Overview planning

Problem framing defines the scope of your project, and overview planning is where you make a realistic plan to reach your goal.

Overview planning checklist

Use this checklist for overview planning.

Create a high-level timeline by week. Use a calendar tool/format that can be easily shared with your team.
Meet with the team to discuss roles and high-level timeline. Explain that the timeline will change as interview times shift.
Ensure that the recruiter is comfortable with the timeline for recruitment, and is poised to start work as soon as possible.
Give researchers access to desk research, or any early research you’ve done, so that they can review while the logistics come together.

Ensure that the logistics coordinator:

Knows the type of site where the team will be working, and is prepared to book conference/hotel space, if needed
Has identified a local contact, if required
Is poised to start developing a travel schedule (if needed) for the team as soon as interviews are scheduled.

Site types

Identifying the different types of sites where you’ll conduct your research not only allows you and the team to make a solid plan for your research, it also puts work into context. If you make a plan and realize you’ve taken on too much, revisit your problem frame and narrow it further.

If you are traveling to many sites, what does that mean for your project? Do you need to visit all these sites in order to have a well-rounded, thoroughly researched project, or could you visit fewer sites and still gather enough data? Be honest with yourself, and consider your goals when evaluating site types. Visiting the right kind and number of sites means strong, focused, in-depth work; visiting too few or too many sites can either limit you and the team, or spread you too thin.

On the other hand, if you make your plan and realize your project is really quite small, question why. Should your problem frame expand? Are you working inside a single institution, and if so, what does that mean for this stage of your project? Should you investigate other locations to round out your research work, or does the single location fulfill the needs of the project?

Sample site types

The illustration shows the difference between centralized, multi-campus, and decentralized sites. The concepts are more fully explained in the accompanying text.

Centralized, small

A small site type means you’ll conduct all your research within a single site, like a medical center or administrative building. Transit times between interview locations should be manageable, as they are all within a single or a few closely located buildings. One team of 2-3 people will suffice for research at a centralized site.

Multi-campus

Many sites may be large and campus-like. You’ll need to plan for transit times between interview locations, which can take up to 30-45 minutes walking. If driving is necessary and parking may be an issue, plan accordingly. For this size site visit, consider a site team size of 4+ people to allow for 2 teams of 2-3 people conducting simultaneous research.

Decentralized

This type of site is actually a collection of unrelated locations. Transit times between interview locations need to be carefully planned and can take over an hour, or even a few hours, considering drive time and parking. For this site type, consider a site team of 4+ people to allow for 2 teams of 2-3 people to conduct simultaneous research.

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