Following the design of the data collection instrument protocol and the pilot study assessment criteria, the pilot study itself was conducted during October and November 2012. It involved two senior academic staff from RMIT University, knowledgeable in the field of PPP and two public sector PPP representatives from separate Australian state governments (the latter pair were identified from the research sample frame). All pilot study interviewees agreed to take part in this process to test the suitability of the data collection instrument.
Table 8.5 presents a summary of the discussion points and findings.
Table 8.5 Pilot Study Feedback and Interviewer Responses.
Interviewee | Interviewee Questions / Comments | Researcher's Response / Actions |
PS01 | Asked if interview questions would be read to participants or if they would be asked to read them. Believes this could have a significant effect on the research outcome | Stated interviewees would be given an opportunity to view the questions before the interview took place but the interviewer would ask a mixture of structured and semi-structured questions during the meetings |
PS01 | Argued that 'shared understanding' and 'trust' for 'Clear and open communication (partnership questions 11-13) could be construed as being the same | Reasoned that 'shared understanding' relates to top-down communication in organisations where messages get sent out, policies and procedures are followed etc, whereas 'trust' is more about human interaction. No alterations were made to the interview questions on that basis |
PS01 | Believed it may be "too early" to discuss end of concession-handover (risk questions 13-15) with interviewees as very few PPP contracts, to date, have expired | Discussed literature review and case study findings that cite the importance of timely hand-over consideration / transfer as a planning issue. No alteration was made to these interview questions on that basis |
PS01 | Deemed it was important to discuss the concept of 'VfM' and understand this concept from each participant's point of view | Suggestion was accepted and added as an interview question for each of the three management disciplines |
PS02 | Thought interview questions should be less structured. Suggested using a 'filtering' technique e.g. start with broad questions then hone in on specifics | Emphasised that the interviews would be semi-structured. Suggestion for using the filtering technique was adopted |
The only design change required for the data collection instrument protocol involved the addition of a question relating to the definition of VfM in the PPP context.
Selected extracts from the full PS01 and PS02 interviewee transcripts are included in excerpts 8.1 and 8.2 below, to provide context for the inclusion of a VfM question and a rationale for altering the researcher's interview style.
Excerpt 8.1 Value-for-Money Question.
PS01: Have you defined what your definition of what value for money is? Researcher: I haven't defined this in the set of questions, although I do have a set of key definitions. PS01: Will they be able to see this before-hand? Researcher: No. PS01: There could be a lot of discussion about this. Researcher: Using phenomenology, I think we need to define what value for money means to them? PS01: You could use your definition and ask them for theirs. But it's good that you start the discussion with value for money. It's better that you get them to tell you what their understanding is so you see their starting point. |
Excerpt 8.2 Interviewing Technique.
PS02: I would start like this - my first question is about the implementation of transition plan. In your experience, what factors typically have an impact on implementation of transition plan? Start the discussion then ask the question. Once this has happened, you can say good, thank you very much. My next question is about contract variation - so what factors lead to contract variation during operations? When you have some story, you might find they have already answered the A, B and C questions. Or you can ask about modification of services, reallocation of risk, business continuity, or one of these. So let them speak and if you are not getting what you're after then use specific questions. And what policies and principles... - continue the discussion. I feel it has to be a running, continuous discussion. Researcher: This makes sense. |
Pilot interviews involving the two public sector participants (PS03 and PS04) were more content-focused. These interviews produced relevant responses to each of the main research questions and no new subject-matter was identified for inclusion in the research instrument. Both transcripts were used to inform the following phase of the research. In critically reviewing the interview materials, all participants were asked to assess the pilot study protocol against selected criteria (see Table 8.4). In each instance, interviewees stated that the assessment criteria had been met.
In addition to the pilot interviews, the researcher delivered a formal presentation in October 2012 based on his PhD progress, organised by RMIT University's School of Property, Construction and Project Management. Staff, students and industry guests were invited to provide feedback on the conceptualisation and design of the research.
A further feature of the design process was the development of an online communications platform to direct potential interviewees to the research materials after the pilot stage was completed. This involved the preparation of a covering letter template (see Attachment E) that was customised and sent to the research population with a link to the following webpage: http://about.me/steven.mccann via email. The webpage was intended to provide an overview of the purpose and significance of the research; web links to a single page summary of the research (appended as Attachment F) and the finalised set of interview questions (see Attachment G); as well information about taking part in an interview. A Senior Stakeholder Engagement Advisor from the Victorian Government provided feedback on the web materials before the research sample was contacted for interview.
Following the data collection instrument design and modification through the pre-testing and pilot study stages, and the implementation of the web-platform, the actual interviews were organised and undertaken.