It’s not cricket
I’ve seen quite a few written research briefs in my time.
And most of them, from a researcher’s point of view, have been hard work. Too much information, not enough information, odd information, wrong information, etc.
This used to really bug me. Why, I’d wonder, tearing my hair out, couldn’t clients learn to write good research briefs?
And then, one day, it clicked. Humble pie, etc. It’s not really cricket to ask, or expect them to. A clients’ job is to use the research, not to have to design it too. Ahem. That’s my job.
While a beautifully written brief might make our lives, as researchers, easier, it won’t necessarily make the research any better. In fact, more often than not, the most useful information for developing a research programme comes from sitting down for a chat with a client. Talking through the issues invariably helps both parties shape and focus their thinking well beyond a written brief.
Filed under: market research, qualitative research | 3 Comments
Tags: research brief
-
-
-
Click here to subscribe with RSS
-
-
-
Zebra Bites by Katie Harris is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License. -
I don’t yearn for good briefs, just clear ones. And, as you say, a bit of two-way dialogue is the best way to provide that clarity and focus.
A good brief they say is hard to find…or however the song goes.
It’s one of those things that people are rarely schooled in yet it’s really hard to write a good brief. There is often too much emphasis on including the right information rather than asking yourself the right questions.
Bring on brief school!
@ Matt, it’s definitely about clarity and focus. Unless it’s blue sky research (and who has the budget for that?!), a clear, focussed brief pays dividends to all.
@ Kate, defining the right questions is where a lot of the brain-work is. That’s why I find the briefing discussions so helpful; they force everyone to really think and invariably, that means better questions and more useful outputs.