A survey plan is a specialized map for conducting a successful survey. It offers a structured framework and clear direction for navigating the complex process of data collection, ensuring clarity, precision, and strategic foresight.

Once the survey plan is complete, it is crucial to share it with all relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment and gather feedback. This collaborative step helps to refine the plan, address any potential challenges, and secure support for its implementation.

Here are the integral parts of a well-executed and successful survey:
1. Survey Strategy 2.Budget Plan 3. Timeline  4. Logistics

Survey Strategy

Questionnaire Development

Survey questionnaires are typically designed by Principal Investigators (PIs), but they may be modified depending on the circumstances. Adjustments might be necessary to address unforeseen challenges and incorporate new findings, At this stage, it is essential to determine who will be responsible for translation, and coding, where will you pilot the survey, and how the data will be analyzed. Identifying the right individuals or teams for these tasks.

💡Tip: For the pilot, make sure you don’t use your actual survey respondents. Instead, find people who are similar to them to test things out.

Manpower

The purpose of manpower planning is to determine the optimal personnel mix for a survey and define their compensation structure. This phase involves carefully considering each role, the timeline, and the organizational hierarchy. A well-structured plan like the one below can help provide a clear overview of your workforce strategy:

Effective manpower planning is crucial to ensuring operational efficiency, minimizing errors, and achieving project success within the allocated budget and timeline.This structured approach helps streamline workforce allocation, ensuring that every role is aligned with project needs and duration.

💡Tip: Feel free to add your tips here!

Timeline for data collection

This step involves deciding how you will conduct your research, what type of data you will collect, how you will collect it, and from whom or what. You should choose the data collection techniques that are appropriate for your research. You should also consider the resources, time, skills, and training required for data collection, and plan accordingly. For more detail read the section on the timeline below.

💡Tip: Feel free to add your tips here!

Logistics

Creating a logistical plan is a significant decision-making process. It outlines the key decisions and procedures that need to be established in advance to minimize challenges in the field. This includes selecting transportation methods, determining survey locations, arranging accommodation and meals, setting up contracts, securing insurance, and acquiring necessary items like devices or gifts. For more detail read the section on the logistics below.

💡Tip: Feel free to add your tips here!

Respondent and Survey Tracking

Respondent and survey tracking ensure that the enumerator 1) locates the respondent, 2) finds the respondent,  3) relays this information to the research team, 4) how many surveys should be completed per day, 5) monitors data collection and keeps track of which surveys are being checked. This data serves multiple important purposes:

• Modifying the survey timeline if respondents are difficult to locate or need to be replaced, causes delays in the survey.
• Gaining insights into response rates and missing modules by distinguishing between respondents who were unreachable and those who refused to participate.
• Helping ensure data quality by ensuring the right respondents are reached.
• Improving the accuracy of surveyor productivity estimates (e.g., did a surveyor complete a low number of surveys because they couldn’t find the respondents?)

💡Tip: Feel free to add your tips here!

Storage Considerations for Surveys and Devices

Depending on the scale and location of the project, a field office may be necessary to serve as a centralized location for storing devices, backup materials, and completed surveys. If a field office is not feasible, alternative solutions such as local storage facilities or secure transport arrangements must be considered to safeguard the equipment throughout the survey period. 

For more detail read the Data & device safety, security & maintenance protocol.

Training

Training can look different from one study to another, depending on how complex the project is, the survey instruments being used, and the research protocols. Getting ready for a training session means figuring out what information to share with the enumerators and how to prepare them for things they might face in the field. For example, sometimes a few days of field practice is really important to get them comfortable, but in other cases, it might not be needed or even possible.

Checklist before training

•  Prepare the budget, training agenda, and surveyor manual and review them with your PIs and Program Manager.
• Book a venue for training.
• Prepare paper and other materials for training.
• Invite participants. You should invite more participants than you need enumerators because you will likely experience dropouts through the duration of the training, or even in the first week of the survey (or you may use the training to select the final survey team).

Remote training

In-person surveys and training might not be possible due to movement restrictions. In such cases, training can be conducted through alternative platforms like phone calls, or video conferencing.

Best practices for planning remote training:

• Do your homework on potential enumerators and ensure that they have the required equipment for phone surveys before they come into the training.
• Break the training plan into several small sessions to facilitate better comprehension and retention
• Build enough time into the training schedule for mock sessions and team debriefs.
• Train a small team of senior field staff ahead of the actual training and leverage their support in building resources and planning for the training.

