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Focus Group & Feedback Integration Plan (RFQ Stage 5)

Version: 1.0
Status: Draft
Date: 2025-10-10
Estimated Reading Time: 30-40 minutes

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Focus Group Facilitation Plan
3. Participant Selection Criteria
4. Feedback Collection Mechanisms
5. Feedback Integration Process
6. Success Metrics
7. Timeline for Stage 5 Activities
8. Stakeholder Communication Plan
9. Documentation Update Procedures
10. Appendices

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1. Introduction

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1.1 Purpose

This Focus Group & Feedback Integration Plan outlines the approach for conducting focus groups with pilot NGOs (RFQ Stage 5) and incorporating feedback into the final deliverables of the NGO SRM ROI Calculator. Objective: Conduct ≥3 NGO focus groups within a 4-week window to validate calculator usability, gather actionable feedback, and integrate improvements into the Methods Note, Data Schema, Pilot Pack, and calculator implementation.

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1.2 Scope

This plan covers:

• Focus group facilitation: Agendas, participant selection, logistics
• Feedback collection: Surveys, interviews, observation protocols, usage analytics
• Feedback integration: Categorization, prioritization, and incorporation into deliverables
• Timeline: 4-week window for focus groups + 2-week integration period
• Stakeholder communication: How findings will be shared with GISF, NGOs, and development team

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1.3 Alignment with RFQ Requirements

RFQ Stage 5: Focus Group & Feedback Integration Requirements:

• Conduct ≥3 NGO focus groups
• Mix of roles: security managers, finance staff, field operations coordinators
• Structured feedback collection mechanisms (surveys, interviews, analytics)
• Documented feedback integration process
• Timeline for activities within 4-week window
• Stakeholder communication plan

This Plan Delivers: All requirements above, plus success metrics, documentation update procedures, and appendices with templates.

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2. Focus Group Facilitation Plan

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2.1 Focus Group Structure

Format: 2-hour virtual or in-person facilitated session with 5-10 NGO participants per group Objectives:

1. Validate calculator usability (can participants complete core ROI workflow independently?)
2. Assess documentation clarity (Methods Note, Data Schema, Pilot Pack)
3. Identify pain points, confusing terminology, and workflow barriers
4. Gather feature requests and enhancement ideas
5. Collect qualitative insights on calculator value and relevance

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2.2 Focus Group Agenda (2 Hours)

Total: 2 hours

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2.3 Facilitator Roles

Lead Facilitator (1):

• Guides agenda, manages time, moderates discussion
• Ensures all voices heard, prevents dominant participants from monopolizing

Note-Taker (1):

• Documents key feedback, quotes, pain points, feature requests
• Tracks consensus themes and outlier perspectives

Technical Support (1, optional for virtual sessions):

• Manages screen sharing, breakout rooms, chat
• Troubleshoots technical issues (login, audio, video)

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2.4 Materials Required

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3. Participant Selection Criteria

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3.1 Target Participant Profile

Roles (Mix Required Per Focus Group):

• Security Managers/Focal Points (40%): Primary users responsible for security planning and budgeting
• Finance Staff (30%): Provide cost data, validate NPV/ROI calculations, support donor reporting
• Field Operations Coordinators (20%): Provide incident data, assess qualitative benefits (access, continuity)
• Executive Leadership (10%, optional): Validate strategic relevance and decision-making utility

Organization Types:

• Small NGOs (less than 50 staff): 1 per focus group
• Medium NGOs (50-200 staff): 1-2 per focus group
• Large NGOs (>200 staff): 1 per focus group

Geographic Diversity:

• Stable Contexts (urban offices, low-risk): 1 per focus group
• Moderate-Risk Contexts (field operations, moderate insecurity): 1-2 per focus group
• High-Risk Contexts (conflict zones, high insecurity): 1 per focus group

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3.2 Recruitment Strategy

Target: ≥3 focus groups with 5-10 participants each = 15-30 total participants

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3.3 Incentives & Commitments

Participant Commitments:

• Attend 2-hour focus group session
• Complete pre-session and post-session surveys (15 min each)
• Optional: Participate in 1-hour follow-up interview

Incentives (Optional, to be determined by GISF):

