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Section 2: FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON TO DO THE JOB
Step Six: What is in a brief?
When commissioning research the most important tools in your tool kit are:
The steering group – because it is a vital means of communicating with your partners and stakeholders, managing their expectations, ensuring they are kept informed and 'on board' and minimising the risk of any nasty surprises
The brief – because it defines your project and will help to define the right person you need to do the job
The contract – because it defines the boundaries of the project and clarifies the terms, essential for both parties (see step 10)
The initial briefing meeting – because it will set the tone and direction for the project and will establish the kind of relationship you have with your researcher (see step 11)
At this stage you should look for a researcher who understands the purpose of the research and has the skills, experience, time and motivation to do the job. One of the best ways to ensure success is to write a good brief.
"The consultant said to us – ‘I didn’t think you needed to do that
so I’ve done this’ - we tried to argue our case
but the brief just wasn’t clear enough"
Commissioner
A good brief will comprise the following:
Introduction (or Aims or Purpose) – this is where you describe clearly and concisely what it is that you want to know (keep it simple and do not clutter with additional clauses).
Background – the context in which this work is being carried out: why it is being done; how you are going to use the knowledge; who the stakeholders are; and at whom the research is aimed.
“It is important to know who is going to read the report –
it will make a difference to the style and language,
especially when it comes to use of jargon or being jargon-free”
Consultant
Outputs – what you expect the project to produce, in what format and in what quantity (for example, an interim report followed by one electronic copy of the final report and three bound hard copies).
Methodology – suggested/appropriate ways in which the knowledge might be collected (for example, a combination of questionnaire and face-to-face interviews), but do invite applicants to suggest their own approaches to the work.
Timetable – a realistic allocation of time to tasks from start to finish of the project – include milestones (for example, delivery of interim report).
"Be realistic about the amount of time these things take
and the time of year at which they’re done…
if Christmas or August comes in the middle of the project
– add a month."
Consultant
Project management – establish the principal point of contact and any other management structures like the steering group – who does it represent?
Budget – if the purpose of a tendering process is to compare like-with-like you should include the budget. It is a fact of life that the scope and scale of most of the projects researchers and consultants undertake are determined by the size of the budget. If you do not include a budget at this stage, you may well have tenders that bear no relation to each other in terms of cost and, therefore, cannot be compared.
Tendering process – outline both the process and the criteria against which you will be assessing submitted tenders (for example, understanding of brief, experience and methodology) and any weighting you intend to put against those (for example, order of importance).
Definitions – explanation of any key terms or phrases (for example, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport definition of culture and the Government Office definition of the South West region).
Supporting Information – a list of recommended documents that may inform the research project which should be supplied by the commissioner on request.
Contact details and deadline – who is the first point of contact for the project, who to contact for more details, who to send the brief to (these may well all be the same person) and by when.
"If someone keeps ringing you for more information or clarification
there's either something wrong with the brief
or there’s something wrong with them –
be sure you find out which!"
Commissioner
Health Warning: Agree the brief! – you must consult your stakeholders and steering group about the brief and agree on it before sending it out. This may well avoid future conflicts as to the purpose and direction of the project and save considerable time and stress but will take time.
"the brief should include what you expect from your consultant
and what you are going to put it into it yourself"
Commissioner
For more information on writing a research brief see:
- Chapter 3 section 2 in Commissioning social research: a good practice guide (SRA)
- Chapter 2 in Commissioning market research: a guide for arts marketers (AMA)
An example of a research brief can be found in the Archive of Research Briefs.
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