Launch & Monitoring

Before you invite experts, you need to make sure everything works perfectly. Once live, ongoing monitoring lets you react early if engagement drops or certain stakeholder groups are underrepresented.

Step 6: Finalize and Test Your Survey

Testing helps catch typos, technical issues, and confusing instructions before your experts see them. This reduces dropout rates and increases trust in your process.

Randomize Page Order (if needed)

Prevent order effects that could bias results by randomizing the sequence in which pages are presented to different participants.

Review Your Survey in Test Mode

Check the experience exactly as your participants will see it.

Testing Checklist

• All questions display correctly
• Rating scales work properly
• Navigation flows smoothly
• Instructions are clear
• Time to complete is reasonable (≤20 minutes)
• Mobile compatibility verified

Confirm Rating Scales and Instructions

Make sure all labels are clear and consistent across all questions.

Step 7: Launch Your Delphi Study and Manage Invitations

Launching the survey officially starts data collection. You control when invitations go out and when rounds open and close.

Launch Your Delphi Study

Once you launch, participants can begin submitting their ratings and comments.

Ready to Launch? Double-check all settings, test the survey, and ensure your participant list is complete before hitting launch.

Send Targeted Invitations and Reminders

Send invitations and remind only those who haven't completed the round yet.

Smart Communication

• Send invitations in batches if you have a large panel
• Target reminders only to non-respondents
• Avoid over-messaging (max 2–3 reminders per round)
• Personalize messages when possible

Track Opened and Pending Invitations

See who has opened your email, started the survey, or not yet responded.

Tip: Regular communication shows professionalism and helps maintain engagement over several rounds.

Step 8: Monitor Participation Progress in Real Time

Ongoing monitoring ensures you can react early if engagement drops or certain stakeholder groups are underrepresented.

Review Completion Rates

See the percentage of invited experts who have finished each round.

Target Response Rates

• Excellent: ≥80% completion
• Good: 70–79% completion
• Acceptable: 60–69% completion
• Concerning: <60% completion — take action

Check Participation by Segment

Analyze who is participating (e.g., by region, sector, experience) to ensure a balanced dataset.

Watch For: Systematic underrepresentation of certain stakeholder groups. If one segment has low participation, send targeted follow-ups or recruit additional experts from that group.

Step 9: Close the Delphi Study

Formally closing each round locks the data, allowing you to prepare feedback and start the next stage of analysis or iteration.

Decide When to Close the Round

You can close it based on several indicators:

• Time-based: Deadline has passed
• Response-based: Sufficient participation achieved
• Stability-based: No significant changes in recent responses
• Consensus-based: Target agreement levels reached

Notify Participants (Optional)

Send a closing message summarizing participation or thanking participants for their contributions.