Social and economic environment in Russia influences greatly the financial state of many research companies, especially regional ones.

In the recent years such influence makes many companies to cut expenses for implementation of research projects which affects, among other things, the quality. At the same time the clients interested in high quality of the executed projects pay more attention to reliability of research results, regulatory and organizational aspects of research projects.

RAI uses its own quality management system which comprises necessary regulations, special organizational structure, necessary technical facilities. This approach provides for high quality of research projects, transparency of their implementation and possibility of control by the client.

The RAI quality control system performs the processes necessary to guarantee fulfilling of the client’s needs:

• quality planning,
• quality assurance,
• quality control.

Quality is controlled during the whole life cycle of the project and comprises all its aspects and elements including:

• Project, organizational and management decisions
• Used material and technical basis, software etc.
• Quality of the works performed while implementing the project
• Quality of the project results

 

Quality control process consists of the following:

• Quality control concept definition for the project
• Planning of the quality control for the project
• Organization and quality control for the project
• Analysis of state and quality assurance for the project
• Completion of the quality control for the project
• Analysis of experience and lessons learnt as regards quality control.

RAI quality control standards meet the requirements of the European Society of Marketing Research Professionals (ESOMAR), one of the most famous and reputable research associations in the world founded in 1948.

Taking into consideration the importance of data quality control we consciously increase the requirements and exceed ESOMAR standards. Within implementation of this principle RAI has developed a technology of electronic project control. All activity as regards the project is performed using a special software system which enables the director or a client to control on-line the works performance and project execution quality.

The control procedure consists of the following stages:

1. Quality control at the stage of methodology development and data sampling calculation

The information trustworthiness is guaranteed due to a thorough study of the research sampling structure, principle of its creation, representativity. A thorough following the methodology of research lays a foundation for high quality of research information.

 

2. Quality control while preparing and during field work

Before the field work RAI employees do obligatory piloting of questionnaires as well as carry out briefings and trainings for interviewers and regional partners. During the field works each interviewer undergoes an obligatory intermediate check of performance.

3. Quality control after the end of field work

After the end of field work 100% of filled in questionnaires are visually checked, interviewer’s routing charts and regional partners’ reports are verified. 10% of filled in questionnaires are checked by a second personal interview, by telephone or by sampling of routing charts sent by post. It is verified whether the interview has really taken place and the key questions are checked. During a telephone survey all calls are registered allowing the client to listen to any interview. Quality control of depth, expert interview and focus-groups implies 100% listening to and watching of audio and video records and verification of transcription.

4. Quality control at the stage of data processing

During the data processing the primary information array is checked for completeness and compatibility.

5. Interviewers’ performance analysis for all the projects

On each stage of the project information of the interviews’ performance is collected and analyzed. A special software system allows to have detailed information of all projects in which the interviewer has participated and to assess the level of his(her) qualification for performing work under the certain project.

 

RAI standards include time gaps optimal for data collection and analysis. Each client or partner may count on a particular result in time defined by the standards.

 

 

	Time Time gaps	Executor
Defining the problem and setting the goal of the research, making a commercial offer	1 unit	Project manager
Development of the research program	2 units	Analytics and data processing department
Desk research, collection and analysis of secondary information	10 units	Analytics department
Development of tools for quantitative research	3 units	Analytics department
Preparation of start of field work	3 units	Field work department
Quantitative survey	Not exceeding 14 units * depending on the research  geography	Field work department
Control procedures	3 working days	Control department
Data entry	3 working days	Field work department
Data verification	2 working days	Control department
Preparation of computation tables	3 working days	Analytics department
Preparation of analytical report	8 working days	Analytics department
Development of tools for qualitative research	2 working days	Analytics department
Preparation for qualitative research	4 working days	Analytics department
Organization and conducting of groups	3 working days	Project manager
Preparation of transcripts	2 working days	Field work department
Preparation of analytical report	7 working days	Analytics department

 

RAI projects undergo obligatory verification of received data. This procedure is carried out by the specialists of both, the control and analytics departments, who are not involved in implementation of the verified project. Only after confirmation that the project has been implemented applying all the RAI standards the Client gets the final materials (intermediate results). In 10% of cases during implementation of (specialized) projects which require profound knowledge of the research topic specialists in related spheres, spheres of the research topic and scientists are invited.

Stages of verification of a marketing research

1. Verification of research program and  working hypotheses
2. Verification of correspondence of the tools to the solved problems
3. Verification of completeness and appropriateness of the field work plan
4. Verification of quality of data collection organizing
5. Verification of quality of questionnaires filling in
6. Verification of completeness of control procedures
7. Verification of data entry
8. Verification of completeness and appropriateness of calculations plan
9. Verification of completeness of solving the set problems in the final materials.