TABLE OF CONTENTS All we can expect from one another is new and interesting information. We cannot expect answers. Solutions, as quantum reality teaches, are a temporary event, specific to a context, developed through the relationships of persons and circumstances.
Margaret Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science (1992)
In order to measure IT effectiveness, most firms will need to administer a survey to staff, suppliers and customers/end-users. To do this, considerable knowledge and skill relating to survey design, sample choice, etc., is required. If handled correctly, a survey can provide detailed information about systems effectiveness, but conducted poorly, the survey may be useless and a complete waste of time and money.
It is not possible to describe a single, concise way in which to conduct a survey using questionnaires. There are many different approaches to a survey, and the appropriateness of the approach is entirely dependent on the particular circumstances being addressed. Furthermore, survey design is still regarded as more of an art than a science. Unfortunately, much of what has been written about survey design has been in the form of admonishments. The focus has been predominantly on what not to do rather than on those things that will help.
It is generally agreed that each study using questionnaires is unique. Therefore, every study requires that a questionnaire be specifically designed to fit the study s peculiar needs.
In designing a survey there are three main issues to consider. These are:
The survey method
The sampling scheme
