Research projects can become costly, especially when taking into consideration the cost of the researcher’s support and office support staff. Even a smaller project can have a five figure price, taking into account these factors. This article provides some criteria for evaluating if a research project is worth the cost.
Like research, the evaluation process is a useful management tool. Evaluation (or assessment) should be an ongoing and multi-faceted process for the team as a whole and as individuals. While avoiding the danger of becoming too inwardly focused, the wise leader periodically leads his team to ask themselves, “How are we doing?” While it may, at times, be scary to ask such a question, in the final analysis, is it not wiser to know?
Efficient and effective management relies heavily upon having the right information in the right hands, in the right form at the right time. The application of research findings serve two broad purposes: one internal - related to management, and one external related to disciple making process. The following lists clarify these purposes of applied ministry research and how research findings are applied.
Research applied externally for the disciple-making process:
The following diagram illustrates the on-going cycle of the research process. Note how research informs the decision making process in the "Apply the Results" and "Determine Ministry Needs" phases.
Research serves an important role in the development of a ministry team. This article will describe the contribution of research to each stage of a team's development.
Missionary Field researchers strive to provide strategic information regarding two domains: the Harvest Field and the Harvest Force. Harvest Field refers to the target culture and people group. This is the context of ministry. Harvest Force refers to the Church and specifically Christian workers and leaders. It is important to understand the context of ministry in order to make good decisions.This article will further describes the types of issues that are investigated in each area.
A research project can become a large undertaking, especially if it is a whole nation research project involving multiple field research assistants, data entry personnel and ministry partners. A Gantt Chart is one way to manage all the tasks associated with a large research project. A Gantt Chart template in Excel format is provided to manage a typical research project.
The Research Project Management Checklists found in the attached file, developed by the International Organization for Migration (www.IOM.int), are good summary of issues to be aware of in each of the following areas:
Research Project Management Principles
Research Project Management Principles
Methodology
Research Ethics
Interviews
Self Administered Questionnaires
Report Writing.
These checklists are useful in developing ministry research projects.
