Working Groups
A program manager need not be a survey expert to ensure survey design best practices. Developed by the Beyond the E working group, this checklist helps program managers regularly review program evaluations.
Program evaluation in the energy efficiency sector runs on survey data. Process evaluations gauge whether programs are reaching the right participants and achieving intended design goals. Impact evaluations lean on participant self-reports to estimate net energy savings. Baseline and potential studies use surveys to map current market conditions and identify opportunities for more efficient equipment adoption. In short, surveys are everywhere in this work — and yet, as Tami Buhr of Opinion Dynamics Corporation has noted, survey design frequently receives far less scrutiny than other evaluation skills.
That gap has real consequences. A poorly constructed survey instrument can produce flawed data regardless of how rigorous the engineering analysis surrounding it may be. Respondents who technically answer a question may not actually comprehend it — a distinction that matters enormously when those answers are driving savings estimates or informing program redesign decisions.
Fortunately, program managers don't need to become survey methodologists overnight. Resources like the Harvard University Program on Survey Research offer guidance on survey design, administration, and analysis, helping practitioners think more critically about the instruments they review and commission. The "Beyond the E" working group built on this foundation to develop a practical checklist that allows program managers to apply survey design best practices during regular evaluation reviews — no specialized training required.
Evaluation is only as strong as the data underlying it.
Taking survey design seriously — from question construction through testing and monitoring — is one of the most cost-effective investments a program team can make.
Download the Customer Feedback - Survey Checklist here.