Innings PLUS SCORECARD
7th Inning – In addition to the stated objectives, are there specific questions that must be answered by the research?
These questions act as corollaries to the questions mentioned in the 6th inning (Who will use the research and how will it be used?). Knowing this upfront can keep research studies focused and reduce research drift. Presumably, these are the questions that will provide “nice to have” answers as opposed to the “must-have” answers.
8th Inning – How much are you willing to spend on this research? What is your budget?
The more dollars Research has to work with, the more work that can be done. Moreover, that work will generally be of higher quality. For example, qualitative research (e.g., focus groups, online bulletin boards, 1-on-1 interviews) may be able to be conducted with a larger budget. Doing so will help to inform and improve any quantitative research that needs to be done, and can in turn “humanize” survey results.
If a client is seeking to conduct a study that exceeds the available budget, hard decisions will need to be made that will have an impact on the timing and/or sophistication of the research to be conducted. The experienced researcher should seek to educate their clients on the positives and negatives of the possible alternatives and be willing to make a recommendation based on the budget, with particular focus on what the client will receive and in what form.
9th Inning – In what form do you need the results and analyses?
Sometimes, especially if time is of the essence, a spreadsheet with data and a brief explanation of results will suffice. Other times, an involved Powerpoint deck (or perhaps even a website) will need to be developed that details a study’s findings. The difference in the time required to do the former versus the latter will need to be factored into when deliverables will be available for clients.
Once Research has answers to the questions posed in innings 1 through 9, the important work of determining proper methods and approaches can begin. Then, you and your clients will truly be careful as to where you’re going and you’ll know when you’ve gotten there. Just as Yogi said….
So after going through innings 1 through 9, you’ll need a scorecard. Well - VOILA! Click below for your scorecard!