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A guide to managing ad-hoc projects

Georgina Guthrie

December 06, 2023

While ad-hoc requests are fine when your schedule’s looking light, they’re not so fun when deadlines are closing in. It’s easy to wave away unscheduled items in theory, but ad-hoc projects do have their place in the world of project management.

From new trends to global pandemics — things change, and being able to adapt to that effectively is a skill worth having. 

What is ad-hoc work?

An ad-hoc project is a one-time, unique initiative specifically designed to address a particular problem or need that falls outside the realm of regular business activities. These projects emerge suddenly, often in response to an urgent requirement, and are not part of the routine workflow or long-term planning.

Unlike standard projects, ad-hoc projects are characterized by their lack of precedent. 

They’re not recurring or routine but are instead formed out of necessity , often in response to an unforeseen challenge or an exceptional opportunity. This means they call for a different approach. They are usually initiated with a specific goal in mind and are disbanded once you’ve achieved that goal. 

What does an ad-hoc request look like?

Ad-hoc requests: 

• Demand swift action 
• Come with tight deadlines 
• Are high impact
• Require immediate attention and resources 
• Lack detailed planning 
• Often rely on fast decision-making 
• Are unplanned but require structure 
• Rely on effective leadership and good communication
• Have one goal and are disbanded once that goal is met. 

Ad-hoc projects: real-world examples

So, what ad-hoc requests are you likely to encounter in the workplace? They can be roughly categorized into the following six groups. 

1. Crisis management initiatives

Imagine a company facing a natural disaster or a major system failure. Here, an ad-hoc project might involve creating an emergency response team or developing a rapid communication strategy. Remember the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? Many businesses had to launch ad-hoc projects to adapt to remote working or to repurpose manufacturing for essential supplies.

2. Special client requests

In service industries, ad-hoc projects often stem from unique client demands. Picture a marketing firm tasked with crafting a highly specialized campaign for a niche market. These projects call for innovative thinking to meet specific, sometimes unusual, client needs.

3. Event management

Organizing a one-off event, like a major product launch or a high-profile corporate celebration, is a classic example of an ad-hoc project. These require meticulous planning for a specific, often fleeting goal, demanding intense coordination and a dedicated focus.

4. Technology implementation

With technology evolving at breakneck speed, companies sometimes need to launch ad-hoc projects to upgrade systems or implement new software urgently. These are typically fast-tracked to keep operations running smoothly and securely.

5. Research and development projects

In sectors like tech or pharmaceuticals, a sudden market shift or an unexpected breakthrough can trigger ad-hoc R&D projects. These are aimed at rapidly developing new products or adapting existing ones to seize new opportunities or meet emerging market demands.

6. Sudden regulatory compliance needs

Here’s another scenario: a new regulation is announced, affecting your business directly. An ad-hoc request is issued to quickly assemble a team to understand the new requirements and implement necessary changes. This team’s task is to navigate these new waters, ensuring the company complies with the regulations without disrupting ongoing operations.

The problem with ad-hoc projects 

While ad-hoc projects are essential and unavoidable, they’re not without their challenges. Let’s break down why these projects can be tricky and why keeping an eye on them is crucial.

Resource strain

Ad-hoc projects pop up out of nowhere and demand immediate attention. This can cause resource problems, pulling staff, budget, and materials away from planned projects. It’s a bit like being asked to bake a cake for a surprise guest when you’re already cooking a three-course meal.

Disruption to regular workflows

When an ad-hoc project launches, it can disrupt your team’s regular workflow. Curveballs call for fast adaptation. It can be done, but it can also throw things off rhythm.

Risk of burnout

Continuously addressing urgent ad-hoc requests might lead to team burnout. It’s important to recognize that constantly operating in emergency mode isn’t sustainable. Like running a marathon at a sprinter’s pace, it’s bound to wear people down.

Potential for scope creep

We’ve all pulled at a little thread, only to unravel more than we intended — both literally and metaphorically. Without clear boundaries, ad-hoc projects can grow beyond their initial scope . It’s important to keep a tight rein on the project’s objectives.

Difficulty tracking and measuring success

Due to their unplanned nature, ad-hoc requests tend to be harder to track and measure against success criteria. It’s a bit like trying to navigate without a map — you know your destination, but it’s hard to work out where you’re going and how far you’ve come. 

How to handle ad-hoc project requests

Dealing with ad-hoc project requests can feel like juggling while walking a tightrope. But don’t worry, it’s manageable with the right approach. Here’s a five-step guide to help you keep your balance and your sanity.

1. Assess the request

Before diving into any ad-hoc project, take a moment to assess the request thoroughly. Ask yourself:

• What’s the goal? Identify the specific objective of the request. Is it to fix an urgent issue, respond to a client’s unique need, or comply with a sudden regulatory change?
• Is it feasible? Evaluate whether the project is realistic, given your current resources and constraints. Can you realistically bake this surprise cake with the ingredients you have?
• What’s the impact? Consider the potential impact of the project. Will it disrupt ongoing projects? Could it lead to significant benefits, like a new business opportunity or improved processes?
• Who’s needed? Determine who in your team has the right skills for this project. You’re looking for your special ops team — those who can jump in and handle this particular challenge effectively.

2. Allocate resources wisely

Once you’ve sized up the request, it’s time to play resource Tetris. This step is all about making smart moves with the resources you have at hand. 

• Prioritize tasks: Look at your current projects and tasks. Which ones can take a backseat? Which ones are untouchable? Prioritization is about finding that sweet spot where you can borrow resources without causing a domino effect of delays.
• Divide and conquer: Break down the ad-hoc project into manageable tasks. Assign these to team members who have the right skills and the bandwidth to take them on. 
• Seek additional help if needed: If the project is too big for your current team, don’t shy away from asking for extra hands. This could mean hiring temporary staff, bringing in freelancers, or reallocating staff from other less urgent projects.
• Monitor resource allocation: Keep a close eye on how resources are being used as the project progresses. 

3. Establish clear goals and deadlines

Setting clear goals and deadlines guides your team every step of the way. This clarity is crucial for ad-hoc projects, which can otherwise spiral into confusion.

• Define specific objectives: Start by specifying what success looks like for this project. What’s the end goal? It’s important to make sure everyone knows what they’re aiming for.
• Set realistic deadlines: Ad-hoc projects often require quick turnarounds, but it’s important to set achievable deadlines. Think of it as setting the timer for a race — challenging but not impossible.
• Plan for checkpoints: Establish regular check-ins or milestones . These act like signposts along the way, helping the team stay on track and adjust course if needed.

4. Monitor progress regularly

Regular monitoring helps you navigate these unpredictable projects smoothly. 

• Set up regular check-ins: Schedule frequent updates with the team. This doesn’t have to be lengthy meetings. Even quick stand-ups can do the trick. It’s all about staying connected and on top of things.
• Use project management tools: Leverage tools and software designed for project management . It’s invaluable for tracking tasks, deadlines, and overall progress. It’s like having a dashboard that gives you a quick view of how your car is performing while you’re driving.
• Be ready to adjust: One of the hallmarks of ad-hoc projects is their fluidity. Be prepared to make changes as you go along. This could mean reallocating resources, tweaking goals, or even redefining the project scope.
• Communicate openly : Encourage open communication within the team. The more informed everyone is about the project’s progress and any hurdles, the more effectively they can work together to navigate these challenges.

5. Review and learn

Wrapping up an ad-hoc project isn’t just about crossing the finish line. It’s also about looking back to see how you got there. Think of it as a chef tasting a dish after it’s cooked — you want to understand what worked and what could be better.

• Conduct a project review: Once the project is completed, gather your team for a debrief. Discuss what went well and what didn’t. 
• Identify lessons learned: Every ad-hoc project, regardless of its outcome, is a learning opportunity. What insights can you gather about resource allocation, team dynamics, or project management practices?
• Document the process: Keep a record of the steps taken, challenges faced, and solutions found. This documentation is a valuable resource for future ad-hoc projects. 
• Share feedback across the organization: Don’t keep the learnings to yourself. Share them with other departments or teams. This helps the entire organization grow and improve.

When to push back on ad-hoc projects

While managing ad-hoc projects effectively is important, it’s also crucial to know when to push back. If not kept in check, constantly fielding ad-hoc requests can become exhausting and ultimately unproductive.

• Evaluate the necessity : Before accepting an ad-hoc project, critically assess its necessity. Is it truly urgent or important? It’s about distinguishing between what’s genuinely critical and what can wait or be integrated into regular workflows.
• Set boundaries: It’s okay to set limits on how many and what kind of ad-hoc projects your team takes on. You’re like the bouncer deciding which guests to let into an already bustling party.
• Advocate for planning and processes : Encourage a culture where planning and standard processes are valued by all. This should reduce the frequency of ad-hoc requests. 
• Communicate the impact: If ad-hoc projects are becoming too frequent or disruptive, communicate this to higher-ups or stakeholders. It’s important they understand the impact on the team’s well-being and overall productivity.

Get project management software on your side

In the whirlwind world of ad-hoc projects, project management software can be your anchor. Here’s how it helps.

• Streamlining communication: These tools act like a central communication hub, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. No more lost emails or missed messages — it’s all there in one place, like a virtual bulletin board for your team.
• Organizing tasks and deadlines: Project management software lets you break down projects into manageable tasks, assign them to team members, and set deadlines. Just like having a personal assistant, it keeps track of everything for you, so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Tracking progress in real-time: With dashboards and progress trackers, you can see at a glance how the project is moving along and make timely adjustments as needed. 
• Facilitating resource allocation : These tools can help you allocate and monitor resources efficiently, ensuring that you’re using your team’s time and skills wisely. Better still, it does it all for you, so no more head-scratching. 
• Documenting and storing project information : All documents, notes, and important information can be stored in one place. This makes it easy to find what you need when you need it — no more digging through folders and files.
• Better decision-making: With all project-related information and progress metrics at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions quickly.

In short, project management software doesn’t just help manage ad-hoc projects. It’s a vital tool in the modern project manager’s arsenal, helping turn chaos into clarity. Try it for free today! 

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The Ultimate Guide to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects

By Viraj Mahajan Jun 14, 2023

Imagine you're a busy accountant at a CA firm. You're knee-deep in tax season and just when you think you can finally take a breath, your boss drops a bombshell on you: "Oh, by the way, we just landed a new client and they need a full audit by next week." 

Talk about a panic-inducing ad hoc project!

But don't worry, with a little bit of teamwork and a lot of caffeine, you and your colleagues will power through it and impress the client with your quick thinking and problem-solving skills. 

But what if I told you that there's a way to make managing ad hoc projects a whole lot less stressful? 

Enter project management software ! 

With the right tool, you can easily track deadlines, assign tasks, and communicate with your team all in one central location.

Stay on top of ad hoc projects and keep your team organized and efficient.

What are ad-hoc projects .

An ad-hoc project is a sudden and unexpected response to a problem that requires immediate attention and has a tight deadline. These projects are typically unplanned and can come in the form of quick emails, unexpected tasks, or changes in employees or resources.

Effective management of ad-hoc projects requires proper planning and tracking to ensure that all team members understand the available resources and how they can be used efficiently to complete specific tasks. However, this can be challenging without the right tools and strong management skills.

Tracking ad-hoc project involves creating a project plan, creation of tasks and sub-tasks, allocating resources, tracking progress and effective team-communication. Let’s find out in the step-by-step guide to managing ad hoc projects below. 

4 Best Practices to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects

There are several steps that project managers can take to effectively manage ad-hoc projects:

1. Do a Thorough Risk Assessment 

Unexpected risks can make things more complicated. The first step in managing an ad-hoc project is to conduct a thorough risk assessment. Project managers can proactively identify and address potential risks, and mitigate their impact on other ongoing projects. 

This can include risks related to the project scope, budget, schedule, resources, and more.

Once potential risks have been identified, the next step is to prioritize which risks need to be addressed first. Communicate the identified risks and the risk response plan to the project team, so they are aware of the potential issues and how to address them.

2. Select Right Project Management Methodology 

When the seas are turbulent, you need a flexible navigation map. Agile is a suitable project management methodology for ad-hoc projects. This is where Agile project management methodology shines.

Its iterative approach allows you to change your course quickly and efficiently. Work in small, manageable sprints and see your team thrive amid the uncertainties.

A typical Agile project management methodology includes breaking down large project milestones into shorter sprints, making it easy for teams to absorb the new requirement. 

It is usually recommended to use either scrum or kanban workflows to manage ad hoc projects.

New to Scum Planning or Agile Systems? The below guides can help you get started in 3.2.1… 

👉 Scrum Boards: How to create a more efficient workflow

👉 How to Be a Sprint Planning Ninja

👉 A Comprehensive Guide to Agile Workflows

3. Draft a New Plan with Milestones, Dependencies, & Timeline 

The next step is to draft a new plan with all due diligence so that nothing falls through the cracks. Not having a proper plan with milestones and timeframes can lead to mismanagement and the wastage of available resources. 

At this stage, your job is to provide a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved and how it needs to be done by whom. Clearly define the project scope , dependencies, and milestones. Each team member should be aware of their roles and responsibilities throughout the project’s journey so they are able to accommodate additional workload into their routine work without feeling lost or overwhelmed.  

Effortlessly balance your team's workload and meet your deadlines.

4. normalize transparency across stakeholders .

Transparent communication is essential in managing ad-hoc projects. It sets clear expectations, identifies issues, and promotes collaboration, which in turn improves teamwork, and allows team members to better understand their roles in the project. 

By encouraging open and transparent communication between teams, clients, and other stakeholders, project managers can proactively address potential issues and ensure the success of the project.

How to Manage Ad-Hoc Requests using a Work Management Tool 

Now that you've learned about best practices for managing ad-hoc projects better, it's time to give attention to ad-hoc requests.  As you manage ad-hoc projects, here are the steps to handle ad-hoc requests with a work management tool. 

First things first, don’t dilute your current project scheduling . Keep it intact for as long as possible and for as many people as possible. Avoid the “drop everything” mentality seeping into your team’s workflow. New Ad-Hoc requests have to be planned, assessed for risks, and tracked for them to seamlessly integrate into the everyday schedule of everybody involved in the project. 

Here are a few ways by which you can utilize workflow management software and ease the process.

• Set Timelines - The timeline view helps project managers to visualize the long ad-hoc project with subtasks and dependencies. 
• Shared Calendar - Share project information with the team and stakeholders using the shared calendar. 
• Project Templates - Instead of starting ad-hoc task management from scratch, use the project templates to speed up the planning process. 

Planning and identifying the right approach is critical to complete the tasks effectively and giving team members clarity on how and when to proceed. 

Prioritize Ad-Hoc Requests 

Follow the "Eat the live frog first" approach while prioritizing the task.  Prioritize the tasks on the basis of how they impact the ongoing projects, the current performances of the teams, and the availability of other resources. Depending on the level of complexity, working out a Work Breakdown Structure can help you make the right assessment.  

The Work Breakdown Structure created in Project Management Software can also help you leverage the power of automation to turn your WBS into a comprehensive Gantt Chart at the click of a button. 

For instance, 

• Complete those ad-hoc requests first, which may consume more time and has the potential to delay the project outcome. For instance, certain documents need verification before the project kicks in. 
• Follow-it-up tasks that may or may not have minor consequences but can’t be left unattended. For instance, kickoff meetings.  
• Requests that can be postponed or avoided without affecting the overall project come at last.

Allocate Resources 

Now comes the trickiest part — allocating resources to each task and subtask. 

You can check the workload view in the SmartTask work management tool for resource allocation. In SmartTask, allocating and reallocating resources is simpler than choosing the toppings for ice cream.… 

• Search for resources based on specific tags such as role and skills.
• Get a bird’s eye view of everyone’s availability and capacity 
• Quickly drag-and-drop work to allocate, extend, shorten or split…

However, keep the timeline and budget in mind while assigning the resources to each task. A well-structured approach will help you to improve results and employee productivity. 

💡SmartTask Tip: You can make use of SmartTask’s Kanban board views to assign tasks to necessary participants without disrupting the current workflows. Managers can set the priority and add descriptions for each task so the team can plan their sprints effectively.  Commenting at the task level allows managers to identify bottlenecks in advance and reallocate resources. 

Track Progress & Generate Reports 

The last piece in ad-hoc request management is tracking the progress and simultaneously generating the reports. 

SmartTask's advanced features, like task estimate, time log activity, and project summary, will help monitor the progress and make necessary changes if required. All reports can be filtered to show only the data you want to share with stakeholders and then passed on as a PDF or printed out. Here are a few features that will help you track progress and generate reports..

