The Delphi technique is a method for obtaining a reliable opinion on a topic from a group of experts. It works by having them fill out a series of questionnaires. Next, you provide the experts with an average summary of the last round, and they can adjust their answers to align with the group response.

Sure, this sounds like peer pressuring people into groupthink, but that’s not what this is. The Delphi method is about allowing experts to share thoughts, see loopholes in their plans or ideas, and come to a consensus that looks at the topic from all angles and moves forward with the best decision.

Let’s discuss how the Delphi technique works in real life and how to use it in surveys.

Why Use the Delphi Technique in Your Survey Process?

While the Delphi technique seems like a good choice for making “big” decisions, you can use it in different kinds of settings. Here’s how it fits into the survey process:

• Reduces Logistics Costs: The Delphi technique’s goal is to aggregate opinions from various experts, which can be done without requiring their physical presence. All you need to do is create an online form they can fill out to express their opinions, and you can share the summary in real-time using a teleconferencing platform, and the experts can adjust their answers in the next round.
• Privacy and Anonymity: Another advantage of using the Delphi technique is that each expert’s response is anonymous, so participants don’t have to worry about being critiqued for their answers, encouraging them to respond honestly. Also, since you’re working with experts, if the responses aren’t anonymous, the process might suffer from the halo effect because some high-ranking experts’ opinions may feel more valuable and overshadow other opinions.
• Quicker Insights and Recommendations: Instead of collecting the data and analyzing it yourself to understand your audience’s opinions, the Delphi technique skips straight to an agreement. So, you don’t have to worry about the analysis phase; you can move straight to decision-making.
• Flexibility: Unlike other types of interviews and focus groups, Delphi studies allow the participants to rethink and change their opinions based on the input of others. This means they can easily see their own blind spots and combine knowledge to come up with well-rounded recommendations and solutions.

Key Players in a Delphi Survey Process

Here’s what you need to pull off a successful Delphi survey process:

• Facilitator or Moderator: A facilitator handles all the processes and structures involved in the Delphi technique with neutrality, e.g, data collection and summary presentations.
• Researcher / Data analyst: They analyze experts’ opinions, track their consensus, and summarize the outcome.
• Experts’ panel: They provide their opinions and revise them based on the summary presented in the survey rounds.
• Subject Matter Experts: They confirm the importance and transparency of the survey instrument, e.g., the form builder and method of summary presentation.
• Project sponsor: They are in charge of commissioning the study as well as funding.

Step-by-Step Guide to Running a Delphi Survey

• Panel Selection: The facilitator or moderator will choose a group of experts who are knowledgeable on the topic you’re examining. You can add qualifying questions to your survey to help you select the right people for your panel and ensure your panel demographics are representative of your target population.
• Questionnaire Presentation: After choosing the experts, send each participant the questionnaire with instructions to answer the questions on each topic based on their experience, personal opinion, or previous research. 
• Summary Presentation: The answered questionnaires are then sent back to you, the facilitator, who categorizes the answers and sends a copy of these comments to each participant. You don’t need to categorize manually if you use an online form with an analytics dashboard; your responses will be automatically grouped. Next, you present your panel with the results and allow them to comment further.
• Survey Round Progression: At the end of each comment session, all questionnaires are forwarded to you, the facilitator, allowing you to decide if there will be another round or if the results are ready to be published.

Tools You Can Use to Run Delphi Surveys

There are various tools to run Delphi surveys. Here are some of the best you can find online today:

• Formplus: Formplus allows you to collect and manage your audience responses effortlessly, and that includes Delphi surveys. Here’s how we make Delphi surveys seamless:
• Questionnaires: Formplus allows you to create questionnaires for each round and share them with your expert panel. You can add different question types and option types, e.g, open-ended questions that allow respondents to respond in their own words, rating scales, multiple-choice, and even media files like audio and video replies. 
• Survey Templates: We also have a template bank with questionnaires across different industries and use cases. So, instead of building your questionnaire from scratch, you already have a head start. You can also customize any of these template questions and design them to fit your survey goals. 
• Invitations and Reminders: You can invite potential panel members using different methods, such as email, social media, QR code, and even direct links. You can also set reminders so selected members don’t forget to take the survey and submit their responses on time.
• Report builder and Analytics Dashboard: The report builder allows you to see your response groups and survey summary. For example, 54% of respondents chose option A, 16% chose option B, and 30% went for option C, displayed as a pie chart. You can also export your data into Google Sheets and analyze your responses with more robust software like Google Analytics.

2. Dedicated Delphi Survey Software

These platforms are specifically designed for the Delphi method. They offer a comprehensive solution that allows you to invite and run survey rounds seamlessly. This includes platforms like Welphi, DelphiManager, Mesydel, etc.

3. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Methods.

If you’re working with a lean budget, you can opt for basic communication and office productivity tools like your email/social media, and a spreadsheet. You can share the questionnaire via email or a social media group, and your panels reply in the email thread. You’ll have to manually cumulate the results and present them back to your panelists.

You could also use the Formplus free forever plan. It costs nothing, and you won’t have to go through the manual labor required for the data compilation and feedback generation.  

Tips for Writing Effective Delphi Survey Questions

Here are some best practices when using the Delphi Method:

• Ensure Clarity: Ask focused and clear questions. If you have to read the question more than once to understand it, it probably isn’t simple enough.
• Quantitative Questions: All your questions should be distinct and measurable. This ensures you can easily analyze your answers and present a summary.
• Keep It Simple: To prevent confusion from happening, don’t combine multiple ideas into a single statement. In other words, don’t add external context.
• Qualitative Answers: To encourage experts to get deeper insights for their opinions, you must provide them with enough space to elaborate on their ratings with written feedback. You should also introduce the study topic with an open-ended question to gather initial perspectives.
• Anonymity: To encourage an honest and unbiased opinion from various experts, you must maintain anonymity throughout the process.
• Quality Panel Selection: Choose your experts wisely. Ensure that they are knowledgeable in the field of the survey topic.
• Clear Survey Direction: Before designing the questionnaire, ensure you have clear objectives and a scope of the survey topic.

Common Challenges and How to Avoid Them

Here are some of the common challenges with the Delphi technique survey:

• No raw interaction: Despite the anonymity and the opportunity to reevaluate during the Delphi survey process, it still cannot be compared with the interactions of a live discussion.
• Longer response times: The response times of the Delphi method often take a long time, which can slow down the discussion rate. It is also possible that the information sent by the experts will provide no significant value.
• Increased Likelihood of Drop-off: The Delphi method often requires multiple rounds of questionnaires, so there is a possibility that some experts may drop out of the study before it is even completed.
• Reduces Opinion Diversity: Since the participants are allowed to reassess their opinions, they can readjust to align with the consensus, leaving little to no room for diversity in thought and ideas.

Final Thoughts: Is the Delphi Method Right for Your Next Survey?

The Delphi method can save you resources like logistics, and it uses anonymity, reducing the potential for conformity bias or groupthink. However, this method is not great for all situations; it works for specific situations, such as when you have your experts distributed across different geographical locations.

Sure, the Delphi technique saves you logistics costs, but it can take a longer time to complete, and it comes with an increased probability of survey abandonment. So, before using the Delphi technique, ensure you have all the tools you need to make it work, and take the best practices in this guide to ensure you have a smooth execution, e.g., a form builder with reminders to ensure invitees complete the form.