Pre-flight survey

published

Discover early insights, build trust, set realistic expectations, and create a shared understanding among stakeholders to start from a place of clarity and purpose with a pre-flight survey.

What this solves

Projects typically start with two groups: one riding high on excitement, the other already doubting the outcome. This survey bridges that gap. It gets everyone aligned, so you can hit the ground running.

This approach builds momentum by creating a shared understanding early, so you can begin from a position of shared understanding and move straight into strategic alignment.

An illustrated chart depicting the stages of project enthusiasm and alignment through a hype cycle. The curve begins with a steep rise to the 'Peak of Inflated Expectations,' representing the high energy of stakeholders. It then drops into the 'Trough of Disillusionment,' symbolising the project's initial challenges and the project lead's feelings of doubt. Following this, the curve ascends the 'Slope of Alignment' as mutual understanding and strategy improve. Finally, it levels out at the 'Plateau of Productivity,' signifying steady, productive progress. Labels point to different roles, highlighting the divergent perspectives between stakeholders and project leads at various stages.

Projects like ideas are fragile in their early stages. I think of this stage as navigating the hype cycle: while one side might be soaring on the “peak of inflated expectations,” the other could be stuck in the “trough of disillusionment.” The pre-flight survey ensures everyone is on the same page before we hit either extreme, helping you maintain enthusiasm without unrealistic expectations.

What is it

A tool for clarity and alignment

Survey Template A set of open-ended questions to collect essential information fast.

Project Context document A summary of what we know so far — no fluff, just the essentials to guide the project.

Expected outcomes

  1. Build trust fast: Reflecting the client’s own words to them builds credibility from the start.
  2. Alignment: Get everyone on the same page before the kickoff, so you’re not wasting time on basic questions.
  3. Managed expectations: Avoid the inflated hopes and early disillusionment by setting the right expectations up front.

Instructions

Step 1: Send the survey

Send a brief intro email to all key stakeholders position it as a collaborative step to co-create the project’s vision, not a task. — it’s a quick way to get thoughts down and start shaping the project. Focus on making it collaborative, not overwhelming.

An example message:

Subject: Project name - welcome survey

Hi Name, We need your input. It’ll be quick, I promise.

We’re gearing up for the project, but before we dive in, we’d love your thoughts on a few key questions. It should only take 15 minutes and will help us shape the project’s direction.

Thanks in advance for your time and insight!

Step 2: Gather and analyse

Review the responses. Look for themes, contradictions, and key insights. Don’t get lost in the weeds — surface the patterns and summarise the big ideas.

Step 3: Kickoff session

Use what you’ve learned to guide the kickoff. This is your chance to dive deep, not rehash basics. Set the agenda around the information gathered, and tackle potential challenges head-on.

Templates

Survey template

For your input and inspiration

  1. What benefit do you see this change bringing to the business?
  2. Why is this change important? (Feel free to include any relevant metrics)
  3. Who is the target audience for this? (The more specific, the better)
  4. Which companies, products, or experiences inspire you regarding this initiative? (These can be outside your industry)
  5. What are the top 1-3 things you want to achieve with us? (Any immediate priorities for improvement)
  6. How will this project’s outcomes impact your role? (Feel free to share any ideas you’re still working through)
  7. Do you have any specific concerns about the project? (If there are none at this stage, feel free to skip)
  8. What is your name and role? (This is just to help differentiate your responses from other team members)

Project context document

This document sets the foundation for the project and serves as a shared reference. It should answer:

  1. Why are we doing this? What’s driving this project?
  2. What are we doing? Summarise the process.
  3. How will we achieve this? Outline the strategy.
  4. Who are we solving this for? Define the audience.

Slide summarising the objectives for a session based on insights from an onboarding survey. The top section, titled 'In today's session,' outlines the goals: discussing survey findings, seeking clarification, and identifying priorities and gaps. Notes to the side prompt the facilitator to explain the session's purpose and encourage open engagement. The bottom section, titled 'At the end of the session,' sets expected outcomes: understanding high-impact focus areas and achieving alignment on project execution. Additional side notes suggest establishing a clear session goal and rationale.

Challenge statement

Objective: Frame the core problem.
Summarise the main challenge. The classic “How might we…” works well.

Slide featuring a strategic question for consideration: 'How might we signal change now without over-investing in a product that will be deprecated in the near future?' The slide is titled 'One big question...' to focus the audience's attention on this key strategic dilemma, encouraging thoughtful discussion on balancing innovation with prudent investment.

Main themes

Objective: Define scope and focus areas.

  • Summarise key themes from the survey, backed by quotes.
  • Highlight the primary focus. Keep the focus areas tight. If the scope feels too broad, it’ll lead to misalignment later.
  • Note any themes outside the scope for future consideration.