• Advanced Search - F ilter data quickly and identify ad-hoc projects with a few clicks. 
• Productivity Scoring - Analyze the performance of employees over time. 
• Project Summary - Get insights about costing and billing amount and resource utilization. 
• Custom Charts - With different customization options available, you can monitor progress and ensure every team member is working without feeling burnt out in an easy-to-understand format. 

The Best Ad Hoc Project Management Tool

Last-minute projects can arise anytime and can negatively impact the workflow. The best thing you can do to handle ad-hoc requests is to have the right tools and detailed strategy in place. 

If you want to choose a unified tool that helps you manage everything from start to finish like a pro, choose SmartTask. The project management tool has advanced features that give you complete visibility of the team's work status. 

SmartTask is the #1 rated all-in-one productivity tool that helps teams organize and manage ad-hoc projects while improving productivity. Explore the advanced features of SmartTask project management software & make managing ad-hoc tasks a breeze. 

Manage ad-hoc projects like a pro with SmartTask, Try it for Free.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what are some ad-hoc project examples.

• Software Patch Deployment : In case of discovering a major vulnerability in a software product, a company might need to set up an ad-hoc project to quickly develop, test, and deploy a patch.
• Event Planning : A last-minute gala to celebrate a significant milestone. An ad-hoc team would need to be assembled quickly to handle various tasks, such as booking a venue, arranging for catering, inviting guests, and managing the logistics of the event.
• Product Recall : If a company finds a significant defect in one of its products, it may need to initiate an ad-hoc project to manage the recall process. This might involve setting up a team to handle customer communication, product returns, refunds or replacements, and investigations into how the defect occurred.
• Disaster Response : Following a natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake, an ad-hoc project team may be formed to organize relief efforts, including arranging shelter for displaced persons, coordinating food and water supplies, and organizing cleanup and reconstruction efforts.
• Market Research : If a company is considering launching a new product or entering a new market, an ad-hoc project might be organized to conduct market research. This could involve surveys, focus groups, competitor analysis, and other research methods to determine the potential success of the proposed product or service.

2. What does ad-hoc task mean?

An ad-hoc task refers to a task that is not planned in advance and is usually performed as an immediate response to a particular situation or problem. The term "ad-hoc" comes from Latin, meaning "for this", indicating that it's designed or done for a particular purpose as necessary.

In a work or project context, ad-hoc tasks often arise unexpectedly and require immediate attention or action. These tasks are typically one-time actions that do not fit neatly into the standard, routine, or planned tasks.

For example, an ad-hoc task could be a sudden request from a client that requires immediate attention, a server going down unexpectedly and needing to be fixed, or a sudden brainstorming session to address a new problem or opportunity that has just come up.

These tasks often require flexibility and the ability to prioritize, as they can disrupt regular work schedules or planned activities.

3. What are some benefits of tracking ad-hoc projects?

Tracking ad-hoc projects, much like tracking any other type of project, provides a number of benefits. Here are a few of them:

• Resource Management: When you're tracking ad-hoc projects, it becomes easier to manage your resources effectively. You can see who's working on what, how much time is being spent on each project, and where there might be inefficiencies that need to be addressed.
• Budget Control: Monitoring can help ensure that the project is staying within its budget. It helps avoid unexpected costs and keeps you informed about where the money is going.
• Time Management: By tracking the progress of ad-hoc projects, you can better manage your time and meet your deadlines. You'll know what needs to be done, by whom, and by when, and can adjust accordingly if things aren't going as planned.
• Prioritization: Not all ad-hoc projects have the same importance or urgency. Tracking helps prioritize these projects according to their strategic importance and deadlines.
• Visibility and Transparency: Tracking provides visibility into the status of ad-hoc projects. This transparency can improve communication within the team, with stakeholders, and with clients.
• Performance Assessment: By tracking ad-hoc projects, you can assess both team and individual performance. This can help you identify where training may be needed, recognize top performers, and make informed decisions about promotions and rewards.
• Improvement and Efficiency: Tracking allows you to identify bottlenecks, delays, or other issues that might be hindering the progress of your ad-hoc projects. Once identified, you can work to resolve these issues and improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your processes.

In short, tracking ad-hoc projects can increase productivity, improve project outcomes, and provide a host of other benefits. It's a crucial component of effective project management.

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What is Ad Hoc Analysis and Reporting? Process, Examples

Appinio Research · 26.03.2024 · 33min read

Have you ever needed to find quick answers to pressing questions or solve unexpected problems in your business? Enter ad hoc analysis, a powerful approach that allows you to dive into your data on demand, uncover insights, and make informed decisions in real time. In today's fast-paced world, where change is constant and uncertainties abound, having the ability to explore data flexibly and adaptively is invaluable. Whether you're trying to understand customer behavior , optimize operations, or mitigate risks, ad hoc analysis empowers you to extract actionable insights from your data swiftly and effectively. It's like having a flashlight in the dark, illuminating hidden patterns and revealing opportunities that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

What is Ad Hoc Analysis?

Ad hoc analysis is a dynamic process that involves exploring data to answer specific questions or address immediate needs. Unlike routine reporting, which follows predefined formats and schedules, ad hoc analysis is driven by the need for timely insights and actionable intelligence. Its purpose is to uncover hidden patterns, trends, and relationships within data that may not be readily apparent, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and respond quickly to changing circumstances.

Ad hoc analysis involves the flexible and on-demand exploration of data to gain insights or solve specific problems. It allows analysts to dig deeper into datasets, ask ad hoc questions, and derive meaningful insights that may not have been anticipated beforehand. The term "ad hoc" is derived from Latin and means "for this purpose," emphasizing the improvised and opportunistic nature of this type of analysis.

Purpose of Ad Hoc Analysis

The primary purpose of ad hoc analysis is to support decision-making by providing timely and relevant insights into complex datasets. It allows organizations to:

• Identify emerging trends or patterns that may impact business operations.
• Investigate anomalies or outliers to understand their underlying causes .
• Explore relationships between variables to uncover opportunities or risks.
• Generate hypotheses and test assumptions in real time.
• Inform strategic planning, resource allocation, and risk management efforts.

By enabling analysts to explore data in an iterative and exploratory manner, ad hoc analysis empowers organizations to adapt to changing environments, seize opportunities, and mitigate risks effectively.

Importance of Ad Hoc Analysis in Decision Making

Ad hoc analysis plays a crucial role in decision-making across various industries and functions. Here are some key reasons why ad hoc analysis is important:

• Flexibility : Ad hoc analysis offers flexibility and agility, allowing organizations to respond quickly to evolving business needs and market dynamics. It enables decision-makers to explore new ideas, test hypotheses, and adapt strategies in real time.
• Customization : Unlike standardized reports or dashboards, ad hoc analysis allows for customization and personalization. Analysts can tailor their analyses to specific questions or problems, ensuring that insights are directly relevant to decision-makers needs.
• Insight Generation : Ad hoc analysis uncovers insights that may not be captured by routine reporting or predefined metrics. Analysts can uncover hidden patterns, trends, and correlations that drive innovation and competitive advantage by delving into data with a curious and open-minded approach.
• Risk Management : In today's fast-paced and uncertain business environment, proactive risk management is essential. Ad hoc analysis enables organizations to identify and mitigate risks by analyzing historical data, monitoring key indicators, and anticipating potential threats.
• Opportunity Identification : Ad hoc analysis helps organizations identify new opportunities for growth, innovation, and optimization. Analysts can uncover untapped markets, customer segments, or product offerings that drive revenue and profitability by exploring data from different angles and perspectives.
• Continuous Improvement : Ad hoc analysis fosters a culture of constant improvement and learning within organizations. By encouraging experimentation and exploration, organizations can drive innovation, refine processes, and stay ahead of the competition.

Ad hoc analysis is not just a tool for data analysis—it's a mindset and approach that empowers organizations to harness the full potential of their data, make better decisions, and achieve their strategic objectives.

Understanding Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis is a dynamic process that involves digging into your data to answer specific questions or solve immediate problems. Let's delve deeper into what it entails.

Ad Hoc Analysis Characteristics

At its core, ad hoc analysis refers to the flexible and on-demand examination of data to gain insights or address specific queries. Unlike routine reporting, which follows predetermined schedules, ad hoc analysis is triggered by the need to explore a particular issue or opportunity.

Its characteristics include:

• Flexibility : Ad hoc analysis adapts to the ever-changing needs of businesses, allowing analysts to explore data as new questions arise.
• Timeliness : It offers timely insights, enabling organizations to make informed decisions quickly in response to emerging issues or opportunities.
• Unstructured Nature : Ad hoc analysis often deals with unstructured or semi-structured data, requiring creativity and resourcefulness in data exploration.

Ad Hoc Analysis vs. Regular Reporting

While regular reporting provides standardized insights on predetermined metrics, ad hoc analysis offers a more customized and exploratory approach. Here's how they differ:

• Purpose : Regular reporting aims to track key performance indicators (KPIs) over time, while ad hoc analysis seeks to uncover new insights or address specific questions.
• Frequency : Regular reporting occurs at regular intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly), whereas ad hoc analysis occurs on an as-needed basis.
• Scope : Regular reporting focuses on predefined metrics and reports, whereas ad hoc analysis explores a wide range of data sources and questions.

Types of Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis encompasses various types, each serving distinct purposes in data exploration and decision-making. These types include:

• Exploratory Analysis : This type involves exploring data to identify patterns, trends, or relationships without predefined hypotheses. It's often used in the initial stages of data exploration.
• Diagnostic Analysis : Diagnostic analysis aims to uncover the root causes of observed phenomena or issues. It delves deeper into data to understand why specific outcomes occur.
• Predictive Analysis : Predictive analysis leverages historical data to forecast future trends, behaviors, or events. It employs statistical modeling and machine learning algorithms to make predictions based on past patterns.

Common Data Sources

Ad hoc analysis can draw upon a wide array of data sources, depending on the nature of the questions being addressed and the data availability. Common data sources include:

• Structured Data : This includes data stored in relational databases, spreadsheets, and data warehouses, typically organized in rows and columns.
• Unstructured Data : Unstructured data sources, such as text documents, social media feeds, and multimedia content, require specialized techniques for analysis.
• External Data : Organizations may also tap into external data sources, such as market research reports, government databases, or third-party APIs, to enrich their analyses.

Organizations can gain comprehensive insights and make more informed decisions by leveraging diverse data sources. Understanding these foundational aspects of ad hoc analysis is crucial for conducting effective data exploration and driving actionable insights.

How to Prepare for Ad Hoc Analysis?

Before diving into ad hoc analysis, it's crucial to lay a solid foundation by preparing adequately. This involves defining your objectives, gathering and organizing data, selecting the right tools, and ensuring data quality. Let's explore these steps in detail.

Defining Objectives and Questions

The first step in preparing for ad hoc analysis is to clearly define your objectives and formulate the questions you seek to answer.

• Identify Key Objectives : Determine the overarching goals of your analysis. What are you trying to achieve? Are you looking to optimize processes, identify growth opportunities, or solve a specific problem?
• Formulate Relevant Questions : Break down your objectives into specific, actionable questions. What information do you need to answer these questions? What insights are you hoping to uncover?

By defining clear objectives and questions, you can focus your analysis efforts and ensure that you gather the necessary data to address your specific needs.

Data Collection and Organization

Once you have defined your objectives and questions, the next step is to gather relevant data and organize it in a format conducive to analysis.

• Identify Data Sources : Determine where your data resides. This may include internal databases, third-party sources, or even manual sources such as surveys or interviews.
• Extract and Collect Data : Extract data from the identified sources and collect it in a central location. This may involve using data extraction tools, APIs, or manual data entry.
• Clean and Preprocess Data : Before conducting analysis, it's essential to clean and preprocess the data to ensure its quality and consistency. This may involve removing duplicates, handling missing values, and standardizing formats.

Organizing your data in a systematic manner will streamline the analysis process and ensure that you can easily access and manipulate the data as needed. For a streamlined data collection process that complements your ad hoc analysis needs, consider leveraging Appinio .

With its intuitive platform and robust capabilities, Appinio simplifies data collection from diverse sources, allowing you to gather real-time consumer insights effortlessly. By incorporating Appinio into your data collection strategy, you can expedite the process and focus on deriving actionable insights to drive your business forward.

Ready to experience the power of rapid data collection? Book a demo today and see how Appinio can revolutionize your ad hoc analysis workflow.

Book a Demo

Tools and Software

Choosing the right tools and software is critical for conducting ad hoc analysis efficiently and effectively.

• Analytical Capabilities : Choose tools that offer a wide range of analytical capabilities, including data visualization, statistical analysis , and predictive modeling .
• Ease of Use : Look for user-friendly and intuitive tools, especially if you're not a seasoned data analyst. This will reduce the learning curve and enable you to get up and running quickly.
• Compatibility : Ensure the tools you choose are compatible with your existing systems and data sources. This will facilitate seamless integration and data exchange.
• Scalability : Consider the tools' scalability, especially if your analysis needs are likely to grow over time. Choose tools that can accommodate larger datasets and more complex analyses.

Popular tools for ad hoc analysis include Microsoft Excel and Python with libraries like Pandas and NumPy, R, and business intelligence platforms like Tableau and Power BI.

Data Quality Assurance

Ensuring the quality of your data is paramount for obtaining reliable insights and making informed decisions. To assess and maintain data quality:

• Data Validation : Perform data validation checks to ensure the data is accurate, complete, and consistent. This may involve verifying data against predefined rules or business logic.
• Data Cleansing : Cleanse the data by removing duplicates, correcting errors, and standardizing formats. This will help eliminate discrepancies and ensure uniformity across the dataset.
• Data Governance : Implement data governance policies and procedures to maintain data integrity and security. This may include access controls, data encryption, and regular audits.
• Continuous Monitoring : Continuously monitor data quality metrics and address any issues that arise promptly. This will help prevent data degradation over time and ensure your analyses are based on reliable information.

By prioritizing data quality assurance, you can enhance the accuracy and reliability of your ad hoc analyses, leading to more confident decision-making and better outcomes.

How to Perform Ad Hoc Analysis?

Now that you've prepared your data and defined your objectives, it's time to conduct ad hoc analysis. This involves selecting appropriate analytical techniques, exploring your data, applying advanced statistical methods, visualizing your findings, and validating hypotheses.

Choosing Analytical Techniques

Selecting the proper analytical techniques is crucial for extracting meaningful insights from your data.

• Nature of the Data : Assess the nature of your data, including its structure, size, and complexity. Different techniques may be more suitable for structured versus unstructured data or small versus large datasets.
• Objectives of Analysis : Align the choice of techniques with your analysis objectives. Are you trying to identify patterns, relationships, anomalies, or trends? Choose techniques that are well-suited to address your specific questions.
• Expertise and Resources : Consider your team's knowledge and the availability of resources, such as computational power and software tools. Choose techniques that your team is comfortable with and that can be executed efficiently.

Standard analytical techniques include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, machine learning algorithms, and data mining techniques.

Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)

Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) is a critical step in ad hoc analysis that involves uncovering patterns, trends, and relationships within your data. Here's how to approach EDA:

• Summary Statistics : Calculate summary statistics such as mean, median, mode, variance, and standard deviation to understand the central tendencies and variability of your data.
• Data Visualization : Visualize your data using charts, graphs, and plots to identify patterns and outliers. Popular visualization techniques include histograms, scatter plots, box plots, and heat maps .
• Correlation Analysis : Explore correlations between variables to understand how they are related to each other. Use correlation matrices and scatter plots to visualize relationships.
• Dimensionality Reduction : If working with high-dimensional data, consider using dimensionality reduction techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) or t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) to visualize and explore the data in lower dimensions.

Advanced Statistical Methods

For more in-depth analysis, consider applying advanced statistical methods to your data. These methods can help uncover hidden insights and relationships. Some advanced statistical methods include:

• Regression Analysis : Use regression analysis to model the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Linear regression, logistic regression, and multivariate regression are common techniques.
• Hypothesis Testing : Conduct hypothesis tests to assess the statistical significance of observed differences or relationships. Standard tests include t-tests, chi-square tests, ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney U tests.
• Time Series Analysis : If working with time series data, apply time-series analysis techniques to understand patterns and trends over time. This may involve methods such as autocorrelation, seasonal decomposition, and forecasting.

Data Visualization

Visualizing your findings is essential for communicating insights effectively to stakeholders.