For more detail read the documentation on the Recruitment & training

Additional considerations

• Printing consent forms or surveys: Where will you be able to print cheaply? Consider not printing all the questionnaires in one shot in case you need to make changes. 
• If using paper-based surveys, make sure you print extra surveys and give them to surveyors.
• Establish channels of communication with survey teams to report logistical concerns. Surveyors should know who to contact and how to contact them in case of problems. Consider what technology field staff will have access to while in the field (e.g., they may only have access to a mobile phone). 
• Make logistics contingency plans for the big uncertainties. For example, if some villages may be inaccessible after big storms due to washed-out roads, have flexibility in the schedule so you can visit different villages when those are inaccessible, and return to those villages once the roads are passable.
• Gifts for respondents, any equipment for taking anthropometric measurements, and other survey material (e.g. stationary) for surveyors. 

Timeline Planning

Timeline planning involves creating a detailed task list of everything that needs to be done during the survey, including expected deadlines, durations, budget allocation, and team member responsibilities. Doing this effectively is crucial because data is often time-sensitive and needs to be collected while the program is active. It’s important to set realistic goals for what your team can achieve. A key part of the plan is determining how many surveys each person should complete per day.

It is also useful to map out the timeline of key dates such as religious holidays, local holidays, academic year start/end date, rainy season start/end, and known political events such as upcoming elections. Other specifics you may want to consider include:

• Gain authorization: You may need to get permission to survey from district officials. Plan for this as early as possible, as in some areas you will not be able to begin survey activities before obtaining permission. Printed letters describing the survey activities, with contact information for local contacts and the PIs, can be helpful. Failure to communicate survey plans with local authorities might delay your field team from beginning their work.
• Heading to respondents: Before starting the survey, identify which areas are likely to be the most challenging for locating respondents and which areas will be easier.

Consult maps with roads and anyone with local people(local partners/shop owners etc). Also, think about how long it’ll take surveyors to get to the survey area from their accommodation and include this in your calculation of the working day.

• How to track respondents: Determine the best times to reach respondents in your sample. For example, during periods of intense agricultural activity, many people might be at their farms for part of the day, so it’s important to figure out when they will be available. Finding respondents in a follow-up or endline survey will take longer than in the baseline, as some may have relocated, requiring your team to gather additional information to track them down.

For more detail read the documentation on the Field testing protocol

• Survey length estimation: After piloting the questionnaire, you should have an idea of how long it takes to complete one. Using this estimate, along with the time needed for travel and respondent tracking, set a daily target for the number of surveys each surveyor should complete. Keep in mind that during the initial days of the survey, most surveyors will not reach their target.
• Timing of relevant events: For example, a study on political participation may require that the baseline be completed before an election date, which requires starting survey activities far enough in advance; a study on education may need surveys at the start and/or end of the academic year; health or nutrition surveys may require avoiding religious fasting months when consumption is atypical; etc.
• Safety considerations: The survey should be halted in situations of political instability or in the dark (due to other safety considerations such as road safety).If you are working in an area where weather, such as St. Martin, may cause dangerous working conditions, factor this in as well. See the resource on Field management for more information on safety concerns.
• Size of field team: This is closely tied to the expected productivity of surveyors and the project timeline. It impacts several logistical aspects, such as the number of tablets required, the number of vehicles to rent, and the size of the training room(s). These decisions should be made early in the planning process. For further details on surveyor assignments, refer to the resource on Surveyor Hiring and Training.
• Minimizing seasonal factors or timing-related dosage changes is important: For instance, a treatment might have vastly different effects if applied right after harvest compared to during the lean season. Likewise, ensure that treatment and control groups or areas are surveyed in a balanced way. Avoid surveying all the control groups first, followed by the treatment groups; instead, aim to survey both groups simultaneously and evenly throughout the survey period.

• Additional costs:  such as overtime rates for unsociable hours, public transport schedules, private transport if surveyors need to travel at hours when public transport is unsafe, etc.

Logistics

Logistic planning is a crucial part of any project and requires a multitasker’s mindset to handle the various moving parts efficiently. Effective planning helps reduce the management burden by streamlining tasks, from organizing transportation and supplies to coordinating team schedules. Without proper logistics, execution can face significant delays and roadblocks, such as unforeseen issues with equipment or transportation. By anticipating challenges and planning accordingly, logistics ensures smooth operations and minimizes disruptions that could otherwise hinder the project’s success.

The steps are summarized into sample task lists below.

Transportation

Determining the mode of transportation:

How will the teams travel to and within survey locations? You have a couple of decisions to make early on:

• Will surveyors organize their transportation (or use public transportation), or will you arrange transportation for the whole team? If the former, surveyors should be given a separate travel allowance; if the latter, they should not. See more below.
• In some areas, surveyors may be able to use public transportation exclusively, in which case it may be cheaper and easier logistically not to hire cars. In other areas, public transport costs would impose an undue financial burden on surveyors, may cause delays in surveying, may be unsafe (e.g., for female surveyors after dark in certain areas), or may not even be available. In this case, rented cars or motorbikes should be used.
• Motorcycles are commonly used when surveyors need to move in smaller teams, or for supervisors or other staff who need to move around independently to monitor survey activities.
• In some cases, a boat may be necessary to reach certain enumeration areas (EAs). To ensure smooth operations, it’s important to plan by identifying and mapping out all EAs that will require boat access.

