2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

The Department of National Defence already has a history of conducting research that is
‘participatory’ in nature (Ford, 2001: 20). For example, the Standing Committee On Defence
and Veterans Affairs (SCONDVA) Inquiries and the PERSTEMPO project (as defined by
Flemming, 2000) can both be seen as examples of participatory research: participants were
consulted early on in the research processes and asked to identify important issues. In fact, DND
researchers and human resource analysts often solicit input from various participants, or CF
stakeholders, especially in the planning stage of a research process or knowledge-sharing
activity. However, there is little follow-through in their participation. As a research project
unfolds, participants are often consulted at the onset of a project or initiative, but they are rarely
ever consulted with again over the course of the project, to discuss project outcomes or to
disseminate results. In sum, the importance of stakeholder involvement in planning a research
project is widely acknowledged and often practiced in DND, but the importance of following
through with participation during the whole course of a research process is not. This is at times
necessitated by the decision making process that follows a research endeavour, and/or it can be
due to time limitations, financial constraints, and/or a lack of knowledge of existing participatory
techniques that can facilitate the exchange of information throughout a research process.
Furthermore, it is difficult to find a comprehensive list of participatory techniques and guidelines
for their use in the existing literature. SA and the SIS fill the gaps in the participatory literature,
by providing methodological techniques to determine and elicit the appropriate level of
participation required by various stakeholders at different stages of a project.
1.2.3 The Utility of SA
In order to properly evaluate a proposed project, to gain the viewpoints of many parties,
and/or to anticipate and mitigate potential conflicts, it is vital to identify the groups and
individuals who will be affected by, and therefore have an interest in, project outcomes. Key
questions to ask are:
• Who are all the players involved in or impacted by the project?
• How important are those individuals or groups to project success?
• How influential can they be over before, during or after project completion?
• How can they become involved or informed of the project?
SA provides some answers to these questions.
257
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003