Components involved in feedback

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For successful database feedback, you will have to consider the different components of the stakeholder feedback process.

1.

The stakeholder directory. The stakeholder database or directory server contains the attributes of all your stakeholders. These attributes can be used to determine what data has to be updated during the feedback process. They can also directly be placed in the destination database that you use for feedback. When a new directory server is created in the Metatude Project Manager, you choose which attributes of the stakeholders you will be using. Only the attributes that you select here will be available to you when you define a Database Feedback Template (DFT). When you use multiple directory servers it is generally a good idea to define custom attributes. These custom attributes can also be used in the feedback process, just as they are used in the result files.

2.

The dialogue. The dialogue contains the questions that you will be asking your stakeholders. The answers that they will be giving to these questions can be placed in your destination database. Each type of question is placed into the destination database in a different manner. Therefore, it is important that you decide on the right questions to ask, and on the right question type for each question. The feedback process can be used for interactive surveys in the same manner as it is used for non-interactive surveys. When you define a template, you will have to keep in mind that some questions might not be displayed to all respondents. The template contains a section where you can define what has to be done if a respondent does not answer a particular question.

3.	The project. When an ad-hoc project is used, a template is executed only once for each respondent to a survey. When you use a continuous project, the same templates will be executed in each period of the project. This way, it is possible to have a continuous database feedback system.

4.

The destination database. You can choose to which database the information from surveys has to be fed back. You can use multiple databases for one survey, if this is desired. For each destination database you can decide if you want to update information or if you want to insert new information. You can create a new database in which the feedback will take place. However, the feedback process is designed to place data in your existing databases. Only columns in each table that you choose will be used. It is also possible to use the stakeholder database as a destination database. This way, you can create a 'closed loop'. For a continuous project, you can even create target groups that are based on the feedback of your surveys.

5.

The Database Feedback Template (DFT). The templates are used to define what data is fed back where. You use an intuitive graphical interface to describe what information that is gathered from surveys will be placed in which columns of the table in your feedback database. When you update your existing data you can describe what data has to be updated by selecting update criteria. You can use attributes from respondents for defining your update criteria, among other criteria. The interface for defining these criteria is similar to the interface that is used for defining target group rules. If you want to add more rows of data to a database when a respondent completes a survey, you can define multiple templates for one project.