Survey Plan Template
Planning each phase of the survey process helps ensure that the project is well thought out and it stays on track. A plan should consist of the timeline for each task, the messages, and resources (if needed). A survey agreement form should also be included.
Timeline
| Task | Person Responsible | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder discussion | |||
| Survey/data review | |||
| Final decision on survey that will be used | |||
| Create survey agreement form | |||
| Create messages | |||
| Create resource page (if applicable) | |||
| Design survey in platform | |||
| Pilot survey | |||
| Make revisions | |||
| Request/prepare the population file | |||
| Begin marketing | |||
| Send invitation | |||
| Send first reminder message | |||
| Send second reminder message | |||
| Send third reminder message | |||
| Send fourth reminder message | |||
| Review participation rate | Ongoing | ||
| Close data collection | |||
| Review and clean data | |||
| Data analysis | |||
| Prepare findings | |||
| Share results | |||
| Implement change |
Marketing and Messaging
Marketing efforts may include announcements through flyers, emails, meetings, newsletters, social media, tabling, and word-of-mouth.
It is helpful to draft the subject lines, content, and signatures for the survey announcement, invitation message and reminder messages in advance. Think about who the audience is most likely to respond to and consider requesting their support. Messages can be scheduled in some survey platforms and open rates can sometimes be tracked. Monitoring response rates can help inform the level of additional marketing efforts that are needed.
Resource Table
Resources can be included in any survey and are particularly important to include in surveys that cover sensitive topics (e.g., personal health, criminal acts, alcohol and substance use, misconduct, traumatic situations). The resources should be relevant to the the sensitive topics covered in the survey (e.g., Counseling Center, Office of Student Conduct, Veterans Center, Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance).
| For help with... | Program/Service | Contact Information |
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