A classroom, a company, a government institution, surveys are used just about everywhere today. Quality surveys in particular are the backbone of assessing public opinion. Today they’re easy enough to make, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t issues to avoid. Here are four quick steps to make the process easy.

One, scope the project out before beginning. This means research questions, a timeline, survey outline, and anything else that can be prepared. Doing this all early allows the survey to be as comprehensive as possible, avoiding future changes.

Two, use fair and directed questions. Psychology has shown that it’s easier than ever thought to manipulate through questions. Questions that require two answers, that influence the answer, and that assume should all be avoided.

Three, analysis should be comprehensive and planned. Data today can be analyzed in a range of ways. Understanding statistics has become more and more important year after year. Analyzing one’s data comprehensively is vital to a survey’s use, even if it requires an external service to do.

Four, presentation is key. After all the work is done the way the work is presented is key. If the data is great but the presentation is weak, nothing may come of it. It takes good data and solid graphs, explanations, and reporting to make use of a survey.

And these are the four easy steps to help avoid a survey failing. Anyone can carry out this process, even if it takes a lot of time and work. Focusing on quality, and being prepared to outsource can make the process a lot simpler.