The questions you ask dictate the answers you get.

Too often, "wrong" or "not actionable" answers are dismissed when, really, the wrong questions were asked of the wrong people for the wrong reasons.

To ensure that you get the right answers to the right questions, we spend time upfront clarifying why, what, and who questions before diving into the how's:

• Why are you interested in doing research for this project? Why is it important to you/your firm to spend time and money investigating this issue?  Why now?
• What is the business issue or need that is really driving this project? Is this a symptom of a deeper or bigger issue? What learning has already occurred?
• Who will be impacted by this research? Who will use the results? for what purpose? Who is paying for it and what stake do they have in the results?

Once we are all clear as to the why's, what's, and who's, we can agree on the How's of

• question-development (e.g., are we concerned about customer acquisition or retention questions or both?)
• data collection (e.g., is a survey really necessary to address these questions or is secondary research more cost-effective?)
• analysis (e.g., is our sample large enough for desired subgroup comparisons?)
• and reporting (e.g., do we need a top-line report only or a is a workshop with employees necessary to discuss sensitive results?)

The How's of research often take centerstage during initial discussions about projects, but we believe emphasis on the why's, what's, and who's ensures that the right how's are implemented.  If we understand you better, we can help you better understand...

 SIKORA ASSOCIATES, LLC 

Helping organizations understand...