• Choose the Right Visualizations : Select visualizations that best represent your data and convey your key messages. Consider factors such as the type of data, the relationships you want to highlight, and the audience's preferences .
• Use Clear Labels and Titles : Ensure that your visualizations are easy to interpret by using clear labels, titles, and legends. Avoid clutter and unnecessary decorations that may distract from the main message.
• Interactive Visualizations : If possible, create interactive visualizations allowing users to explore the data interactively. This can enhance engagement and enable users to gain deeper insights by drilling down into specific data points.
• Accessibility : Make your visualizations accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments. Use appropriate color schemes, font sizes, and contrast ratios to ensure readability.

Iterative Approach and Hypothesis Testing

Adopting an iterative approach to analysis allows you to refine your hypotheses and validate your findings through hypothesis testing.

• Formulate Hypotheses : Based on your initial explorations, formulate hypotheses about the relationships or patterns in the data that you want to test.
• Design Experiments : Design experiments or tests to evaluate your hypotheses. This may involve collecting additional data or conducting statistical tests.
• Evaluate Results : Analyze the results of your experiments and assess whether they support or refute your hypotheses. Consider factors such as statistical significance , effect size, and practical significance.
• Iterate as Needed : If the results are inconclusive or unexpected, iterate on your analysis by refining your hypotheses and conducting further investigations. This iterative process helps ensure that your conclusions are robust and reliable.

By following these steps and techniques, you can perform ad hoc analysis effectively, uncover valuable insights, and make informed decisions based on data-driven evidence.

Ad Hoc Analysis Examples

To better understand how ad hoc analysis can be applied in real-world scenarios, let's explore some examples across different industries and domains:

1. Marketing Campaign Optimization

Imagine you're a marketing analyst tasked with optimizing a company's digital advertising campaigns . Through ad hoc analysis, you can delve into various metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS) to identify trends and patterns. For instance, you may discover that certain demographic segments or ad creatives perform better than others. By iteratively testing and refining different campaign strategies based on these insights, you can improve overall campaign performance and maximize ROI.

2. Supply Chain Optimization

In the realm of supply chain management, ad hoc analysis can play a critical role in identifying inefficiencies and optimizing processes. For example, you might analyze historical sales data, inventory levels, and production schedules to identify bottlenecks or excess inventory. Through exploratory analysis, you may uncover seasonal demand patterns or supply chain disruptions that impact operations. Armed with these insights, supply chain managers can make data-driven decisions to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

3. Financial Risk Assessment

Financial institutions leverage ad hoc analysis to assess and mitigate various types of risks, such as credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. For example, a bank may analyze loan performance data to identify factors associated with loan defaults or delinquencies. By applying advanced statistical methods such as logistic regression or decision trees , analysts can develop predictive models to assess creditworthiness and optimize lending strategies. This enables banks to make informed decisions about loan approvals, pricing, and risk management.

4. Retail Merchandising Analysis

In the retail industry, ad hoc analysis is used to optimize merchandising strategies, pricing decisions, and inventory management. Retailers may analyze sales data, customer demographics , and market trends to identify product preferences and purchasing behaviors . Through segmentation analysis, retailers can tailor their merchandising efforts to specific customer segments and optimize product assortments. By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sell-through rates and inventory turnover, retailers can make data-driven decisions to maximize sales and profitability.

How to Report Ad Hoc Analysis Findings?

After conducting ad hoc analysis, effectively communicating your findings is essential for driving informed decision-making within your organization. Let's explore how to structure your report, interpret and communicate results, tailor reports to different audiences, incorporate visual aids, and document methods and assumptions.

1. Structure the Report

Structuring your report in a clear and logical manner enhances readability and ensures that your findings are presented in a cohesive manner.

• Executive Summary : Provide a brief overview of your analysis, including the objectives, key findings, and recommendations. This section should concisely summarize the main points of your report.
• Introduction : Introduce the purpose and scope of the analysis, as well as any background information or context that is relevant to understanding the findings.
• Methodology : Describe the methods and techniques used in the analysis, including data collection , analytical approaches, and any assumptions made.
• Findings : Present the main findings of your analysis, organized in a logical sequence. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance clarity and readability.
• Discussion : Interpret the findings in the context of the objectives and provide insights into their implications. Discuss any patterns, trends, or relationships observed in the data.
• Recommendations : Based on the analysis findings, provide actionable recommendations. Clearly outline the steps to address any issues or capitalize on opportunities identified.
• Conclusion : Summarize the main findings and recommendations, reiterating their importance and potential impact on the organization.
• References : Include a list of references or citations for any sources of information or data used in the analysis.

2. Interpret and Communicate Results

Interpreting and communicating the results of your analysis effectively is crucial for ensuring that stakeholders understand the implications and can make informed decisions.

• Use Plain Language : Avoid technical jargon and complex terminology that may confuse or alienate non-technical stakeholders. Use plain language to explain concepts and findings in a clear and accessible manner.
• Provide Context : Help stakeholders understand the significance of the findings by providing relevant context and background information. Explain why the analysis was conducted and how the findings relate to broader organizational goals or objectives.
• Highlight Key Insights : Focus on the most important insights and findings rather than overwhelming stakeholders with excessive detail. Use visual aids, summaries, and bullet points to highlight key takeaways.
• Address Implications : Discuss the implications of the findings and their potential impact on the organization. Consider both short-term and long-term implications and any risks or uncertainties.
• Encourage Dialogue : Foster open communication and encourage stakeholders to ask questions and seek clarification. Be prepared to engage in discussions and provide additional context or information as needed.

3. Tailor Reports to Different Audiences

Different stakeholders may have varying levels of expertise and interests, so it's essential to tailor your reports to meet their specific needs and preferences.

• Executive Summary for Decision Makers : Provide a concise executive summary highlighting key findings and recommendations for senior leaders and decision-makers who may not have time to review the full report.
• Detailed Analysis for Analysts : Include more thorough analysis, methodologies , and supporting data for analysts or technical stakeholders who require a deeper understanding of the analysis process and results.
• Customized Dashboards or Visualizations : Create customized dashboards or visualizations for different audiences, allowing them to interact with the data and explore insights relevant to their areas of interest.
• Personalized Presentations : Deliver personalized presentations or briefings to different stakeholder groups, focusing on the aspects of the analysis most relevant to their roles or responsibilities.

By tailoring your reports to different audiences, you can ensure that each stakeholder receives the information they need in a meaningful and actionable format.

4. Incorporate Visual Aids

Visual aids such as charts, graphs, and diagrams can enhance the clarity and impact of your reports by making complex information more accessible and engaging.

• Choose Appropriate Visualizations : Select visualizations that best represent the data and convey the key messages of your analysis. Choose from various chart types, including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, scatter plots, and heat maps.
• Simplify Complex Data : Use visualizations to simplify complex data and highlight trends, patterns, or relationships. Avoid clutter and unnecessary detail that may detract from the main message.
• Ensure Readability : Use clear labels, titles, and legends to ensure that visualizations are easy to read and interpret. Use appropriate colors, fonts, and formatting to enhance readability and accessibility.
• Use Interactive Features : If possible, incorporate interactive features into your visualizations that allow stakeholders to explore the data further. This can enhance engagement and enable stakeholders to gain deeper insights by drilling down into specific data points.
• Provide Context : Provide context and annotations to help stakeholders understand the significance of the visualizations and how they relate to the analysis objectives.

By incorporating visual aids effectively, you can make your reports more engaging and persuasive, helping stakeholders better understand and act on the findings of your analysis.

5. Document Methods and Assumptions

Documenting the methods and assumptions used in your analysis is essential for transparency and reproducibility. It allows stakeholders to understand how the findings were obtained and evaluate their reliability.

• Describe Data Sources and Collection Methods : Provide details about the sources of data used in the analysis and the methods used to collect and prepare the data for analysis.
• Explain Analytical Techniques : Describe the analytical techniques and methodologies used in the analysis, including any statistical methods, algorithms, or models employed.
• Document Assumptions and Limitations : Clearly state any assumptions made during the analysis, as well as any limitations or constraints that may impact the validity of the findings. Be transparent about the uncertainties and risks associated with the analysis.
• Provide Reproducible Code or Scripts : If applicable, provide reproducible code or scripts that allow others to replicate the analysis independently. This can include programming code, SQL queries, or data manipulation scripts.
• Include References and Citations : Provide references or citations for any external sources of information or data used in the analysis, ensuring that proper credit is given and allowing stakeholders to access additional information if needed.

By documenting methods and assumptions thoroughly, you can build trust and credibility with stakeholders and facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing within your organization.

Ad Hoc Analysis Best Practices

Performing ad hoc analysis effectively requires a combination of skills, techniques, and strategies. Here are some best practices and tips to help you conduct ad hoc analysis more efficiently and derive valuable insights:

• Define Clear Objectives : Before analyzing the data, clearly define the objectives and questions you seek to answer. This will help you focus your efforts and ensure that you stay on track.
• Start with Exploratory Analysis : Begin your analysis with exploratory techniques to gain an initial understanding of the data and identify any patterns or trends. This will provide valuable insights that can guide further analysis.
• Iterate and Refine : Adopt an iterative approach to analysis, refining your hypotheses and techniques based on initial findings. Be open to adjusting your approach as new insights emerge.
• Leverage Diverse Data Sources : Tap into diverse data sources to enrich your analysis and gain comprehensive insights. Consider both internal and external sources of data that may provide valuable context or information.
• Maintain Data Quality : Prioritize data quality assurance throughout the analysis process, ensuring your findings are based on accurate, reliable data. Cleanse, validate, and verify the data to minimize errors and inconsistencies.
• Document Processes and Assumptions : Document the methods, assumptions, and decisions made during the analysis to ensure transparency and reproducibility. This will facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing within your organization.
• Communicate Findings Effectively : Use clear, concise language to communicate your findings and recommendations to stakeholders. Tailor your reports and presentations to the needs and preferences of different audiences.
• Stay Curious and Open-Minded : Approach ad hoc analysis with curiosity and an open mind, remaining receptive to unexpected insights and discoveries. Embrace uncertainty and ambiguity as opportunities for learning and exploration.
• Seek Feedback and Collaboration : Solicit feedback from colleagues, mentors, and stakeholders throughout the analysis process. Collaboration and peer review can help validate findings and identify blind spots or biases.
• Continuously Learn and Improve : Invest in ongoing learning and professional development to expand your analytical skills and stay abreast of emerging trends and techniques in data analysis.

Ad Hoc Analysis Challenges

While ad hoc analysis offers numerous benefits, it also presents unique challenges that analysts must navigate. Here are some common challenges associated with ad hoc analysis:

• Data Quality Issues : Poor data quality, including missing values, errors, and inconsistencies, can hinder the accuracy and reliability of ad hoc analysis results. Addressing data quality issues requires careful data cleansing and validation.
• Time Constraints : Ad hoc analysis often needs to be performed quickly to respond to immediate business needs or opportunities. Time constraints can limit the depth and thoroughness of analysis, requiring analysts to prioritize key insights.
• Resource Limitations : Limited access to data, tools, or expertise can pose challenges for ad hoc analysis. Organizations may need to invest in training, infrastructure, or external resources to support effective analysis.
• Complexity of Unstructured Data : Dealing with unstructured or semi-structured data, such as text documents or social media feeds, can be challenging. Analysts must employ specialized techniques and tools to extract insights from these data types.
• Overcoming Analytical Bias : Analysts may inadvertently introduce biases into their analysis, leading to skewed or misleading results. It's essential to remain vigilant and transparent about potential biases and take steps to mitigate them.

By recognizing and addressing these challenges, analysts can enhance the effectiveness and credibility of their ad hoc analysis efforts, ultimately driving more informed decision-making within their organizations.

Conclusion for Ad Hioc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis is a versatile tool that empowers organizations to navigate the complexities of data and make informed decisions quickly. By enabling analysts to explore data on demand, ad hoc analysis provides a flexible and adaptive approach to problem-solving, allowing organizations to respond effectively to changing circumstances and capitalize on opportunities. From marketing campaign optimization to supply chain management, healthcare outcomes analysis, financial risk assessment, and retail merchandising analysis, the applications of ad hoc analysis are vast and varied. By embracing the principles of ad hoc analysis and incorporating best practices into their workflows, organizations can unlock the full potential of their data and drive business success. In today's data-driven world, the ability to extract actionable insights from data is more critical than ever. Ad hoc analysis offers a pathway to deeper understanding and better decision-making, enabling organizations to stay agile, competitive, and resilient in the face of uncertainty. By harnessing the power of ad hoc analysis, organizations can gain a competitive edge, optimize processes, mitigate risks, and uncover new opportunities for growth and innovation. As technology continues to evolve and data volumes grow exponentially, the importance of ad hoc analysis will only continue to increase. So, whether you're a seasoned data analyst or just beginning your journey into data analysis, embracing ad hoc analysis can lead to better outcomes and brighter futures for your organization.

How to Quickly Collect Data for Ad Hoc Analysis?

Introducing Appinio , your gateway to lightning-fast market research within the realm of ad hoc analysis. As a real-time market research platform, Appinio specializes in delivering immediate consumer insights, empowering companies to make swift, data-driven decisions.

With Appinio, conducting your own market research becomes a breeze:

• Lightning-fast Insights:  From questions to insights in mere minutes, Appinio accelerates the pace of ad hoc analysis, ensuring you get the answers you need precisely when you need them.
• Intuitive Platform:  No need for a PhD in research—Appinio's platform is designed to be user-friendly and accessible to all, allowing anyone to conduct sophisticated market research effortlessly.
• Global Reach:  With access to over 90 countries and the ability to define precise target groups from 1200+ characteristics, Appinio enables you to gather insights from diverse demographics worldwide, all with an average field time of under 23 minutes for 1,000 respondents.

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Ad hoc project challenges & how to manage them

Learn how to fit unexpected projects into your planned work and execute successfully.

Sarah M. Hoban,   Program Manager and Strategy Consultant

• project planning

Nothing beats the feeling when you’ve finally gotten your project portfolio under control, like a cherry positioned perfectly on top of a delicately balanced ice cream sundae. 

That is, until a stakeholder pops up out of nowhere with an ad hoc project to throw a wrench into your project management process. You may think there’s not much to do at this point except add juggler to your never-ending list of project manager job duties—as if you weren’t doing enough already. Right? Wrong.

As a program manager with 15+ years of experience in this field, do I have some stories to tell you! In this guide, I take you through the challenges of managing ad hoc projects and give you some tips for handling them.

What are ad hoc projects?

An ad hoc project is a one-time activity that arises unexpectedly or is not part of a pre-planned project schedule . Ad hoc work typically lacks a structured plan and may involve solving urgent issues or addressing sudden needs with immediate attention.

“Ad hoc” is a phrase borrowed from Latin that means “for this.” Ad hoc projects are therefore one-off, unique situations that don’t fit cleanly into an existing framework or project planning process. Basically, like each of your stakeholders, ad hoc projects are special snowflakes ❄️

You’re not supposed to encounter ad hoc projects often, but if your organization lacks robust project management processes , has trouble saying no to clients, or struggles with prioritization , then these types of projects tend to arise more often than you’d expect.

Today, a lot of the projects I handle are ad hoc, but most of my team’s time is allocated to addressing these special situations and wrangling them into manageable processes.

Ad hoc projects were much more concerning when I worked as a strategy consultant and had a full slate of scheduled client work. Asking me to fit in a marketing effort on the side or work “part-time” on a proposal for a couple of weeks was much trickier to handle.

Learn how Emily Feliciano, the Creative Resource Manager at Atlassian, handles almost 100 resource requests every week with Float —luckily, not all of which are ad hoc! 😉

What are the challenges with ad hoc projects?

Ad hoc projects present several challenges:

They’re unplanned and unscheduled

Ad hoc projects, by definition, are not part of an organization’s planned project portfolio . Since these types of projects tend to crop up at the last minute, they can be difficult for project teams to accommodate as part of their existing workload.

Solution : avoid scheduling your team up to 100% of their time. Allow some slack in your current project portfolio. That way, when ad hoc projects arise, you’ve got some built-in bandwidth to address them without throwing your existing projects off track. You can use Float’s project planning capability to avoid the risk of overallocation.

They do not adhere to existing project protocols

Since they’re typically labeled “urgent” or “high priority,” ad hoc projects sometimes get a pass from having to follow established processes. Cutting corners may compromise the quality of delivery, leading to rework.

Solution : even if a project is unplanned, it doesn’t mean you automatically have to take it on. Apply a decision-making framework to ad hoc projects to minimize the risk of taking on someone else’s emergency. 