• Early access to calculator and documentation
• Recognition in final report as pilot contributors
• Certificate of participation for professional development

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4. Feedback Collection Mechanisms

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5. Feedback Integration Process

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6. Success Metrics

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6.1 Focus Group Participation Metrics

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6.2 Feedback Quality Metrics

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6.3 Integration Effectiveness Metrics

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7. Timeline for Stage 5 Activities

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7.1 Phase Timeline (6 Weeks Total)

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7.2 Detailed Schedule (Weeks 1-6)

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7.3 Contingency Planning

Risk: Insufficient NGO participation (less than 15 participants)

• Mitigation: Extend recruitment window by 1 week; offer flexible scheduling; conduct smaller groups (3-5 participants)

Risk: Technical issues during virtual sessions

• Mitigation: Pre-test Zoom/Teams setup; provide technical support contact; record sessions for later review

Risk: Feedback analysis takes longer than 1 week

• Mitigation: Allocate 2 team members to analysis; use automated categorization tools (e.g., NVivo, Dedoose)

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8. Stakeholder Communication Plan

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8.1 Stakeholder Groups

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8.2 Communication Templates

Template 1: Weekly Update Email (to GISF) Subject: Focus Group Progress Update - Week [X] Body:

Status: [On track / Delayed / Ahead of schedule] This Week:

• Focus Group [N] completed with [X] participants ([roles])
• Key themes emerging: [list 3-5 themes]
• Notable feedback: [1-2 quotes or insights]

Next Week:

• Focus Group [N+1] scheduled for [date]
• Follow-up interviews with [X] participants

Risks/Issues: [None / List any concerns] Action Required: [None / List if GISF assistance needed]

Template 2: Feedback Summary Email (to Participants) Subject: Thank You - Your Feedback is Improving the NGO SRM ROI Calculator Body:

Dear [Participant Name], Thank you for participating in the NGO SRM ROI Calculator focus group on [date]. Your insights were invaluable in helping us improve the tool for the broader NGO community. What We Heard:

• [Top 3-5 feedback themes]
• [Notable feature requests or pain points]

Actions We’re Taking:

• [Must Have fixes implemented]
• [Documentation updates completed]
• [Features added to P2 roadmap]

Updated Materials:

• [Links to updated Methods Note, Data Schema, Pilot Pack]
• [Link to release notes]

Next Steps:

• We’ll keep you updated on P2 scenario modeling implementation
• You’ll receive early access to new features as they’re released

Thank you again for your time and expertise! Best regards,
[Project Team]

Template 3: Final Report (to GISF & Stakeholders) Subject: RFQ Stage 5 Complete - Focus Group & Feedback Integration Report Contents:

1. Executive Summary: Participation metrics, top feedback themes, actions taken
2. Methodology: Focus group structure, participant selection, feedback collection
3. Findings: Categorized feedback with quotes and examples
4. Integration Actions: Documentation updates, bug fixes, feature roadmap
5. Success Metrics: Participation, feedback quality, integration effectiveness
6. Recommendations: Lessons learned, next steps for P2 implementation

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9. Documentation Update Procedures

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9.1 Version Control

Semantic Versioning:

• Major (X.0): Breaking changes, major methodology updates
• Minor (X.Y): Additive changes, new sections, feedback-driven enhancements
• Patch (X.Y.Z): Clarifications, typo fixes, no substantive changes

Example:

• Methods Note v1.0 (initial release) → v1.1 (post-focus group updates)

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9.2 Change Tracking

Change Log Format (in each document):

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9.3 Approval Process

Step 1: Draft Updates

• Documentation Team drafts changes based on feedback

Step 2: Peer Review

• Technical Lead reviews for accuracy
• UX Lead reviews for clarity

Step 3: Pilot Participant Validation (Optional)

• Share updated sections with 2-3 focus group participants for validation
• Confirm updates address their feedback

Step 4: Final Approval

• Project Lead approves and merges to main branch
• Publish updated documentation on website/repository

Step 5: Communication

• Send feedback summary email to all participants
• Publish release notes

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9.4 Archive & Traceability

Archive Original Feedback:

• Store survey responses, interview transcripts, observation notes in /specs/002-close-rfq-driven/focus-groups/
• Anonymize participant identifiers (use P1, P2, P3, etc.)