Contracting vendors for rentals:

Hiring vehicles or motorcycles typically involves the following:

• Initial meetings should involve asking about the costs and policies for renting vehicles. To do this effectively, you’ll need a clear idea of how many vehicles are required, which will be based on the size and structure of the field team.
• Meet with various vehicle hire companies to explore available options. Local staff, such as your field manager or local office personnel can be valuable resources for identifying vendors previously used and assessing the quality of their services.

Allowances and transportation payments:

• If surveyors use their transportation, you’ll need to establish additional guidelines regarding travel allowances.
• If using motorcycles, reimbursement is typically done by distance traveled, though it is best to first check the policy of the finance team at ARCED Foundation.
• If hiring vehicles, enumerators will not be given transportation allowances as part of their fieldwork
• If surveyors are conducting surveys remotely (i.e., via phone), the research team should provide phone recharge as part of the surveyor allowance.

Materials and devices

The size of the field team will inform how many devices (tablets, phones, GPS trackers, etc.) you need, while the type of survey activities will inform other decisions. See more on field team structures in the surveyor Recruitment & training resource

Surveyor contract clauses: 

• You should also include in the surveyor’s contract an agreement to take care to protect devices from damage or theft, to return the device to the research team as requested for maintenance or repairs, not to use the device for anything outside of project work, and not to give or lend it to others. The research team should also be contacted immediately if the device malfunctions, needs maintenance or repairs, or is lost. 
• The administrative department is responsible for maintaining the contract for allocating devices to field staff.

Equipment storage and maintenance:

• Devices should be stored in a locked office, and devices that require charging should be charged every night. 
• Buy protective covering for devices, such as cases to protect against damage from being dropped, screen protectors, etc., and install anti-virus software on all devices. 
• Surveyors should report any issues immediately, and you may also want to check devices regularly to ensure they are working properly.

For more detail see the device and data security protocol.

Other materials:

Ensure the survey team has all the equipment it needs for the field. This includes:

• Bags and folders: For surveyors to organize their questionnaires. Consider getting something durable and waterproof to protect equipment and/or questionnaires
• Umbrellas/raincoats: If you’re asking your team to work through the rainy season, this can help them persevere through a drizzle
• Stationery items such as pencils, sharpeners, erasers, and a stapler
• ID cards for surveyors: This helps surveyors establish credibility when surveying

Respondent gifts: It is standard to give respondents (in both the treatment and control groups) a gift or small compensation in appreciation of their time. Money is sometimes given, but non-monetary gifts are typically preferred unless you are taking someone’s time when they would otherwise be working.

Purchasing process:

• Resident Assistants (RAs) are responsible for requisitioning devices for the survey. The procurement and logistics department is typically responsible for purchasing devices, The Finance and administration team may need to be involved in high-value items such as Air filter 
• It is useful to have a list of clear and concise specifications before reaching out to vendors, particularly when trying to purchase specialized equipment. This task primarily falls under the responsibility of the procurement and logistics department.

For more details, check out the Procurement & logistic protocol

Budget Plan

In any project or study, there are two types of budgeting:

External Budget

This budget is primarily shared with funders and the PI. As Research Assistants(RAs), our focus is on this budget, and we typically handle it.

Eternal BDT:

This is the internal, actual adjusted budget used within the organization. It is strictly managed by the Accounts and HR & Admin departments, and RAs are not involved in this process.

RA’s Role in Budgeting

Handling Units, Not Costs:

RAs only manage the units (e.g., number of days, hours, participants) in the budget, not the costs associated with them.

Initial Budgeting

Initial budgeting is based on what we call the *assumption sheet*, which was created from the technical and financial proposal. Senior RAs or associates usually prepare this assumption sheet.

Adjustments After Discussion with PI

After the assumption sheet is ready, the budgeting process begins. Units in the assumption sheet can be modified, but any changes must be approved by both the PI and the Senior Project Manager (SPM). Changes may arise during the study or survey, affecting the budget, and these adjustments must go through the approval process.

Price List

The Accounts department provides a price list for all items and services we deal with, which can be used when preparing the budget from scratch.

Procedure for Budget Changes

• Step 1: Discuss with your team if you need any changes in the budget and obviously before it occurs.
• Step 2: Discuss it with your PI with proper reasoning.
• Step 3: Inform your supervisor about the changes.
• Step 4: You or on behalf of the team your supervisor must write to SPM & Accounts about the changes in the budget.
• Step 5: Your supervisor must have access to the dashboard of the internal budget. Comment on the changes on that particular line item and wait for SPM’s approval/feedback there.
• Step 6: After getting the approval proceed with your work not before and what about NEVER BEFORE!