Consider including additional screening criteria specific to ad hoc projects to assess whether an effort is worthy of bypassing traditional project management processes. Sample criteria include anticipated cost versus benefits (a cost-benefit analysis can help with this !), security concerns, and reputational risk from failing to deliver.

They lack proper performance metrics

Ad hoc projects are typically not tracked well or at all, either due to time constraints or because the organization initiated the project to correct another issue that they would like to downplay. In this situation, you lose valuable data on how long projects are taking and how people are spending their time, which can impact future cost estimates and/or resourcing decisions. Team members staffed on this type of project may also lose visibility for their accomplishments.

Solution : make sure to add every project, no matter how small, to your resource management software. Even though it may seem like an extra step, it can be really helpful to keep track of how long projects actually take compared to what was estimated and know what your team is working on each day. This information helps you plan for the future and decide how to balance the workload among your team members.

Tools & resources you’ll need to manage and execute ad hoc projects

Despite your best efforts, you may inevitably find yourself saddled with an ad hoc project at some point. When this happens, try not to stress too much—as long as dealing with ad hoc projects is a temporary, periodic situation and not a constantly recurring phenomenon, you’ll be able to handle them without causing too much disruption to your existing portfolio. 

Here are some things you can do to improve the execution of ad hoc projects:

1. Allocate resources appropriately

You can use resource planning software like Float to determine resource availability and then create a schedule for your ad hoc project that minimizes disruption to tasks already in flight. Where possible, you should also fast track the schedule to execute multiple tasks in parallel.

You can view the projects your team is currently working on and assess their capacity to handle ad hoc projects.

To speed up your return to business as usual, it’s also best to staff ad hoc projects with a small team, ideally composed of high performers familiar with the subject matter. A pitfall with this approach is that organizations tend to tap the same people over and over for this type of work, reducing team productivity and organizational visibility and risking burnout .

Use Float’s historical project data to expose who may be getting “voluntold” to work on ad hoc projects a little too often.

Reports in Float let you uncover what your time is spending their time on

Then, to combat this tendency, pair more experienced employees with junior staff that can shadow them. Now, you have a pool of staff equipped to handle these challenges. In the meantime, find ways to publicly acknowledge the fixers for the value they bring.

2. Apply project management processes

With ad hoc projects, you may not be able to spend as much time on planning as you normally would, but that doesn’t mean you get to skip planning altogether.

For example, ad hoc projects should still have:

• Defined goals and objectives
• A curated project team with defined roles and responsibilities
• A project schedule that you communicate throughout the organization
• Lessons learned that you can apply to future projects, both ad hoc and planned.

3. Take on ad hoc projects for the right reasons

While the above tactics can help you minimize the disruptions that ad hoc projects will impose upon your portfolio, ad hoc projects remain disruptive. Taking one on may require your team to go into over-work mode for a couple of weeks to get something important out the door. It may shift deadlines on ongoing projects that are deemed less critical.

The key is to make sure you are doing these projects for the right reasons and that ad hoc project management doesn’t become your default operational mode. Remember you have the option to say no to an effort that isn’t worth the time and cost—and that there are dedicated project planning tools that will help you along the way. 

Manage your ad hoc projects without disrupting ongoing projects

Float allows you to view your team's capacity well in advance and assess the impact of ad hoc tasks on ongoing projects. The visual Schedule helps you prioritize ad hoc requests and schedule them without overloading your team.

Some FAQs about ad hoc projects

How can i balance ad hoc projects with ongoing responsibilities.

Balancing ad hoc projects with ongoing responsibilities requires effective time management, delegation, and prioritization. It's important to communicate openly with supervisors and members about your team’s workload and resource allocation constraints to ensure that ad hoc projects don't negatively impact other commitments.

How can I learn to become better at managing ad hoc projects?

Improving ad hoc work management skills requires team-consuming practice, reflection, teamwork, and continuous learning. Seeking feedback from colleagues, studying case studies, and participating in training or professional development opportunities can all contribute to growth in this area. You can also use resource management software to improve how you handle ad hoc requests.

What role does improvisation play in ad hoc project management?

Improvisation is often a necessary skill in ad hoc project management, as it involves making decisions and taking action in real time with limited information. While improvisation can be valuable in responding to unexpected challenges, it's important to maintain a balance between agility and strategic initiatives.

Related reads

How to manage change in project management effectively, 10 advanced project management best practices you may not have thought of, project coordination skills & 10 best practices for success.

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Project Management

Navigating ad-hoc projects: best practices for success.

January 5, 2024

Sure, we’d all love the stability and predictability of knowing exactly how the rest of our work year will pan out. But in a disruption-prone world, that rarely happens. In fact, in most modern workplaces, project managers and team leaders often face unexpected challenges that throw standard operations into disarray.

We call these challenges ad-hoc projects. They arise out of nowhere, demand immediate action, and sometimes, you have to run them in parallel with your planned initiatives.

Ad-hoc projects, depending on their scale, can push the boundaries of conventional project management . They also test your agility and adaptability, as they force you to juggle multiple competing priorities and ambitious deadlines. The most skilled project managers may take them in stride, but for many others, ad-hoc projects strain their mental resources and time. 

But worry not. We’ve curated time-tested strategies and tools to help you turn ad-hoc project management into a springboard for success and innovation.

What are Ad-Hoc Projects and Requests?

Why is tracking ad-hoc projects important, common challenges in tracking ad-hoc projects, 1. prioritize tasks, 2. allocate resources with agility, 3. ensure clear communication, 4. use project management tools, 5. share regular updates, 6. set realistic deadlines, 7. embrace flexibility, 8. document everything, 9. delegate wisely, 10. conduct a post-project review, what happens if ad-hoc projects are not tracked, embracing the unpredictable: mastering ad-hoc project management.

Ad-hoc projects are unexpected tasks that typically require immediate resolution. They can be urgent client demands, sudden flare-ups of technical issues, or unanticipated market opportunities that demand a quick response.

Unlike routine tasks, ad-hoc projects are not part of the standard workflow and often lack a clear process or precedent. For instance, a software development team may suddenly find a security vulnerability that needs an urgent fix, or a marketing team might need to pivot strategies in response to a competitor’s unexpected product launch.

These projects require quick thinking, rapid assembly of resources, and a task management style that can respond to the sense of urgency without sacrificing the momentum of other ongoing projects.

Ad-hoc projects challenge the status quo of project management because they operate outside the realm of regular planning and control systems. They are the outliers in your project portfolio, often characterized by high stakes and the potential for significant impact on your organization’s performance and reputation.

By definition, ad-hoc projects don’t fit neatly into your scheduled roadmap. Yet, they have the power to influence business outcomes significantly. So tracking ad-hoc projects is vital for several compelling reasons:

• Resource allocation and optimization: Ad-hoc projects can be resource-intensive, and without proper tracking, project managers can overutilize or misallocate their team’s capacity. Monitoring these projects ensures that you’re deploying your team on the most impactful tasks, optimizing human and financial resources
• Maintaining project continuity: Regular projects and ad-hoc tasks compete for the same resources. Tracking ad-hoc projects helps ensure they don’t derail the planned initiatives essential to your long-term strategy.
• Risk management: Ad-hoc projects inherently carry more uncertainty and risk. By keeping a close eye on these projects, you can identify potential issues early and implement corrective actions. This proactive approach to risk management can save time, costs, and the company’s reputation
• Performance metrics and insights: When you track ad-hoc projects, you gather valuable data that can inform decision-making. Understanding the time, cost, and outcomes associated with these projects can lead to more accurate forecasting and improved strategies for handling similar projects 
• Client satisfaction and trust: Many ad-hoc projects arise from immediate client needs or problems. If you can track and manage ad-hoc projects effectively, your clients will love you for it. They will come to trust you with their most urgent and important issues 
• Enhanced team morale: Teams thrive in an environment of transparency and clear goal setting. Tracking ad-hoc projects gives your team a sense of direction and purpose, even amidst chaos. It allows team members to see the results of their hard work and understand how their contributions fit into the bigger picture
• Accountability: Tracking ad-hoc projects creates a system of accountability. It sets clear expectations for delivery and performance, ensuring that team members understand their responsibilities and the importance of meeting deadlines
• Learning and growth: Finally, tracking ad-hoc projects offers a learning opportunity. By reviewing completed ad-hoc projects, teams can reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved

Despite its many benefits, tracking ad-hoc projects is no mean feat.

Managers running ad-hoc projects must contend with challenges like defining the scope, balancing resources, and integrating them into regular workflows. Understanding these challenges is the first step to overcoming them and turning potential chaos into a structured, manageable, and, if possible, standardized process

• Undefined scope and objectives : The lack of a clear scope or end goal causes ambiguity and leads to scope creep. This is where the project’s requirements expand beyond the initial expectations, causing delays and resource strain
• Lack of integration into regular workflow: Ad-hoc projects typically arise without warning and need to be integrated into the team’s existing workload. Balancing these sudden projects with ongoing tasks without overwhelming the team or impacting productivity is a big challenge
• Misallocated resources: Ad-hoc projects can disrupt resource allocation because they are unplanned. They might need you to reallocate resources committed to other projects, leading to a cascade of delays
• Competing priorities: Determining the priority of an ad-hoc project relative to scheduled tasks can be difficult. There’s always a risk that prioritizing the ad-hoc work can derail priority projects
• Lack of documentation: Establishing a system for tracking progress and maintaining documentation for ad-hoc projects is challenging because they may not fit into the existing frameworks or tools designed for standard projects
• Communication overheads : You often need to make decisions on the fly in ad-hoc projects. This can lead to increased communication overheads, which need to be managed efficiently to prevent miscommunication and burnout
• Ill-defined success: Defining and measuring the success of ad-hoc projects can be complicated. Traditional success metrics may not apply, and new criteria often need to be developed on the go
• Compromised quality control : With the pressure to deliver ad-hoc projects quickly, quality may be compromised
• Learning and improvement : Capturing lessons learned from ad-hoc projects is essential for improving future responses. However, due to their spontaneous nature, taking the time to review and learn from each project can make it difficult to prioritize

Burnout risk : The urgency associated with ad-hoc projects can lead to increased stress and the risk of burnout for team members who may already be managing a full workload . To avoid these pitfalls of managing ad-hoc projects, we’ve compiled 10 strategies that can show you the way.

10 Strategies to Effectively Manage Ad-Hoc Projects

Managing ad-hoc projects requires a blend of strategic planning, flexibility, and the right tools. Reign in the chaos of ad-hoc requests with these proven strategies:

Determining which tasks should be handled first is critical when dealing with conflicting priorities and deadlines. Use a task management tool like ClickUp Tasks to assign priorities. This ensures that your team focuses on what’s most urgent and impactful, keeping the project momentum going.

You can also make use of widely available prioritization templates to ease the process.

Be prepared to reallocate resources swiftly. A dynamic tool can help project managers visualize where resources are committed and facilitate quick adjustments.

Keep your team informed with regular updates when an ad-hoc project comes to you. Use ClickUp’s custom statuses feature to provide rapid visibility into ongoing and completed tasks. Clear communication reduces confusion and aligns everyone’s efforts toward the project goals.

Leverage a robust project management platform to keep track of all the moving parts of your ad-hoc project. ClickUp offers a suite of features that you can customize for managing both regular and ad-hoc projects.

Ad-hoc project requests often come with specific and critical requirements from stakeholders. To keep things on track and satisfy their expectations, provide regular progress reports to stakeholders. This not only keeps everyone informed but also helps in tracking the project’s impact and resource allocation.

Ad-hoc projects often require quick turnarounds, but it’s essential to set achievable deadlines. This will help you manage team workload and expectations. An overly stressed team won’t be able to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of deliverables. 

Adapt your plans and strategies as new information comes to light. Being flexible is the key to managing the fluid nature of ad-hoc projects. 

ClickUp enables agility through features like priority tagging, task dependencies, and customizable workflows. As changes occur, you can rapidly reprioritize work, shuffle task sequencing, and update workflows to match the new plans.

Keep a detailed log of decisions, changes, and progress. No piece of information is too insignificant to document. Team members can use ClickUp’s Docs to document all pertinent information.

Assign tasks to team members based on their strengths and current workload. Use ClickUp’s Workload View to ensure no one is over-capacity. Then, assign tasks based on skills and availability. Effective delegation ensures tasks are completed efficiently and without overburdening individuals.

Once an ad-hoc project is completed, objectively review its success and identify areas for improvement. This reflection is vital for continuous learning and development.

ClickUp’s Form View can be particularly useful for managing ad-hoc projects. Create or submit ad-hoc requests through ClickUp Form View , so that these ad-hoc requests are automatically recorded and can be converted into tasks within your project management software dashboard. This streamlines the intake process and ensures every ad-hoc request is tracked from the outset. 

You can also use ClickUp’s Project Review Template to analyze each phase of the project, identify risks and successes, and evaluate team performance. 

Integrating these strategies with the capabilities of a comprehensive tool like ClickUp can significantly enhance the efficiency and success of managing ad-hoc projects.

The short answer: workload confusion, resource mismanagement, missed opportunities, and disgruntled colleagues and clients. Here’s what can happen when these ad-hoc projects go untracked and inefficiencies slip through the cracks:

• Increased workload confusion : Without tracking, it’s impossible to gauge the workload balance within a team accurately. This can lead to confusion over who is responsible for what and when tasks are due, resulting in important actions being overlooked or unnecessarily duplicated
• Resource mismanagement: Ad-hoc projects consume resources without prior notice. When they are not tracked, decision-makers have no visibility into which resources are being used where, leading to potential over- or under-utilization and, consequently, inefficiency and increased costs
• Missed opportunities : If time-sensitive ad-hoc projects are not tracked and prioritized, they can be missed entirely, which could mean forfeiting potential revenue, customer acquisition, or other strategic opportunities
• Quality degradation: Juggling ad-hoc projects on top of regular duties without tracking can lead to rushed work and corner-cutting. This compromises the quality of both ad-hoc tasks and regular projects, potentially damaging your company’s reputation
• Strategic misalignment: Ad-hoc projects may either support or detract from an organization’s strategic goals. Without tracking, it’s difficult to align these projects with your broader business objectives, possibly resulting in wasted effort and tactical missteps
• Stress and burnout: The additional pressure of untracked ad-hoc projects can increase team members’ stress levels. Over time, this can result in burnout, higher staff turnover, and all the associated burdens of recruitment and training new personnel
• Inability to forecast and plan: The insights gained from tracking ad-hoc projects are crucial for forecasting and planning future initiatives. Without them, organizations lose out on valuable data that could inform better decision-making
• Accountability issues: How can you hold anyone accountable for the outcomes of ad-hoc projects if there’s no record of who did what and when? This lack of accountability can foster an environment of indifference and lower overall team morale
• Inefficient processes: Not tracking ad-hoc projects leads to inefficient processes. There’s no way to analyze and improve on these projects if they’re not documented, meaning teams are doomed to repeat the same mistakes

The expert management of ad-hoc projects is key to navigating the complexities of the business world. Managers who get it right can drive success—both for themselves and their organization—and foster a culture of agility and responsiveness.

In an age of dizzyingly fast business pivots, mastering ad-hoc project management is also a significant competitive advantage. 

Armed with the strategies and best practices outlined in this guide, you and your team can transform how ad-hoc projects are perceived and handled. By effectively tracking and managing these projects, you can ensure they serve their intended purpose—driving success and innovation—without compromising the integrity and flow of ongoing initiatives.

Comprehensive project management tools, such as ClickUp, allow you to quickly create frameworks within which even the most unpredictable, ambitious projects can be executed to perfection. These tools provide the visibility, control, and flexibility needed to allocate resources wisely, maintain clear lines of communication, and uphold accountability.

Steer your team confidently, knowing that with each ad-hoc project tracked and completed, you are building a stronger, more nimble organization. Start mastering your ad-hoc projects today with ClickUp .

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Unveiling the Power of Ad Hoc Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of data analytics, the concept of ad hoc analysis stands as a dynamic catalyst for informed decision-making. Ad hoc analysis represents a departure from traditional, structured data examinations, offering the freedom to explore and derive insights on the fly. This real-time, impromptu approach enables professionals at all levels to interact with data intuitively, fostering a more responsive and agile decision-making process. In a world where business landscapes change swiftly, ad hoc analysis serves as a valuable tool for identifying trends, anomalies, and emerging opportunities. This article embarks on a comprehensive exploration of ad hoc analysis, delving into its fundamental principles, key components, and the manifold benefits it brings to organizations. By understanding the significance of ad hoc analysis and its transformative impact on user empowerment and rapid decision-making, businesses can unlock new dimensions of analytical capabilities, ensuring they stay ahead in an increasingly data-centric world. Join us as we unravel the layers of ad hoc analysis, navigating its applications, best practices, and the promising future it holds in the realm of data-driven decision-making.

