Scoping

Scoping video

Typically, scoping involves:

  • Bringing people together who might be important for the intervention
  • Forming a steering group; reviewing expectations and resources
  • Investigating what has already been done that you can learn from
  • Analysing factors that may affect the issue and what you can do
  • Carrying out both secondary and primary research to provide the information you need to forge ahead

It is critical to develop a rounded understanding of your audience and what moves and motivates people to behave in the way they do, including the key influences, incentives and barriers. You may want to segment your audience, allowing you to prioritise and target the intervention. Behavioural goals need to be set and how you plan to monitor and evaluate the intervention also need to be decided.

The primary purpose of scoping is to consider which interventions to select, based on what you think is most likely to achieve and sustain the desired outcome given your resources and assets. A written scoping report should summarise your work to date and set out the rationale for the interventions that you select.