Link Feedback to Changes:

• Each documentation change references originating feedback (e.g., “Added FAQ item per P7 request”)
• GitHub Issues link to feedback items for traceability

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10. Appendices

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Appendix A: Discussion Guide

Section 1: Calculator Usability (10 minutes)

• What was your first impression of the calculator?
• Which steps in the workflow were easy? Which were confusing?
• Did you encounter any errors? Were error messages helpful?

Section 2: Data Preparation (5 minutes)

• How long did it take you to gather your data (or would it take)?
• Were the templates helpful? What would improve them?
• Did you have all the data required, or were there gaps?

Section 3: Results Interpretation (5 minutes)

• Do the ROI, EAL, NPV, and Payback Period results make sense?
• How would you explain these results to your executive team or donors?
• What additional metrics or breakdowns would be useful?

Section 4: Documentation Clarity (5 minutes)

• Did the Methods Note help you understand the calculations? (Show excerpt)
• Was the Data Schema clear about required fields? (Show excerpt)
• Would the Pilot Pack enable you to run a pilot independently? (Show excerpt)

Section 5: Feature Priorities (5 minutes)

• What features would make the calculator more useful for your work?
• How important is scenario comparison (baseline vs. intervention)?
• Would sensitivity analysis (testing different assumptions) be valuable?

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Appendix B: Participant Invitation Email

Subject: Invitation: NGO SRM ROI Calculator Focus Group Body:

Dear [Participant Name], You are invited to participate in a focus group to help us improve the NGO Security Risk Management ROI Calculator, a new tool designed to help NGOs quantify the financial value of security investments. Purpose: Gather feedback on calculator usability, documentation clarity, and feature priorities to ensure the tool meets NGO practitioner needs. Time Commitment:

• 2-hour focus group session (virtual via Zoom)
• 15-minute pre-session survey (sent 1 week before)
• 15-minute post-session survey (sent 24 hours after)
• Optional: 1-hour follow-up interview

What You’ll Do:

• Participate in a live demo of the calculator
• Complete a hands-on exercise using sample or your own data
• Share feedback on usability, clarity, and usefulness

Benefits:

• Early access to the calculator and documentation
• Opportunity to shape the tool’s future development
• Recognition in final report as a pilot contributor

Dates: [List 3 available dates/times] RSVP: Please confirm your availability by [date] by replying to this email. Questions? Contact [Project Lead Name] at [email]. We look forward to your participation! Best regards,
[GISF / Project Team]

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Appendix C: Pre-Session Survey

[See Section 4.1 for full survey questions]

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Appendix D: Feature Prioritization Matrix

Instructions: Rank the following P2 features by importance (1=Most important, 5=Least important)

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Appendix E: Post-Session Survey

[See Section 4.2 for full survey questions]

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Appendix F: Observation Template

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Appendix G: Follow-Up Interview Guide

Section 1: Deep-Dive on Participant’s Data (20 min)

• Walk through participant’s actual incident data
• Discuss ARO/SLE estimation challenges
• Review cost data and categorization

Section 2: Results Interpretation (15 min)

• How do results compare to expectations?
• What surprised you?
• How will you use results in your organization?

Section 3: Feature Requests (15 min)

• What additional features would be most valuable?
• How would you prioritize P2 scenario modeling features?
• What integrations or exports would be helpful?

Section 4: Long-Term Adoption (10 min)

• Will you continue using the calculator?
• What barriers to adoption exist in your organization?
• How can we support broader NGO community adoption?

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Document Control

Version: 1.0
Status: Draft
Date: 2025-10-10
Next Review: Upon completion of focus groups (Week 6) Change Log: Approval Sign-Off:

• ✅ Technical Lead - Feedback integration process validated
• ⏳ Product Owner - RFQ Stage 5 requirements fulfilled (pending review)
• ⏳ GISF Stakeholder - Focus group plan approved for execution (pending review)

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End of Focus Group & Feedback Integration Plan For calculation methodologies, see the Methods Note. For data preparation, see the Pilot Pack & Data Readiness Guide.