Understanding Ad Hoc Analysis

At the core of modern data analytics, Ad Hoc Analysis emerges as a dynamic and indispensable tool, providing organizations with the agility to respond to ever-changing data landscapes. Ad Hoc Analysis is essentially an on-the-fly approach to data exploration, allowing users to conduct impromptu analyses without relying on pre-determined queries or structured reports. Its significance in data analysis lies in its ability to accommodate the unpredictable nature of business questions, facilitating real-time insights and informed decision-making.

Traditional data analysis methods often involve predefined queries and structured reports, limiting the flexibility to adapt to emerging trends or unexpected patterns. Ad Hoc Analysis, on the other hand, offers a dynamic environment where users can explore data interactively, posing questions and uncovering insights in real-time. This adaptability is crucial in situations where immediate decisions are required or when dealing with rapidly evolving data scenarios.

The importance of Ad Hoc Analysis is underscored by its empowerment of users at all levels within an organization. By offering a user-friendly interface and intuitive tools, individuals across various departments can independently analyze data, reducing dependence on dedicated, data analysts and teams. This democratization of data analysis enhances organizational responsiveness and ensures that decision-makers have the freedom to explore and extract insights without the constraints of predefined structures. In essence, Ad Hoc Analysis stands as a linchpin in the data analytics toolkit, championing a dynamic, user-centric, and real-time approach to uncovering actionable insights.

Key Components of Ad Hoc Analysis

Flexibility in manipulating data:.

The efficacy of Ad Hoc Analysis lies in its key components that contribute to a dynamic and user-driven approach to data exploration. At the forefront is the unparalleled flexibility it provides in manipulating and analyzing data. Unlike traditional hoc reporting and analysis methods that adhere to rigid structures, Ad Hoc Analysis allows users to interactively manipulate data, tailor analyses to specific questions, and adjust parameters on the fly. This flexibility ensures that users can adapt their analytical approach to the ever-evolving nature of business data, fostering a more responsive decision-making process.

Real-Time Exploration and Analysis:

Real-time exploration and analysis constitute another crucial component of Ad Hoc Analysis. In a rapidly changing business environment, the ability to derive insights in real-time is paramount. Ad Hoc Analysis facilitates this by allowing business users to explore data dynamically as it is generated, ensuring that organizations can respond swiftly to emerging trends, identify anomalies, and seize opportunities promptly.

User Empowerment Across the Organization:

Moreover, Ad Hoc Analysis stands out for its capacity to empower users at all levels within an organization. The tools associated with Ad Hoc Analysis often boast user-friendly interfaces and intuitive features, enabling individuals across various departments to independently analyze data without necessitating advanced technical skills. This democratization of data analysis not only reduces the burden on dedicated data teams but also ensures that decision-makers at different organizational levels have the autonomy to extract valuable insights, promoting a culture of data-driven decision-making throughout the organization. As a result, Ad Hoc Analysis stands as a cornerstone, fostering adaptability, responsiveness, and user empowerment in the data analytics landscape.

Benefits of Ad Hoc Analysis

Rapid decision-making:.

Ad hoc analysis emerges as a linchpin in facilitating rapid decision-making, offering a swift and responsive mechanism for professionals to adapt to changing scenarios. In dynamic environments where market conditions, consumer preferences, or internal factors evolve swiftly, the ability to quickly analyze and interpret data becomes paramount. Ad hoc analysis enables decision-makers to promptly access insights, empowering them to make informed choices on the spot without waiting for pre-structured reports or analyses.

Customized Insights:

A significant advantage of ad hoc analysis lies in its capacity to provide customized insights tailored to specific questions or scenarios. Unlike standardized reports that may not address niche inquiries, ad hoc analysis allows users to frame questions dynamically, ensuring that the analyses generated are directly relevant to the unique needs of the moment. This customization enhances the precision and applicability of the insights derived, supporting decision-makers in gaining a nuanced understanding of the data at hand.

Identifying Trends and Anomalies:

Ad hoc analysis serves as a proactive tool for identifying both trends and anomalies within datasets. The real-time exploration capability enables users to spot emerging patterns or irregularities that might go unnoticed in traditional reporting structures. This anticipatory approach allows organizations to stay ahead of trends, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and address anomalies before they escalate, contributing to a more resilient and foresighted decision-making process.

Reduced Dependence on IT:

Ad hoc analysis tools often boast user-friendly interfaces that empower non-technical users to conduct analyses independently. This reduction in dependence on IT teams streamlines the decision-making process, enabling professionals from various departments to explore and derive insights without requiring extensive technical skills. The democratization of data analysis through intuitive interfaces enhances organizational agility, fostering a culture where data-driven decision-making is accessible to a broader spectrum of users.

Examples of Ad Hoc Analysis in Action:

Real-world scenarios:.

Ad hoc analysis has proven invaluable in numerous real-world scenarios, showcasing its adaptability and effectiveness across diverse industries. In the financial sector, for instance, investment analysts often utilize ad hoc analysis to quickly respond to market fluctuations. By dynamically exploring data, they can make timely investment decisions, adapting to changing economic conditions and staying ahead of market trends. In the healthcare industry, ad hoc analysis plays a crucial role in patient care and resource allocation. Healthcare professionals use on-the-fly analyses to identify patterns in patient data, allowing for personalized treatment plans and more efficient use of medical resources. During public health crises, such as a pandemic, ad hoc analysis becomes instrumental in tracking the spread of diseases, predicting hotspots, and allocating resources strategically.

Industries and Use Cases:

Several industries benefit significantly from the flexibility and immediacy of ad hoc analysis. In retail, for instance, ad hoc analysis helps optimize inventory management by quickly identifying product trends and adjusting stock levels accordingly. E-commerce platforms leverage this approach to analyze customer behavior in real-time, enhancing personalized recommendations and improving the overall shopping experience.

The telecommunications sector relies on ad hoc analysis to monitor network performance and identify potential issues swiftly. Telecom operators can analyze data on-the-fly to optimize network resources, ensuring seamless connectivity and addressing disruptions promptly. Similarly, in manufacturing, ad hoc analysis aids in quality control by enabling real-time monitoring of production processes and identifying deviations that may affect product quality.

In the technology industry, especially in software development, ad hoc analysis is employed to identify bugs, optimize code performance, and make swift adjustments during the development process. The ability to analyze data dynamically ensures a more agile and responsive approach to software development, leading to faster problem resolution and product improvements.

These examples underscore the versatility of ad hoc analysis, demonstrating its applicability in enhancing decision-making and efficiency across a spectrum of industries and use cases.

Challenges and Considerations

Challenges associated with ad hoc analysis:.

Despite its numerous benefits, ad hoc analysis is not without its challenges. One significant challenge is the potential for data inconsistency and accuracy issues. Since ad hoc analyses often involve quick, on-the-fly exploration, there is a risk of overlooking data quality, leading to erroneous conclusions. Additionally, the lack of predefined structures may result in varied interpretations of the same dataset, posing challenges in maintaining consistency across analyses. Security concerns also arise, as ad hoc analyses may involve sensitive or confidential data, necessitating robust access controls to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Considerations for Effective Implementation:

To maximize the benefits of ad hoc analysis while mitigating challenges, certain considerations are crucial for effective implementation. Establishing clear guidelines and best practices for ad hoc analysis is essential to maintain consistency and accuracy. Organizations should prioritize data governance, ensuring that data quality and security measures are upheld during impromptu analyses. Providing adequate training for users, especially those without a strong background in data analysis, is vital for fostering a data-literate culture and preventing misinterpretations. Collaborative platforms that enable sharing and documentation of ad hoc reports and analyses can enhance transparency and communication within the organization.

Moreover, organizations must strike a balance between flexibility and control by implementing governance frameworks that guide users in their ad hoc analyses while allowing for innovation. Regularly reviewing and updating data policies, security protocols, and analysis guidelines will ensure that ad hoc analysis of company data remains a valuable and risk-mitigated tool in the organization's decision-making arsenal.

Introduction to Ad Hoc Analysis Tools and Technologies:

As the demand for dynamic, on-the-fly data exploration rises, a variety of tools and technologies have emerged, each designed to facilitate impromptu analyses and empower users at various technical skill levels. Among these, Sprinkle Data stands out as a powerful and versatile solution, offering innovative features alongside other popular tools in the ad hoc analysis space.

Popular Tools for Ad Hoc Analysis

• Sprinkle Data:
• Sprinkle Data stands as a leading player in the ad hoc analysis arena, known for its user-friendly interface and robust functionality.
• With Sprinkle Data, users can effortlessly navigate and explore data in real-time, leveraging features that facilitate quick insights and informed decision-making.
• Its intuitive design allows for seamless ad hoc analyses, making it accessible to both technical and non-technical users.
• Tableau's reputation for an intuitive interface extends to ad hoc analysis, providing users with drag-and-drop capabilities for dynamic visualizations.
• Renowned for its visualization prowess, Tableau enables users to create interactive analyses effortlessly.
• Microsoft's Power BI is a versatile tool for ad hoc analysis, featuring natural language querying and integration with various Microsoft applications.
• Its robust suite of tools facilitates dynamic data exploration, enhancing the overall ad hoc analysis experience.
• Google Data Studio:
• Google Data Studio is celebrated for its simplicity and collaborative features, allowing users to create, customize, and share reports and dashboards effortlessly.
• Seamless integration with other Google services contributes to a user-friendly environment for ad hoc analysis.

Features Enhancing User Experience:

• Drag-and-Drop Interfaces:
• Common to many ad hoc analysis tools, drag-and-drop interfaces simplify data manipulation and dynamic visualization creation, reducing the need for complex coding.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP):
• Tools with NLP capabilities, including Sprinkle Data, enable users to interact with data using plain language, enhancing accessibility for non-technical users.
• Collaboration and Sharing:
• Robust collaboration features in these tools, such as shared workspaces and real-time collaboration, promote teamwork and contribute to a more agile decision-making process.
• Data Connectivity:
• Ad hoc analysis tools, including Sprinkle Data, often support connectivity to a diverse range of data sources, ensuring users can analyze information from various channels.

As organizations navigate the complexities of data-driven decision-making, the landscape of ad hoc reporting and analysis tools continues to evolve, with a collective focus on enhancing usability, collaboration, and the overall user experience.

Best Practices for Ad Hoc Analysis:

Tips for effective ad hoc analysis:.

• Define Clear Objectives:
• Begin by clearly defining the objectives of your ad hoc analysis. Clearly articulate the questions you seek to answer or the insights you aim to uncover. This focused approach ensures that your analysis remains purposeful and aligned with your goals.
• Start Simple:
• Begin with simple analyses before diving into complex queries. Gradually refine your approach based on the insights gained. This iterative process allows for a more thorough understanding of the data and prevents potential misinterpretations.
• Utilize Visualization Tools:
• Leverage visualization tools to represent data intuitively. Graphs, charts, and dashboards can enhance comprehension and aid in identifying patterns or outliers more efficiently. Tools like Sprinkle Data, Tableau, or Power BI offer robust visualization features.
• Regularly Save and Document:
• Save your analyses regularly and provide clear documentation. This ensures that insights are reproducible and shareable within your team. Documentation becomes crucial for future reference and contributes to a collaborative analytical environment.

Importance of Data Accuracy and Quality:

Ensure data consistency:.

Validate and ensure the consistency of your data sources. Discrepancies or inaccuracies in datasets can lead to unreliable conclusions. Regularly verify data integrity to maintain the accuracy of your ad hoc analyses.

Verify Data Sources:

Verify the credibility and reliability of your data sources. Relying on accurate and trustworthy data is fundamental for making informed decisions. Cross-checking data from multiple sources adds an extra layer of validation.

Implement Data Governance:

Establish robust, data management and governance practices to maintain high data quality. This involves defining data ownership, implementing data validation processes, and ensuring compliance with data quality standards.

Data Cleansing and Transformation:

Prioritize data cleansing and transformation processes to handle missing or inconsistent data. Addressing data quality issues at the preprocessing stage contributes to the reliability of your ad hoc analyses.

Emphasizing these best practices as needed basis for effective ad hoc analysis, coupled with a commitment to data accuracy and quality, establishes a solid foundation for organizations seeking to derive meaningful insights from their dynamic data environments. As the landscape of data analytics continues to evolve, adherence to these practices ensures that ad hoc analyses contribute significantly to informed decision-making processes.

Future Trends in Ad Hoc Analysis:

Emerging trends and advancements:.

Machine Learning Integration:

The integration of machine learning algorithms within ad hoc analysis tools is an emerging trend. This advancement allows systems to learn from user interactions, offering automated insights and predictive analytics as users navigate through the data dynamically.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Enhancements:

NLP capabilities are expected to undergo significant enhancements. Future ad hoc analysis tools may feature more sophisticated NLP, enabling users to interact with data using even more natural and context-aware language, making it accessible to a broader range of users.

Augmented Analytics:

Augmented analytics, combining machine learning and AI-driven insights, is poised to transform ad hoc analysis. These tools will proactively assist users in formulating queries, interpreting results, and suggesting relevant visualizations, making the analytical process more intuitive and efficient.

Evolution of the Landscape:

Increased Integration with Big Data Platforms:

As organizations continue to leverage big data, ad hoc analysis tools are likely to integrate more seamlessly with big data platforms. This evolution ensures that users can explore and analyze vast datasets efficiently, unlocking insights from diverse and complex data sources. Enhanced Collaboration Features:

The future of ad hoc analysis will see a heightened emphasis on collaboration features. Real-time collaborative environments will become more sophisticated, allowing teams to work together seamlessly on ad hoc analyses, fostering collective decision-making.

Advancements in Data Visualization:

The evolution of data visualization techniques will play a pivotal role. Ad hoc analysis tools will likely incorporate more advanced visualization options, including augmented reality (AR) and immersive data experiences, providing users with novel ways to interpret and communicate insights.

Greater Automation for Routine Tasks:

Routine and repetitive tasks in ad hoc analysis, such as data cleaning and basic exploratory analyses, are expected to become more automated. This allows users to focus on more complex and strategic aspects of the analysis, enhancing overall productivity.

As ad hoc analysis becomes increasingly integral to organizational decision-making, these emerging trends and advancements signify a future where the ad hoc report process is not only more sophisticated but also more accessible and collaborative. The evolving landscape promises a more intelligent, automated, and user-friendly ad hoc analysis experience, empowering organizations to glean deeper insights from their data.

Conclusion:

In the dynamic landscape of data analysis, this exploration into ad hoc analysis has revealed its pivotal role in reshaping the way organizations extract insights and make informed decisions. The ability to conduct impromptu, on-the-fly analyses emerged as a powerful tool, providing users across various industries with which analysis tools offer unprecedented flexibility and responsiveness.

In summarizing the key points, we began by defining ad hoc analysis, highlighting its dynamic nature that sets it apart from traditional, predefined approaches. The discussion then unfolded to showcase real-world scenarios where ad hoc analysis proved instrumental, emphasizing its effectiveness in diverse industries, from finance and healthcare to retail and telecommunications.

The many benefits of ad hoc analysis, from rapid decision-making and customized insights to identifying trends and reducing dependence on IT, underscored its transformative impact on organizational agility. We explored popular tools like Sprinkle Data, Tableau, Power BI, and Google Data Studio, noting how their features enhance the user experience, making ad hoc analysis accessible to both technical and non-technical users.

Delving into challenges and considerations, we acknowledged potential hurdles while providing insights into mitigating risks and ensuring effective implementation of reporting solutions. Best practices for ad hoc analysis, focusing on clear objectives, starting simple, and emphasizing data accuracy, offered practical guidance for users navigating the dynamic data landscape.

Looking towards the future, we identified emerging trends like machine learning integration, enhanced NLP capabilities, and augmented analytics, forecasting a landscape where ad hoc analysis and business intelligence become more sophisticated, collaborative, and automated.

In conclusion, ad hoc analysis stands as a cornerstone in the data-driven era, empowering organizations to navigate complexities, respond swiftly to challenges, and seize opportunities. Its significance lies not just in the analyses it produces, but in the agility, it brings to decision-making processes, ensuring organizations remain adaptive and thrive in an ever-evolving business environment. As the data analytics landscape continues to evolve, ad hoc analysis remains a key protagonist, promising continued innovation and transformative insights for those who harness its capabilities effectively.

