DELPHI METHOD

Delphi is a group communication technique designed to obtain opinions from a panel of selected experts on specific issues through the sending of questionnaires to be completed within a specified time.
The experts are contacted individually and they do not know other group partecipants and their opinions. It is therefore necessary that a center coordinate the work group. The tecnique designed for the Air Force, does not foresee in its classic form any direct meeting between the experts: the aim is to submit the group partecipants to the same conditions and they do not meet personally, thereby avoing undue influence.
The process foresees the following points:
- Identification of the problem,
- Selection of the relevant
- Preparation and delivery of the first questionnaire
- Analisys of the answers and elaboration of the first synthesis; preparation and delivery of a second questionnaire containing reformulated questions based on such elements as result from analysis and comments upon the first questionnaire, illustrative of how other partecipants have answered previous questions
- Analysis and synthesis of answers
- Delivery of further questionnaires as required.
- The process is repeated a number of times, until a convergence of all group members is obtained.
- Analysis of the answers and formulation of the final report