Preface

As a business analysis professional, I have consulted many books to find information on using surveys for requirements elicitation, with limited success. Most books devote only a page or two to surveying and do not cover important topics such as how to determine what to include in a survey, when to use each type of question, how to analyze the data collected, and methods of reporting on findings. To effectively conduct a requirements elicitation survey, a business analyst would have to complete independent research on surveying beforehand. Who has that kind of time?

This book offers business analysts detailed information on surveying. As you work through the chapters, you will find general information about surveys and learn about the different types of surveys and the process of completing a survey. The book explains how to identify your stakeholders and participants, how to write different types of effective questions, and how to use each kind of question in a survey. It also offers practical examples of questions. In addition, the book explains how to lay out a survey, conduct a pilot, send out the survey, conduct follow-up, analyze the data, and report your findings. At the end of the book, there is a comprehensive case study that walks you through the entire survey development and administration process.

This book gives enough basic information to boost your confidence in your ability to create and administer surveys. It will also be a reference for subsequent survey efforts. I hope you enjoy this book and learn as much reading it as I learned writing it. Keep up the good work!

Carol Deutschlander
Waterloo, Ontario