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How to Handle Ad Hoc Projects (When You Really Don't Have Time)

There are only so many hours in the day - and for Project Managers, most of those hours are likely already accounted for. That's why it can be so disruptive and pressuring when ad hoc projects or requests get pushed onto your team. You're suddenly in a position where you have to make time open up out of nowhere.

And because they don't come through the official channels, ad hoc projects are vulnerable to missing those important parts of the planning process that protect projects from going awry. What sounds like a fairly straightforward project at first can contain hidden complexities. But these might get missed if the project is accelerated past the initial checks and procedures that would otherwise be standard practice. This is particularly a risk when time is scarce.

It certainly isn't an ideal set of circumstances. But, as a Project Manager, it's inevitable that you will face ad hoc projects occasionally. Let's look at some things you can do to rein in the chaos and make a success out of a challenging situation.

What are Ad Hoc Projects?

How to tackle an ad hoc project when time is limited, the benefits of tracking ad hoc projects, how tech can help you handle ad hoc projects.

Any unscheduled, unexpected project that ends up on your desk can be thought of as an ad hoc project. Ad hoc projects often arise reactively, as the result of a particular issue or problem that has been identified. And for this reason it might be even more time-pressured than a regular, scheduled project.

Examples of an ad hoc project might include a PR or customer education campaign responding to an issue that has suddenly come to light in the media, or a sudden need for IT systems improvement - perhaps in response to a security threat that had been overlooked.

Because you don't know when an ad hoc project is going to crop up and what the nature and scope of the work might be, preparing ahead of time is extremely difficult. 

Though ad hoc projects come out of the blue and you've got limited time to play with, there's no reason to abandon procedural thinking in order to get them done. The key is to find a methodical approach that you can action quickly, supported by the right tools.

1. Determine the real urgency of the request

As previously mentioned, ad hoc project work often arises as the result of a problem that needs to be fixed, right now. Whoever brought you the ad hoc request would no doubt like for their work to take priority - but project management is a perpetual balancing act.

Your time is precious and everything else that your team is working on will not simply disappear just to accommodate this request. You need to be realistic and determine a delivery timeframe, but you can only do this once you have understood just how urgent the work is.

Is there a specific deadline that needs to be hit? Is it just “as soon as possible”? What risks would be associated with pushing this work back? All of these considerations will help you determine the objective urgency of the work. And if the work can be pushed back to fit a more realistic timeframe, it should be.

2. Assess the risks

Even if you are extremely short on time, it is not worth skipping risk assessment. But, in order to keep the timeframe for your risk assessment manageable, you will have to be realistic. The assessment might not be comprehensive, but it should certainly capture the main risks that could arise from undertaking the project. Prioritize contingency planning for these primary risks.

Learn more about how to create contingency plans and assess risk using an Impact-Probability Matrix.

3. Consider your resource capacity

Amidst the regular project work they have going on, your team might not have room for the ad hoc project without something else taking a hit. It might be that the ad hoc project has to take priority - but, in that case, you should try to assess whether this will result in delays on a different project.

It can all get very complicated very quickly, unless you have a clear method of visualizing your resourcing . A resource heatmap, such as the one below by Forecast, can help you quickly determine how much capacity your team has for additional work. 

A dynamic resource heatmap will help you quickly visualize your team's capacity

If possible, you want to make sure that only some of your team are allocated to the ad hoc project. It’s ideal if most of your team can keep working towards their regular, scheduled project work to avoid setbacks as far as possible.

4. Don't skimp on planning...but let automation lend a hand

Once you’ve figured out how urgent the work is, and your resource availability, you can estimate how long the work is going to take. Depending on how complicated the project is, producing a work breakdown structure can help you make an accurate assessment of the time it will take to complete the project.

Creating the work breakdown structure might be time-consuming, so if you're short on time, the key is to get the most value out of this activity. If you break down the work in a project management tool like Forecast - scoping out the work from top-level phases, down to individual tasks  - you can leverage the power of automation to turn your WBS into a fully mapped out Gantt Chart at the click of a button.

5. Complete (and track) the work

If work comes in off the cuff, it might be tempting just to treat it in the same casual manner - fit it in around everything else, and don’t put much thought into tracking it. This might seem like the most time-saving option in the moment, but over the long term it's not going to do you any favors.

Just because the work was unscheduled does not mean it should not be tracked through your regular project management software. Your team’s time is valuable. Just because a team member is working on a quick fix or unscheduled request does not mean that this work should go under the radar- even if they don't see the need to record it.

Encourage them to record their time on these ad hoc tasks as normal - we’ll dig into why later.

6. Do a retrospective

Again, just because the project was unscheduled does not mean you should abandon your regular retrospective or post mortem process. There is value to be found in going back and reviewing the project, from start to finish, and even if you are short on time, there might be particular lessons to be learned from an ad hoc project that could help save time down the line. For instance, did the additional time pressures reveal that your team is struggling to collaborate quickly and effectively?

Reviewing how your team has dealt with an ad hoc project might help you achieve a more streamlined workflow for the future, so don't lose the opportunity to turn the project into a learning opportunity. Make sure you plan the retrospective in ahead of time, so the team knows that it's coming up. Ideally, schedule the meeting to happen within a few days of the work getting wrapped up, so the project is fresh in everyone's minds.

By definition, ad hoc projects are initiated to serve a particular purpose; they may be a one-off scenario, significantly different from the work your team typically undertakes. But even if this is the case, there are plenty of benefits to be had from tracking the project, much as you would with your regular work. 

When you’re caught up in the day-to-day, you might not necessarily notice the recurring patterns that lead to persistent problems. But tracking can help you see the bigger picture.

Perhaps ad hoc requests keep hitting the same one or two functions on your team. Maybe it’s your graphic designers who keep getting roped into unscheduled projects, for instance. Track their time on these ad hoc tasks - if there is recurring additional need for their skills, this is the best way to notice it. 

Your records can help you build a case: if it’s not more hires that you need, maybe it’s process improvement? When you have sudden crisis requests landing on your plate every other week, this is a sign that something isn’t working quite right. Ad hoc projects are, by their nature, reactive. Improving the processes and creating a more proactive approach to planning might be the solution. For instance, perhaps your organization needs to work on  identifying potential risks to help limit the amount of ad hoc work needed to fix problems. 

Tracking your ad hoc projects is a time investment - but if it leads to process improvement, it may well be an investment that saves you time in the future.

The frustrating reality of ad hoc requests is that often the person requesting the work wishes it could have been done “yesterday”. Under this kind of pressure, it is tempting just to dive into the work as fast as possible just to get it done. But, equally, if you fail to do any preparation and planning before getting your team to tackle the work, you invariably (as the saying goes) prepare to fail.

The sweet spot is in finding a way to plan and track ad hoc projects as robustly as you can, without it taking too much time. You should be using technology to help you. By using Forecast to automate your project schedule and allocate tasks based on resource capacity, the planning that could take hours or days is cut down to a matter of minutes. Get ad hoc work turned around fast, but do it with a plan.

If you want to try Forecast for yourself, it's free for 14 days. Sign up below, and see how much time you can save.

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Ad Hoc Projects and Ad Hoc Requests: How to Manage Them? (Examples & Expert Tips)

Table of Contents

How many times have you gotten urgent requests either from a client, coworkers, or your superiors? 

How often do these “small” projects and requests interrupt your regular work?

According to a Harvard Business Review article discussing the results of a survey on work interruptions , 15% of respondents said they were interrupted at work more than 20 times a day, while 40% reported more than 10 interruptions per day. 

Ad hoc projects and requests can be annoying since they often derail the original project plan . Also, they divert your attention from your main tasks and can adversely affect your productivity. 

The aim of this article is to provide advice on how to manage ad hoc projects and requests, but  before we can get to the expert tips, we need to:

• Define ad hoc projects and requests,
• Describe their characteristics, and
• Provide examples of such projects and requests.

We‘ll then put expert tips at your disposal to help you tackle these out-of-the-blue tasks and explain the importance of tracking ad hoc projects and requests.

If you are ready, let’s dive in. 

What are ad hoc projects?

Ad hoc is a term of Latin origin meaning “for this” or “for this situation”. It actually refers to something that happens when it is necessary i.e. for a particular purpose. 

Projects titled “ad hoc” are both unexpected and unscheduled. They crop up, make a mess, and it is up to you to dampen down the fire. 

Ad hoc projects vary in scope from small requests, such as an administrative task, to bigger projects, such as company events organization.

There are various reasons why ad hoc projects and requests emerge, and some are:

• Poor communication,
• Poor planning, 
• Specific client or upper management desires,
• Roadblocks identified during any of the project phases ,
• Personnel, schedule, or budget changes. 

Regardless of the reasons why ad hoc projects turn up in our regular workload, they share similar characteristics that differentiate them from traditional projects. Let’s name a few:

• Focusing on a single goal — unlike traditional projects, ad hoc projects have a central focus of interest.
• Requiring quick completion — ad hoc projects and requests are time-sensitive, and they usually disrupt your current work.
• Going through fewer complexities — since they have shorter time spans, ad hoc projects and requests go through less red tape.
• Using fewer resources — project managers try to localize ad hoc projects and requests and not disturb the whole team or disrupt the project workflow . 
• Being reactive — this means that ad hoc projects or requests solve a certain problem or issue that has been identified and demands a prompt reaction. 

All these characteristics make ad hoc projects and requests unique. To illustrate these characteristics, we’ll provide some representative examples.

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Ad hoc projects and requests examples

Ad hoc projects and requests are more or less present in every industry. They aren’t standard, and they’re definitely not a part of your game plan. Still, life happens, and these projects and requests are almost inevitable. 

We bet you can recognize yourself in some of the following examples, each focusing on one of the ad hoc characteristics listed above.

Example #1: Patching a security vulnerability

Your company develops software for clients who want to improve their services and/or products. As a project manager in charge of one of the apps, you follow your carefully laid-out software development plan , and your team members are aligned. 

But, during the control phase, some of your coworkers inform you about a possible security breach on the account.

Since you naturally want to protect your company and your clients’ data, you gather a security team to patch a security vulnerability and move the data somewhere safe until they carry out the necessary system improvements.

In this example, the ad hoc request for a security team was to move the data — a single goal to focus on.

Example #2: Unexpected report for a client

Prime examples of ad hoc requests are unexpected and most urgent (read: do or die) reports for clients.

You are in the middle of your marketing campaign working on the design of a newsletter for potential clients. The client who pays for the campaign sends you an email asking for a report on the current state of the campaign. The subject of the email starts with the notorious “urgent” or “needed ASAP”. 

Without even considering why they need the report at this very moment, you leave the work on the newsletter and start working on the ad hoc request because the client is important and you want to keep them. 

You are going to put all your energy into the report to please the client since this request takes precedence. 

Example #3: Secure promotional items for donors at a fundraising event

The organization of a fundraising event is a large project demanding the formation of committees in charge of planning, finding donors, recruiting volunteers, and much more. 

You also need teams to deal with catering, decorations, entertainment, and marketing. 

Your company gets the opportunity to organize this important event, and there are a lot of tasks you and your team need to fulfill. 

The committee in charge of advertising and marketing is doing their best to promote the event by securing marketing materials and invitations. 

Then, on the day of the event, the committee members realize they haven’t secured promotional items for the donors. 

With such a short time to secure what they need, the manager of the committee needs to decide how to solve the burning issue. It is hardly possible to go through all the red tape and get approvals. 

The ad hoc task will be assigned to 1 or 2 team members who will check if there are any spare promotional items and, if not, will procure them however they can. 

💡 Plaky Pro Tip

Looking for an easy way to plan a nonprofit event? Check out the following resources:

• Guide to planning a nonprofit event (+ checklists)
• Project management software for nonprofits
• Donors list template

Example #4: Securing a missing permit for a renovation

A family has hired your construction company to renovate their home. The project manager needs to gather a team of architects, contractors, and construction workers to deal with the renovation. 

The family wanted to repaint the house, repave the driveway, and install floor coverings. As the team started work, the family asked for the installation of an underground sprinkler system.

So, all of a sudden, the manager gets an ad hoc project to carry out. However, there is a catch — the installation requires a plumbing permit.

The manager will appoint a contractor to obtain the plumbing permit and change the renovation plan until the permit is obtained. 

In this example, the manager knows who should get this ad hoc task, and the rest of the team is not disturbed by these new events.

The easiest way to track your construction activities is to use the right software. Here’s a Plaky template that can help you keep your project on time and budget:

• Construction schedule template

Example #5: A PR campaign as a response to a client’s tarnished reputation

A website selling products online has experienced a service outage due to high demand for products on sale. 

Many customers failed to receive a purchase confirmation, which caused public outrage, and the social media were full of negative comments.

The company owning the website immediately gathered their PR team to take control of the situation back. 

The goal of these examples was to show the characteristics of ad hoc projects/requests in practice. 

Moving on, let’s look at the benefits of tracking ad hoc projects and requests and explain why this should be highly regarded by project managers.

Why is it important to track ad hoc projects and requests?

Ad hoc projects and requests are often seen as simple tasks, and the fact they aren’t part of a regular schedule usually leaves them under the radar. 

Large projects are tracked and controlled from beginning to end, and you might think there shouldn’t be any fuss over some ad hoc task as long as the major project is on the right track.

However, if you have ever wondered why there are delays in the project delivery and why the project suffered extra costs, ad hoc projects could be the culprit. 

To illustrate the importance of tracking ad hoc projects and requests, we’ll list a few benefits in support of keeping close tabs on such tasks.

Benefit #1: Improved progress tracking

Adding ad hoc projects and requests onto the task list is time-consuming. But, if an ad hoc project and/or request is the reason you have to drop a primary task, you should definitely record it. 

Tracking ad hoc tasks helps you get the whole picture by showing you how these tasks affect the project budget and schedule. You can clearly see how much time you spend on each task and monitor the project’s progress. 

Tracking ad hoc projects and requests allows project managers to make better decisions when they allocate tasks and determine deadlines.

Benefit #2: Improved resource management

Every team leader and project manager must have a firm grasp of the current state of project resources . 

By tracking the time your team members spend working on ad hoc projects, you can manage your human resources better, request team expansion, and even postpone some less important project tasks on your list . 

Also, by tracking ad hoc projects and requests, you can identify if there are any extra costs and if there is a need for budget adjustments. 

Benefit #3: Better insight into work patterns

By tracking ad hoc tasks, you can spot recurring ones.  

For instance, if you notice that your team members have to deal with unnecessary administrative tasks every now and then, you can make changes in the work organization and reduce the amount of time they spend on such tasks.

When you determine the amount of time necessary to invest in ad hoc projects and requests, you’ll be able to plan more efficiently in the future and delegate other tasks accordingly. 

What’s the best way to track ad hoc projects and requests?

If you want to learn the best way to manage ad hoc projects and requests, you should listen to professionals and take something out of their box of tricks.

We reached out to Timea Gardinovački and Zoran Vizmeg — Project Managers at Pumble and Clockify respectively — to offer first-hand tricks of the trade for smoothly dealing with ad hoc projects and requests. 

Tip #1: Keep calm and evaluate the ad hoc project

It’s easy to make mistakes when you need to act fast. That’s why Timea highlights the importance of not panicking when you face an unexpected task: 

“ The first and most important thing is that when we get an ad hoc project, we keep calm and evaluate it. Even though the nature of ad hoc projects is that they need to be done fast (now, yesterday), we need to make sure that we fully understand them. As Project Manager, I am responsible for my team’s workload and availability, so it is crucial that I understand what the scope of the ad hoc project is so I can rearrange the team’s current workload and assign the right people to it. ”

Tip #2: Communicate the ad hoc project with your team

It is vital to keep your team updated on all the changes. As long as everyone is on the same page, you can expect a positive result. Timea is sure that open communication is the key to solving ad hoc tasks. 

“ This is not an easy task, as you need to juggle a lot of things. It is of great importance to communicate with the team about the ad hoc project and inform them that there will be some rearranging happening because of it. Of course, having a great and reliable team helps a lot, but we still need to make sure they are all clear on what is going on and what is expected. ”

If you want to learn more about why communication is important for your project team, check out this guide:

• Why is communication important in project management?

Tip #3: Create a small temporary team

If your team often faces ad hoc projects and requests, it is good to think about forming a dedicated team to tackle such tasks. This is exactly what our colleague Zoran recommends. His tip sheds some light on the way that the team behind Clockify stays ahead of unexpected issues. 

