Assumptions shape every aspect of a research initiative, from study scope and methods to data analysis and how findings are presented. If your assumptions turn out to be right—all is good! If your assumptions turn out to be wrong, well… that is when the trouble looms.
The problem is: It's hard to separate assumptions from facts
Your stakeholders are not trying to mislead you or the project. Often, they just haven’t paused to recognize or question the assumptions they’re presenting as facts.
This is where you come in, researcher. You turn off the autopilot and force conversations on key assumptions driving the project. Why? Because every erroneous assumption has the potential to ruin a product, even an entire brand.
So, at Sylver Consulting, we make it our mission to parse the assumptions from the facts in our projects.
We’ve found four methods to be particularly helpful at keeping projects on the rails.
- Reviews of prior research.
In most cases, companies are referencing previous research—whether primary or secondary—to inform where they want to start their inquiry. Getting your hands on this data will help you understand how they arrived at those decisions and what they currently understand to be “documented truth.” - Stakeholder Interviews.
We gather insights through one-on-one interviews or an "Assumptions" exercise at kickoff. The goal: Uncover each individual’s perspective on why they think the research we’re starting is important and learn what they already know versus what they feel they need to know to be successful in the future. - Assumptions Mapping.
We write on Post-it notes every individual assumption being made about the initiative and then map each assumption to a 2x2 map. The y-axis shows how crucial an assumption is to the initiative's success, ranging from critical to less important. The x-axis reflects the team's confidence in the assumption, from uncertain to extremely sure. We design our research to target critical assumptions where stakeholders have low confidence in their accuracy. (This is particularly helpful in initiatives designed to develop new offerings). - Regular Debriefs.
As extra insurance, we also include regular debriefs into project schedules, especially as data is being collected. We use these debriefs to track how stakeholder assumptions are evolving throughout an initiative.
Challenging assumptions isn’t about proving stakeholders wrong—it’s about making sure your research leads to sound, strategic decisions. When you actively identify & test assumptions, you reduce risk and set the foundation for impactful insights.
If you want more tips like these on how to set yourself up for innovative success, you’ll LOVE Brianna Sylver’s upcoming book release!
