Thoughtful Questions for Effective Decisions
Informing Decisions
When eliciting requirements for a solution, questions often arise about how it will meet particular needs. In most cases, management provides the answers, such as how to keep solution access secure.
Occasionally, managers need information from solution users to decide how to make the solution work best. For example, what user experience do customer service representatives want when handling customers’ special requests? The customer service manager needs input from the representatives to understand their needs. He creates a survey asking what system behavior they expect in specific scenarios with customers. The manager compiles the survey responses to make informed decisions about how the solution behaves in each scenario.
Keeping Tahoe Dreamin’ Safe
When Bill Greenhaw set up Tahoe Dreamin’ 2021, he knew he would have to make the regional Salesforce conference as safe as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He needed to know the following from attendees and speakers:
Will they still attend the conference?
How do they feel about showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination?
What precautions should the conference take to avoid disease transmission?
Bill sent out a survey asking those questions. While he could have asked them open-ended questions, he gave them multiple choices, where one of the choices was a text box for comments or an answer not in the multiple-choice list.
Below are the survey questions and multiple-choice options:
1. With the current [COVID-19] situation, what are your thoughts on attending Tahoe Dreamin' at the end of October?
Please feel free to use the comment field to give more information. All feedback is greatly appreciated.
a. I will attend for sure
b. On the fence
c. Leaning to not attend
d. 100% will not attend
2. How do you feel about having to show proof of vaccination to attend?
We want honest and real feedback on this. All comments will be read and considered.
a. Please make people show proof of being vaccinated
b. On the fence
c. I will attend, but I don't think people should have to show proof to attend
d. If you make people show proof, I will not be attending
3. What precautions, with the current situation, do you think the conference should have/do?
Can choose multiple. [Use] Comments section for additional thoughts.
a. Masks required
b. Vaccinated requirement
c. Social distancing enforced
d. Limit attendance (we have a max of 550 no matter what)
e. All attendees receive hand sanitizer at check-in
Respondents who picked the multiple-choice answers breezed through the survey in a few minutes. Those who had more to say had the opportunity to do so with comments. Bill expressed his appreciation and concern for the comments.
A clear majority of respondents said they would attend for sure and wanted participants to show proof of vaccination. So then, Bill made an informed decision to require proof of immunization.
From a business analysis perspective, Bill did not consider how participants would provide proof of vaccination until he knew that most participants wanted it. He waited until he had information that participants needed to feel safe at the conference.
Thoughtful Questions
Bill’s survey asked thoughtful questions:
Focusing on a specific need (COVID-19 safety)
As easy as possible to respond
Provide an opportunity to provide additional information
The survey was mercifully brief, with only three questions. As a result, Bill received many responses, recognizing that most conference attendees are busy and spend minimal time on surveys.
The survey combined simplicity and flexibility, the holy grail of solution design and development. Of course, simplicity and flexibility require additional planning and effort. However, the vastly improved user experience makes the solution worthwhile.
Asking specific questions having minimal friction with respondents yields the best information for making a decision.