“ If an ad hoc project comes pretty often — which is the case in our environment — it is necessary to create a solution for that. Recently, we have created a small temporary team that contains 8 developers and 2 project managers. That team acts when an ad hoc task pops up. The team’s obligation is to find a quick technical solution for the requested task, allocate resources, and act immediately, and their first priority is to work on ad hoc projects. If there are no ad hoc projects, the team’s obligation is to handle technical debt, which is a lower-priority task in this case. ”

Tip #4: Celebrate the completion of an ad hoc project with your team

After so much effort put in to finish the ad hoc project, marking the completion of it may have a restorative effect on the team. This tip is an important step in Timea’s team management: 

“ Every ad hoc project brings a certain level of additional stress to the team, so, in my opinion, it is crucial to give credit to the people working on it, show your appreciation and, of course, be there for your team, even if it is just for a ‘venting session ‘.”

Manage your ad-hoc projects with Plaky

Since ad hoc projects are always unexpected and need to be dealt with quickly, you need flexible task management software that’s able to adapt to constant changes.  

Using a free task management tool such as Plaky can help you stay on top of all your projects. It offers an array of features for: 

• Task management, 
• Team collaboration, 
• Progress tracking, and
• Administration (such as permission control, grouping similar tasks, and choosing who can see what). 

Plaky is a cloud-based tool that can act as a centralized hub for all your project work. It supports unlimited users, spaces, and projects.

It’s highly customizable, and you can easily add an item for each ad hoc task and create a dedicated space for your ad hoc projects. 

The information you need to create an ad hoc task is usually the following:

• Task description,
• The assignee, 
• The resources that should be used,
• The person you report to, and

All of this is simple to do through Plaky. Also, with Plaky, you can share updates with your team members and directly communicate with them. They get notified about new tasks, updates on current tasks, and when they are tagged using the @mention feature. 

You can use either Kanban, Table or Gannt view to track project progress and changes using Plaky’s activity log at either the item or board level.   

You can also integrate Plaky with Clockify , a world-renowned time tracking tool. Since ad hoc projects are usually time-sensitive, you can track the time it takes to complete them.

The best way to deal with your ad hoc requests and projects is to use project management software. This way, you can have all the relevant information documented in a single platform. Sign up for Plaky’s free account and manage your ad hoc projects with ease.

Ana Miljkovic is a project management author and researcher at Plaky who enjoys writing articles on diverse project management topics. This way, she manages to link her love of in-depth research, efficient organization, and fine writing. As a former English teacher, she strongly believes reading is one of the best ways to learn. Therefore, the aim of her articles is to simplify complex topics and make them helpful and easy to understand for everyone.

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How to develop an ad-hoc project management workflow.

Updated on April 5, 2023 by Michelle

Published on December 28, 2020 by Michelle

Ad hoc project management skills are required in any company that is growing and which has ad hoc workflows or must do tasks or projects arise that need to be completed in a timely fashion.  Fortunately or unfortunately every experienced project manager has experienced Ad-hoc workflows popup in their regular project cycles especially when  — things are running along smoothly in your workflow and then suddenly receive an email with the subject: “URGENT — need ASAP.” And just like that, an ad-hoc project becomes a top priority and falls directly into your lap.

Ad-hoc projects or requests are unexpected and can catch you off guard. When you have your through-the-years-perfected process to follow around scope requests, work structures, financial analysis, risk assessment, and everything else in your pipeline, a last-minute request can feel like a little storm raining on your parade that derails you from that process.

When not handled correctly, ad-hoc requests can derail team productivity and send them on a wild goose chase to complete every task on their list, regardless of order or priority. While these kinds of projects are inevitable and, most times, necessary, it’s crucial to understand that working on too many things at the same time or having unclear priorities is a critical factor in decreased productivity and efficiency.

Ad-hoc projects can be challenging for a number of reasons, including restraints on time, resources, or impact. This might take your focus away from larger issues at hand, forcing you to rush and deal with these urgent requests.

1. Ad-hoc Time Restraints

When someone places an ad-hoc request, they usually want it done yesterday, or even better — last week. When you already have an established workflow for an existing project, it can be challenging to analyze and confirm a new timeline for a request or fit it into a current timeline that already has clear timelines and dependencies.

2. Lack of Resources 

Another challenge of ad-hoc requests is a lack of resources, whether that’s financial or personnel, to deal with the project. This is why it is so important to do the right process for business forecasting , reserve budgets for planned activities, but reserve for Ad-Hoc opportunities that make sense. Whether that’s finding an increased budget to complete it or finding the right people to handle the task, ad-hoc projects can put a project manager into a bind while they figure everything out. All resources are probably fully allocated to other projects, so project managers might have to scramble to put everything in place.

3. Smaller Impact

Ad-hoc projects also tend to have a more localized impact than fully fleshed out projects. While they might be smaller in scale, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re less important. They’re usually focused on a specific goal that may or may not feed into the larger picture.

Even with these challenges, it’s a project manager’s job to anticipate and manage the unexpected. Since you’re expected to act as your team’s buffer, it’s essential to put a plan into place to deal with these kinds of requests. Trial and error lead to better preparation, and so here are some best practices that we’ve learned from dealing with ad-hoc projects.

4. Stay Flexible 

Flexibility is vital when dealing with a shortened timeline and fewer resources. In this situation, Agile project management, a style that prioritizes flexibility and iteration , could be the best choice as opposed to the Waterfall style — a more traditional technique and structured process that requires more planning. An agile approach reinforces communication and collaboration, which will benefit your team while reducing bottlenecks.

5. Prioritize Risk for Ad hoc Projects

Tracking risk is one of a project manager’s primary responsibilities, and this becomes even more true on an ad-hoc project that might not have undergone a full risk assessment. One way to keep things moving along is to anticipate weaknesses or vulnerabilities. It can be time-consuming to conduct a full risk assessment, so keep it targeted to risks in project value — the ones that present both high probability and high impact. If a risk doesn’t appear to fall in either of those two categories, note it and keep moving forward.

6. Be Transparent with Ad hoc Workflows

Transparent communication is genuinely beneficial to teams working on ad-hoc requests. Project managers should implement more frequent team updates to promote increased accountability. When everyone knows who is responsible for what, it drives efficiency and saves time. Transparent communication also adds context to a project, which connects people to the full meaning of their work. This transparency, in turn, drives value and engagement among team members.

7. Work Efficiently in Ad hoc Project Management

And of course, if you receive an ad-hoc project or request, create a plan to work more efficiently . A cloud-based software such as Nifty can help all of your team members get on the same page to allocate resources and information more effectively. Using project management software helps project managers visualize their team’s capacity while tracking hours worked on specific projects. It also aids project managers in redirecting time and attention away from less critical or less time-sensitive tasks to more urgent strategic initiatives. It also helps automate specific tasks, giving you back some precious time to allocate to any resource restrictions.

8. Formalize the Request Process for an Ad hoc Request

Many ad-hoc requests come by way of email or just the casual line of “So, I was hoping you could help me with this…”. These unofficial asks can add up and distract from time-sensitive projects. By formalizing the process, you’re adding more validity to incoming requests and can better assign and manage workloads. Having a centralized location that provides oversight on all projects and tasks while storing relevant information will go a long way towards maximizing efficiency and productivity. It also makes a project manager’s job easier by ensuring that they know exactly what’s going on at all times. Even if you didn’t have a formal system in place at the time of your most recent project request, implementing one now will save time and energy in the future.

By developing a plan for dealing with ad-hoc projects, you’re setting your team up to be more proactive instead of reactive, thereby enabling them to focus on the key strategic initiatives to drive the business forward. These plans empower project managers to support and manage their teams while preventing team burnout and confusion.

The sign of any great project manager is being able to handle whatever comes their way. By implementing an ad-hoc project management plan and utilizing the right software tools, you’re able to calmly juggle more projects to drive business growth and success.

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Try Nifty for free today and learn how your projects, both planned and ad-hoc, can be better executed and more productive.

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Ad-Hoc Projects

Why are teams with proven project management principles at their fingertips persistently overwhelmed by poorly planned projects and unplanned tasks? Why does today's average office worker spend just 46 percent of each day performing their primary job duties? Often, the culprit is ad-hoc requests.

Table of Contents

What are ad-hoc projects?

Why track ad-hoc projects, what can happen if ad-hoc requests are untracked, what's the best way to track ad-hoc projects, making ad-hoc projects visible., using smart ad-hoc collaboration., report on the success of your ad-hoc project., frequently asked questions..

The meaning of an ad-hoc project is work that has been formed or used for a special and immediate purpose, without previous planning. Mid-project and ad-hoc requests can come from unexpected reports, project and product updates, last-minute reviews, quick emails and even coworkers walking over to your desk.

“Ad hoc” is a Latin phrase that literally translates to “for this” or “for this situation.” In other words, it refers to things that are specific, non-generalizable, non-repeatable. Ad hoc work might be a side project your line manager asks you to run, alongside your main focus area or a series of small distractions.

If people in the office occasionally ask you to drop what you’re doing to help with administrative tasks or pricing, these are ad-hoc requests. Common ad-hoc work examples include:

• Internal IT projects
• Requests to organize company events
• Finding the answers to client queries
• Quick-reaction work that responds to a trend

As long as you're efficiently executing projects , what's the big deal about leaving those ad-hoc projects untracked? Isn't it more effort than it's worth to log a random ad-hoc project into your system?

There are actually wide-ranging benefits to finally shining a spotlight on all the extra ad-hoc tasks your team completes. Once project managers start logging everything into a comprehensive work management system, they'll be able to:

• Accurately report how each team member spends their time
• Manage resources more effectively
• Redirect time and attention toward key strategic initiatives
• Justify current headcount and/or lobby for additional positions
• Say "no" or "not this week" to less important tasks — and easily explain why

Most project managers have major improvements to make in how they clarify, manage, and renegotiate their total inventory of projects and actions. If you let yourself get caught up in the urgencies of the moment, without feeling comfortable about what you're not dealing with, the result is frustration and anxiety.

When each ad-hoc request remains untracked, it’s easy for time and money to be lost and become untraceable. If you’re wondering why a portion of the personnel budget allocated to your main project seems to have disappeared, a stack of ad hoc task requests could be the culprit.

Without tracking, an ad hoc project request can suck time and energy away from what’s important, meaning your core efforts are side-lined.

Reporting on ad-hoc projects can be so important to facilitate:

• Improved progress tracking – Last-minute tasks can quietly erode team productivity without anyone noticing. Tracking can help you keep tabs on how projects are being affected by them.
• Building a suitable team – Knowing exactly how much time ad-hoc requests are taking up can bolster your case for recruiting staff to cope with it. For instance, if an ad-hoc project requires a data expert, tracking outlines resource needed.
• Better resource management – Tracking the hours required for ad-hoc requests means the wider business can manage its human resources better, and make informed decisions on resource.

The market is glutted with task-tracking systems that make it easy to monitor these kinds of unpredictable, unplanned ad-hoc projects. A successful planning phase helps you to define scope, so use these earlier decisions to decide what to track.

Several project management solutions are designed to help teams organize and execute complex projects. But there are very few systems like Workfront that can integrate both, enabling teams to track comprehensive projects alongside these random "surprise" ad-hoc requests.

A comprehensive work management solution is the best way to go. Even if you don't have one in place yet, the four core principles that follow will supercharge your team's productivity, no matter what system you use.

1. Stop accepting “under-the-table” ad-hoc requests.

Every single task must be documented and accounted for and submitted with a project request form . Each individual ad-hoc request stacks up to paint a picture of inefficiencies, so standing firm can reap rewards.

Ad-hoc project managers often find they’re called in to save the day when an issue arises that doesn’t quite fit into standard business procedures. When you are, you should:

• Pull together a team by speaking with departmental heads
• Source the best talent at short notice
• Define the parameters of your ad-hoc project
• Assign clear tasks and start collaborating

2. Standardize your request management processes.

Rather than accepting work requests via email, voicemail, sticky note or hallway conversation, manage the chaos of incoming projects more effectively. Start following request management best practices and create a project intake process .

Steps include:

• Creating a centralized request hub
• Managing and prioritizing all requests
• Standardizing your request template (using a creative brief or similar form)
• Defining project requirements and clarifying expectations

3. Create ad-hoc project blocks.

Encourage each team member to regularly block out time to tackle ad-hoc work. If those one-off ad-hoc requests can be gathered together and turned into a planned combined task, they won't feel like a dozen little interruptions.

Managers who have several team members with similar or overlapping job descriptions could even designate a different person each day to be available to capture, prioritize, and complete ad-hoc requests. This then frees up other team members to focus more time on their top priorities.

4. Make every task visible.

If all you've been tracking so far are larger projects, the managers and executives above you may get the impression these large projects are all you ever do. And that they seem to take a lot longer than they should.

Once you start logging smaller requests into your work queue, a much more accurate picture of your team's daily contributions will take shape. Whether you do this with a work management solution or a burndown chart that's hanging on the wall (in Agile project management ), make sure it catches the attention of the powers that be.

Both you and your boss should have complete visibility into what your team is working on now, where current projects stand, and how much bandwidth is left over.

The more you can make plans that reflect what's really happening with your team—by making invisible work visible, creating a centralized request queue, and blocking out time for clusters of ad-hoc projects—the more flexibility you'll have to make adjustments when things inevitably begin to go awry.

So-called ‘under the table’ ad hoc projects can threaten your bottom line and impact team cohesion. When things are visible, they’re more likely to seem fair. Key stakeholders can also scrutinize your plans, reducing the risk of oversights.

Collaboration is key to successful ad-hoc work. Coworkers want to know when the agenda shifts, and you also need razor-sharp processes to make communication slick and effective, once work is underway.

In person, you might pull the team into a meeting room for an afternoon. For remote teams, the software you’re using can make a big difference. With Workfront, multiple players can view data at the same time for optimal teamwork, helping manage priorities .

When a project takes off at lightning speed, it can be easy to forego the formalities. Ad-hoc projects rely heavily on reporting, however. This step allows you to measure success, learn lessons and justify your efforts to those higher up the chain.

Pull data seamlessly from your project management software to create an easily digestible log of key tasks and headline numbers. Pair with a written ad-hoc project summary and your case will be backed up even further.

What is the definition of an ad-hoc project?

An ad-hoc project is a term that covers work that is unplanned and potentially has a very tight deadline for completion. These are tasks that can arise during a project and happen unexpectedly.

The immediacy of these tasks, coupled with their last-minute arrival can cause disruption to teams and projects if not managed correctly.

What is an ad-hoc manager?

An ad-hoc manager is someone assigned to manage ad-hoc tasks when they happen. This person might not work on a specific project on an ongoing basis but can offer help to team members when they are coping with last-minute requests.

Having an effective ad-hoc manager can help workers focus on their assigned projects and keep on track with ongoing project work.

What are some ad-hoc work examples?

Examples of ad-hoc work will depend on your particular industry. However, you might consider any tasks outside of your usual focus or project work to be ‘ad-hoc’.

Administrative tasks, unplanned projects, meetings and catch-ups could all fall under the definition of ad-hoc work.

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How to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects and Ad-Hoc Requests

Projects rarely go as planned. There is always the potential to get new data, project or product updates, reviews or any number of last-minute requests. How do you deal with these ad-hoc requests?

Ad-hoc means that it’s specific—something that will not be repeated. Ad-hoc projects and ad-hoc requests will occur in project management and you need to know how to deal with them.

What Is an Ad-Hoc Project?

An ad-hoc project is one that happens unexpectedly, usually in response to a problem. Projects are almost always scheduled in advance , but an ad-hoc project is sprung upon the team without time for any prior planning.

That’s one of the things that differentiate an ad-hoc project from a traditional project in project management. Another is that an ad-hoc project usually includes a quick turnaround. Ad-hoc projects also focus on one goal (or group of people) and tend to use fewer resources, including team members.

To sum up, an ad-hoc project is when something comes up that requires an immediate response. Like any project, there’s only a limited amount of time to complete it, but the timeframe is almost always tight.

How to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects: 5 Best Practices

Because an ad-hoc project seems to come out of nowhere, it’s often not given the attention that a more deliberate project would receive. However, you still need to track and report on progress to meet your strategic initiatives.

One best practice for managing ad-hoc projects is using project management software. ProjectManager is a cloud-based software that allows you to plan, schedule and track your projects in real time. Monitor resources and your team’s time with the live dashboard. No setup is necessary. ProjectManager collects and calculates the data and then displays time, cost, variance and more. It’s like an instant status report for your ad-hoc project. Try ProjectManager free today.

