These examples are from an August 19, 2004 presentation on survey applications given by Mike Plummer to the Jacksonville, Fl chapter of American Society of Training & Development (ASTD). A survey of meeting participants was done in advance of this presentation to illustrate how surveys can be used to gather input for a meeting. This survey is given in example 5 and the results of the survey are given in example 6.
1. Evaluation matrix from a parent satisfaction survey for a magnet high school
2. Item ranking matrix from a survey of Town government employees
3. Country club dress code survey
4. Example of how to segment open-ended comments
5. Example of a survey used to gather advance input for a meeting
6. Results from ASTD minisurvey
For questions about these examples, contact:
Mike Plummer Plummer & Associates www.PlummerHR.com mplummer@comcast.net 904-223-5505
Example 1
This question from a parent survey for a high school allowed for a gap analysis of importance vs. satisfaction. This also illustrates ways of getting comments about numerous items, which saves considerable analysis time. It is also an example of how to get a lot of information onto one page of a survey.
Please rate your importance, satisfaction level, and improvement over last year with:
Example 2: Item ranking matrix used in a survey of Town Government employees. It looks too complicated but it worked well and yielded useful results. Dept. comparisons were especially useful.
Example 2:
Item ranking matrix used in a survey of Town Government employees. It looks too complicated but it worked well and yielded useful results. Dept. comparisons were especially useful.
Please rank this list of items in order of importance to you:
Rank (assign each rank only once) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Knowing what’s going on in the organization that could affect me or my job Good working conditions Fair enforcement of rules Pay Benefits Non-monetary recognition Job content Job training Job security Growth/promotion opportunities Immediate supervisor Co-workers
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Example 3 Dress code survey
This short survey is focused on the dress code in the club house of a prestigious country club. Over time, this had become a key issue with views split between older and younger members. The survey results enabled the club Board to come to an acceptable, compromise solution that they had not considered before. The verbatim comments were especially useful to the Board. This example illustrates how surveys can be used to address hot issues.
1. The current dress code allows “t-shirts, jeans and sneakers that are not holey/tattered/dirty.” What is your opinion on this issue?
The dress code is fine the way it is. The dress code needs to be changed.
Jeans T-Shirts Workout Clothes** Yes Neutral No Yes Neutral No Yes Neutral No Snack Bar Sports Bar Member's Lounge Dining Room - At all times except Wed. Night Dining Room -The Wed. Family Night Event Upper Floor Front Entrance Foyer
** Other than accepted golf and tennis clothing.
3. If a NO JEANS OR T-SHIRTS policy is adopted in all areas of the clubhouse, how would it impact your use of the dining facilities?
I would use the dining facilities more often. There would be no change in my usage. I would use the dining facilities less often.
Example 4
Categorizing open-ended comments is a time consuming task, especially for large surveys with hundreds of responses. One approach, illustrated below, is to have participant's categorize their comments.
Example 5
Survey used to gather advance information for a meeting
Online surveys can be quick, cost-effective ways to gather advance information for a meeting. The process works like this. A short, custom-designed survey is sent out to meeting participants a couple of weeks prior to the meeting. The results can be summarized and sent back to participants as preparation reading material for the meeting. The results also are helpful in finalizing the design of the meeting. The advance survey done for the August 2004 ASTD meeting is a good example of a minisurvey.
Example 6
Results from August 2004 ASTD minisurvey on the use of surveys
ASTD 8/04 Minisurvey Results
(38 respondents)