In business, we are often asked to draw conclusions and make recommendations.

We have to engage in
fact finding to ensure that the pieces of information on which we base our conclusions and
recommendations are facts, not just speculation, assumptions, or opinions; we have to check any
information we obtain. Most of our fact finding will be about how things are done, but it is also
important to understand the underlying reason - the why things are done in a certain way - especially
during the initial questioning. Our aim is accuracy. We lose credibility if the facts we are using can be
challenged by others. This also requires that all evidence be documented in archives for future
reference.
There are a number of different methods of fact-finding, and we need to decide which is the most
appropriate to achieve the objective. Circumstances may dictate we use a combination of the following
methods:
Existing Records include business artifacts, such as organization charts, job descriptions,
company reports and accounts, departmental/procedural records, and user manuals. These are
appropriate to use when well-established processes are in place and documented.
Written Surveys and Questionnaires can be used to collect information about attitudes and
"hard" data from a large group. The advantages of using this method are that they cover a large
target population and are reasonably inexpensive. The drawbacks are the low return rate from
participants, generally 20 - 50% from random samples, and the need for very careful
construction in order to obtain valid information. Of great concern is that participants self-
select, meaning that people with strong feelings, either good or bad, will be more likely to
respond than people who are indifferent to the topic.
Telephone Surveys are a rapid method of surveying the targeted population. They are more
expensive than written surveys, but achieve higher rates of return. These are difficult to use for
sensitive or personal topics since respondents will be reluctant to reveal this information.
Direct Observation and Site Visits are very useful at the beginning of a project to get a better
understanding of the operations and begin building trust and rapport with the participants. It's
always a good idea to go and see things for ourselves, although this may be expensive.
Interviewing and Discussion require good preparation and a certain amount of skill to be
productive. These should be scripted, but allow the interviewer leeway to pursue tangential
topics.
Workshops / Focus Groups are an excellent approach to use for brainstorming, envisioning
new approaches to a problem, and getting up to speed quickly on new topics. Typically, an
interactive workshop contains between 5 and 20 participants and is conducted by an
experienced moderator. Focus groups tend to be smaller in size, averaging between 6 and 12
participants. The main differences between the two group-types are workshops tend to be used
for internal staff who will break into sub-groups to tackle specific issues, while focus groups are
used for customers or external shareholders.
Internet/Virtual Conferencing is used to gather "expert opinion" from around the world. This
is typically rapid and makes efficient use of resources, but requires technological infrastructure