Slide outlining the key themes identified from an onboarding survey, broken into three main focus areas: 'Clarity and communication of company values and offerings,' 'Alignment with business goals,' and 'Support for sales and customer onboarding.' Each section includes a quote from the survey to support the theme, along with an implied risk and a goal statement to clarify the focus. Handwritten annotations highlight the purpose of each element, including notes like 'The one thing that will bring the most impact' and 'A statement that defines success in this area,' emphasizing the strategic focus of each theme. Slide presenting 'Out of scope considerations' for a project, focusing on two areas: 'Ease of maintenance and updating' and 'Brand refresh and internal morale.' Each section includes a quote from the onboarding survey to represent stakeholder feedback, an implied risk statement, and a goal. The annotations highlight the importance of noting these considerations, as they may influence scope decisions. This layout helps clarify which areas, while significant, are beyond the current project scope but could impact future decisions or directions. Slide highlighting key outcomes of achieving clarity and communication of company values and offerings. Three focus areas are presented: 'Enhancing understanding and engagement,' 'Supporting sales and customer onboarding,' and 'Improving external perception and recruitment.' Each section includes a brief description of its impact, such as fostering trust, increasing conversion, and enhancing external perception. Annotations guide the presenter to explain the reasoning, point out tangible benefits, and reinforce the connection between clarity in communication and improved stakeholder trust, sales efficiency, and brand perception.

Open dialogue & validation

Objective: Ensure team alignment.

  • Open the floor for group discussion around the findings from the survey.
  • Ask:
    • “Do these themes reflect your understanding?”
    • “Any surprises or areas to explore?”
  • Encourage input on any overlooked points.
  • Encourage participants to share nuances or correct misunderstandings.

Potential challenges & risks

Objective: Identify risks early.

  • Share concerns raised in the survey.
  • Open discussion for feedback.
  • Consider using dot voting to prioritise challenges and rank importance or relevance.

Slide presenting key risks identified for a project, including 'Limited access to data for evaluation,' 'Feasibility of recommended changes,' and 'Misaligned expectations across teams.' Each risk is supported by a quote from the survey and a proposed mitigation strategy. Annotations highlight the purpose of each section, with notes like 'Key theme' and 'Your proactive suggestion,' emphasizing a structured approach to managing potential issues. The mitigation strategies offer practical actions, such as setting up data access permissions, assessing feasibility early, and conducting alignment sessions to clarify roles and reduce ambiguity.

Who is this for?

Objective: Focus on the audience.

  • Group and define audience attributes based on survey feedback
  • Dive deeper into their needs and pain points
  • Understanding your audience should shape every decision we make going forward

Slide illustrating the primary audience segments for a project, divided into three categories: 'Direct customers,' 'Indirect customers,' and 'Secondary audiences.' Direct customers include SMEs and Enterprise clients; indirect customers consist of Aggregators, Accounting groups, and Strategic partners; and secondary audiences encompass Future staff hires, Current staff, Service providers, Prospective partners, and Competitors. An annotation suggests that audience segmentation could evolve towards persona-level details with behavioural attributes or remain at a high-level categorisation, emphasising the importance of confirming the business's language around its audience.

Inspiration & references

Objective: Clarify design direction through inspiration.

  • List brands, products, or experiences mentioned by stakeholders.
  • Explain how these influence the project’s design and approach.
  • Visuals: Include logos or product screenshots where relevant.

Slide showcasing Spotify as a reference for design inspiration. The slide includes the Spotify logo, a quote describing its relevance—'inspires a seamless, frictionless experience across devices. We can draw from its simplified user navigation'—and a smartphone mockup displaying the Spotify app interface. Annotations encourage providing context to explain Spotify's inclusion as a good reference and suggest adding personal notes if initial exploration or ideas are already underway. This layout emphasises the importance of cross-device functionality and user-friendly navigation in project design considerations.

Next steps & key milestones

Objective: Provide clear direction and momentum.

  • Present a high-level timeline with key phases and milestones.
  • Assign immediate actions and responsibilities.

Slide outlining the project phases and expected activities, titled 'What to expect in this project.' The timeline is divided into four stages: 'Project Initialization,' 'Auditing,' 'Recommendations,' and 'Finalisation.' Each stage includes a purpose statement, such as framing the project, identifying opportunities, providing options, and putting the plan into action. Key activities within each phase are listed, like setting expectations, competitor analysis, and providing recommendations. Annotations clarify each phase's objectives and highlight top-level activities. The timeline indicates that 'Project Initialization' should conclude by the end of this week, with 'Finalisation' by the end of next week.

Wrap-up & final Q&A

Objective: End with clarity and excitement.

  • Recap key points.
  • Open for final questions.
  • Reinforce alignment and enthusiasm.
  • Thank everyone for their time and input.

Final thoughts

This isn’t just a survey. It’s a strategic move to build trust and gather insights before the real work begins. Every time I’ve used this approach, it’s saved us time, resources, and headaches by getting us aligned right from the start.