1. Don’t Neglect Risk

It’s easy to cut corners when time is of the essence. Ad-hoc projects tend to have less red tape, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore a risk assessment . Any financial analysis will tell you risk can ruin a project. While you won’t have time for a full risk management plan, you must prioritize risks that are likely and could have a negative impact on the project.

2. Stay Flexible

Regardless of what methodology you apply to your projects, you’re not going to have the time for the advanced planning of a waterfall structure. An agile project approach is better suited to ad-hoc projects. They are more iterative, allowing you to quickly pivot as needed, and tend to work with a smaller group on smaller-scale sprints.

Related: Agile vs Waterfall and the Rise of Hybrid Projects

3. You Still Need a Plan

There’s not enough time to go through all the due diligence, such as cost estimates, that would get a more traditional project off the ground. But even an ad-hoc project needs direction. Not having some plan or request management in place to manage your resources, set deadlines and prioritize and assign tasks is going to backfire and create a longer timeline than you can afford.

4. Standardize Work Requests

There’s a lot of methods to speed workflows, such as email, text, voice messages or a quick exchange in person. These methods might feel as if they’re expediting the process but in fact, they create problems. Create a workflow that follows a set pattern that can be centralized, accessed by all, prioritized and even commented on to foster collaboration.

5. Facilitate Transparency

Every aspect of the project should be visible to everyone on the project team. This means updates and any changes. There must be a central source of truth that gives hybrid teams, whether they’re remote, in different departments or using different tools, the visibility they need.

Tools for Managing Ad-Hoc Projects

Project management software has features that let you control projects and ad-hoc projects alike. You can use them to assemble a team and assign them tasks, with deadlines, descriptions and priorities. This lets you get the ball rolling fast and quickly onboard your team.

Teams need a collaborative tool to let them communicate and work better together. This can be part of a project management software or chat and messaging apps that connect teams no matter where they are.

Finally, you need a tool that generates reports, both to manage the project and keep stakeholders updated on its progress. These reports should be able to filter data so you can deliver the details project managers need as well as more general reports for stakeholders. The easier to share these reports, the better.

What is an Ad-Hoc Request?

An ad-hoc request or ad-hoc task is a request that has not been planned for. An ad-hoc project is a larger endeavor, but the definition is basically the same. They are outside the project scope .

Another way to look at an ad-hoc request is as an interruption and team productivity-killer. They pull you away from the project and can cause delays and cost money. The worst-case scenario: an ad-hoc request can derail a project and lead to failure.

An ad-hoc request can be anything from a meeting that’s called at the last minute, pulling you away from deadline work. It can be paperwork, again assigned at the last minute, or re-delegated tasks. Even answering emails could fall under the ad-hoc request. Anything that you didn’t know was coming that takes you away from the main thrust of your job is an ad-hoc request.

How to Manage Ad Hoc Requests: 5 Best Practices

Just as you would manage an ad-hoc project, ad-hoc requests can be controlled with project management software.

Having a work management tool is going to help you prioritize, collaborate, monitor and report on the progress of your ad-hoc requests. Here are some other things to keep in mind when managing ad-hoc requests.

Yes, plan . While you can’t have a plan for something you don’t know will happen, you can set up enough of a cushion in your day to let you respond to ad-hoc requests without negatively impacting your schedule. Use a work breakdown structure to map the ad-hoc request.

If you permit an agile project management approach to your work it allows for greater flexibility so you can pivot from one task to the next by knowing how to prioritize that work and keeping in collaborative communication with the rest of your team. Having ad-hoc tasks managed in an ad-hoc system is one way to keep on track.

2. Filter Ad-Hoc Requests

There will always be ad-hoc requests and some of them must be dealt with immediately, others can wait and there might even be some that you could ignore. But they’ll come sometimes with great frequency and can be overwhelming.

The team leader should be the point person for all ad-hoc requests to keep the team focused on their tasks. Then the team leader can prioritize the ad-hoc requests and assign the work to the team member who has the capacity to take it on.

3. Have a Process

You need a process for the planned work and you need one for the ad-hoc requests, too. Just because it’s an ad-hoc request doesn’t mean it can’t be in the system and tracked. Make sure all ad-hoc requests go into whatever work management tool you’re using.

These requests should also be delivered in the tool, but sometimes that won’t be the case. Regardless, wherever they originate, the ad-hoc request must live in the tool to make it manageable.

4. Track Progress

Without a tool to track your progress, you’re working blind. You need to manage ad-hoc requests, which means knowing your team’s workload in real time so you can assign the ad-hoc request, and then being able to track their progress on the work.

Therefore, you want to work with a cloud-based tool that gives you live data so you know exactly where the task and the team are now and not yesterday.

5. Allocate Resources

Being able to manage ad-hoc resources requires resource management tools that allow you to reallocate resources as necessary to get the work done without impacting the other work that’s already in progress.

Sometimes that might mean requesting additional team members to handle the ad-hoc requests. Having the resource management tools that can show your team’s current allocation will better help you sell your case.

How ProjectManager Helps With Ad-Hoc Projects

ProjectManager is a cloud-based work management tool that is flexible enough to manage ad-hoc projects. Automated notifications by email and in the tool standardize the ad-hoc request process and then teams can be assigned and collaborate in real time with the transparency managers and stakeholders required to track their effort.

Intake New Requests on Kanban Boards

Ad-hoc requests can be added to the kanban boards so they can be integrated into the larger workflow. Managers can set the priority, add descriptions and assign the task to team members. The team can then manage their backlog and plan the sprint together by commenting at the task level. Meanwhile, the project manager has transparency into the process and can see any bottlenecks up ahead and reallocate resources to resolve them.

Allocate Resources Effectively

In order to know who on the team has the capacity to take on the ad-hoc request, ProjectManager has real-time resource management features, such as a workload chart. The workload chart is color-coded to make it easy to see who has too many or too few tasks assigned to them. The project manager can then balance the workload and make more insightful assignments.

Generate Progress Reports for Stakeholders

The stakeholders who made the ad-hoc requests will want to know how the work is going. That’s where ProjectManager’s reporting feature comes in. Generate a variance, timesheet and other reports with one click. All reports can be filtered to show only the data you want to share with stakeholders and then passed on as a PDF or printed out.

ProjectManager is designed to manage any kind of project, including ad-hoc projects, whether your team is under one roof or distributed. With secure timesheets, you always know the status of your team’s work on their tasks, regardless of location or department in the organization. Having this kind of control and visibility keeps ad-hoc requests from sapping your productivity.

ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes work and connects hybrid teams. It has the flexibility to handle ad-hoc requests and keep you and your team working productively. Join the tens of thousands already using our software at organizations from NASA to Nestles and Siemens. Try ProjectManager today for free!

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What Is Ad Hoc Reporting? Your Guide To Definition, Meaning, Examples & Benefits

Table of Contents

1) What Is Ad Hoc Reporting?

2) What Is Ad Hoc Analysis?

3) Benefits Of Ad Hoc Reporting

4) Ad Hoc Analysis Examples

5) Static vs. Ad Hoc Reporting

6) Challenges Of Ad Hoc Analysis

7) How To Create Ad Hoc Reports

8) Ad Hoc Reporting Tools Features

9) Ad Hoc Reporting Tool Example

Digital data is all around us. In fact, we create around 2.5 quintillion bytes of it every single day, with 90% of the world's digital insights generated in the last two years alone, according to Forbes.

If utilized correctly, data offers a wealth of opportunity to individuals and companies looking to improve their business intelligence, operational efficiency, profitability, and growth over time. In this day and age, a failure to leverage digital data to your advantage could prove disastrous to your business – it’s akin to walking down a busy street wearing a blindfold.

With the rate of available data growing exponentially, it's crucial to work with the right online reporting tools to not only segment, curate, and analyze large data sets but also uncover answers to new questions that you didn't even know existed. And when it comes to finding actionable answers to specific questions, ad hoc analysis and reporting are essential. We will explain the meaning, benefits, and uses in the real world. Let's kick it off!

What Is Ad Hoc Reporting?

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Ad hoc reporting is a branch of business intelligence used to generate one-time reports in the form of dynamic dashboards with real-time data. With the help of self-service BI tools, users can easily create ad hoc reports as required without technical knowledge.

Working alongside recurring or ongoing (daily, weekly, or monthly) data reports, ad hoc reporting forms a vital part of any business, brand, or organization’s growth and sustainability by offering a level of insight that adds an extra layer of substance and success to the data-driven decision-making process.

While these reports are typically developed using SQL (structured query language) by an IT department, which can take several days, some tools and platforms allow non-technical business users access to these most precious insights simply using a SQL report generator . And this lies in the essence of the ad hoc reporting definition, providing quick reports for single-use without generating complicated SQL queries. 

Moreover, a host of ad hoc analytics or reporting platforms boasts integrated online data visualization tools to help enhance the exploration process. This reduces the reliance on software developers or IT personnel for simple reporting.

After explaining the report's meaning, we will take a closer look at the analysis part in more detail.

What Is Ad Hoc Analysis?

Ad hoc analysis is a business intelligence (BI) process companies use to answer critical one-off questions in real time. It allows for spontaneous and agile decision-making during strategic discussions, making the reporting process flexible at the risk of less accuracy.

With ad hoc analysis tools, users often create a report that does not currently exist or drill deeper into an existing dashboard report to achieve a deeper level of insight that ultimately benefits the ongoing success and sustainability of the organization.

Ad hoc data analysis is the discoveries and subsequent actions a user takes as a result of exploring, examining, and drawing tangible conclusions from a report.

Typically, ad hoc data analysis involves discovering, presenting, and actioning information for a smaller, more niche audience and is slightly more visual than a standard static report. Now that you know the two main definitions, it is time to look into the benefits and, afterward, real-world and practical examples.

The Benefits Of Ad Hoc Reporting And Analysis

Now that we have answered the question, ‘What is an ad hoc report?’,  let’s look at the clear-cut benefits of using these types of data reports :

1. Reduces the IT workload: 

The self-service nature of ad hoc reporting catalyzes the report creation process by allowing end-users to work with customized reports on niche areas of the business without relying on the technical assistance of developers. This saves time and costs while minimizing any potential interdepartmental roadblocks.

2. Easy to use: 

As ad hoc data analysis platforms or dashboards are intuitive and visual by nature, uncovering the right answers to the right questions is simpler than ever before, allowing users to make decisions and roll out initiatives that help improve their business without the need for wading through daunted streams of data.

3. Ensures flexibility within the constantly changing business environment: 

Ad hoc analytics offers an interactive reporting experience, empowering end-users to make modifications or additions in real-time. As report elements are picked individually, users can ask questions and customize their needs and goals. It is of utmost importance to answer business questions as quickly as possible, and one of the benefits of ad hoc reporting provides just that - the possibility to follow the ever-changing business environment as the business moment requires and continually evolves.

4. Saves time and costs:

Modern ad hoc reporting tools are designed to save countless hours since their interface is designed to be simple yet powerful. The intuitive nature helps users create interactive visuals without waiting for a professional analyst or, as mentioned, the IT department. This self-service BI nature that enables a data-driven system completely in control by the user ultimately saves countless working hours and costs since users don't have to wait for reports and build as many types as needed.

Moreover, the team will be more engaged if they can immediately manipulate formulas and avoid multiple spreadsheets to consolidate data or static presentations that are fixed upfront and give no possibility to dig deeper into the data.

5. Completely customizable:

While ad hoc enterprise reporting is focused on gaining and keeping visibility across a large organization, it's important to consider the customization possibilities that these solutions have on offer. Some of the tools offer built-in dashboards, for instance, that already have templates that you can use and adjust based on your needs. That way, you can save even more time and focus on what truly matters: the business answer you were looking for. But not only that, the possibility to build your queries within the advanced SQL box, as mentioned, will provide you with even more freedom if you're an experienced analyst and looking for modern software solutions.

Types Of Ad Hoc Reports Examples - Analysis Applied To The Real World

There’s no doubt about it: ad hoc analysis offers a wealth of value to businesses across industries and sectors . To demonstrate its potential, let’s delve deeper into the practical applications of this invaluable data-driven initiative in the business world.

• Ad hoc financial analysis:

The first in our list of ad hoc reporting examples is focused on finance. By its very nature, the financial industry (or the financial departments) is rife with facts, figures, financial KPIs , metrics, and data. Ad hoc data analysis has offered businesses the means to drill down deep into very concentrated segments of data – or business aims – gaining the ability to spot trends that will provide the best return on investment (ROI).

In essence, you perform ad hoc financial reporting whenever you need to better understand your financial data. For instance, at the end of the month, you need to find out how much revenue you have left after deducting your direct costs. Essentially, you (or a stakeholder) want to know your gross profit margin ASAP.

What ad hoc reporting brings here is an immediate answer, without waiting for days from the IT department to generate a simple visual like the one above or complete ad hoc dashboards if you have a specific meeting or presentation planned.

While these are the primary industries that benefit from this analytical practice, regardless of your sector, by utilizing reports like this alongside interactive business intelligence dashboards , you will see notable improvements in key areas of your business by utilizing reports like this alongside interactive business intelligence dashboards.

• Ad hoc reporting in sales:

Ad hoc reporting and analysis can be used in a company with a large sales database. Let's say a user wants to determine the outcome of a specific sale related to a particular scenario. S/he would build a single report, used only once, to provide that result. This scenario can be found in companies with a large outside sales force, which then can export an ad hoc report showing results from their territory (number of clients visited or leads generated) against overall sales goals.

• Ad hoc reporting in healthcare:

Another area we can focus on is healthcare. A physician may not know how to build an HTML report or run a SQL query, but a reporting tool can easily generate data that are needed quickly and only once - a blood test report, for example, or how many people were admitted to the ER on a specific day/week.

Ad hoc analysis has served to revolutionize the healthcare sector. Utilizing healthcare analytics software by providing greater data visibility and improving accuracy while helping senior stakeholders in such institutions make swift and accurate decisions that ultimately save lives, improve operational efficiencies, and decrease mortality rates.

• Government:

Governmental entities deal with a wealth of critical information, insights, and decisions that ultimately affect many people. By gaining the ability to hone in on very specific tasks or challenges and reach the level of insight needed to make accurate, prosperous decisions while automating manual data-gathering tasks, governmental bodies across the globe enjoy improved public fund allocation while boosting productivity. A testament to the power of ad hoc analysis.

• Ad hoc recruiting reports:

Running personalized, quick, and accurate recruiting reporting is paramount in our competitive business environment. Using an ad hoc reports example from HR, companies have the chance to spot deficiencies within their human resources management and improve employee satisfaction levels, which is critical considering the lack of talent across industries .

In a practical sense, you could suspect or assume a higher absenteeism rate over a year or six months. Investigating further by generating an ad hoc reports example similar to the one above could prove to be extremely advantageous. The company can identify if the assumption was correct, meaning if rates went higher, were stable, or decreased. If there is an increment, you can easily determine the cause by engaging with employees and finding an appropriate solution to your problem. To create such visuals, you can explore our article on the most prominent recruitment metrics .

These types of solutions prove particularly effective in loss prevention in the retail sector. Through store-specific retail analytics tailored to particular areas of loss prevention, such as shoplifting or employee theft, a host of notable retailers have been able to track inventories and spot trends that have saved them a great deal of money (and time) in the long run.

In retail, it's important to regularly track the sales volumes to optimize the overall performance of the online shop or physical stores. An ad hoc report example such as the one above could pinpoint specific weeks where the sales volume was lower than usual. By examining the column chart deeper, you can conclude that the demand was lower due to external conditions, for example, such as a heavy storm that postponed deliveries and caused many cancellations.

The educational sector is vital to the future of our society, and ad hoc data analysis has played a significant role by streamlining a host of processes through focused data and analytical reporting. It also facilitates the sharing of information between departments to help engage students on a deeper, more personal level. This level of initiative results in improved success for faculty, students, and, in turn – the economy.

What these types of reports bring to the table is simple: efficient decentralization of data management and transferring the analytical processes directly to the end-user. While you can utilize numerous data analysis methods you can utilize, an ad hoc reporting system will enable you to perform analyses on the spot and immediately answer the question you have asked. This is not only critical in business intelligence but, as we have seen, in other areas such as education or government services.

• Customer service: 

Maybe more than any other department, customer service can benefit from a one-time report to answer critical questions that will guide them on the path to offering the best possible support to customers. For instance, a support manager might need to generate a report to understand how many tickets were solved in the past week and on what communication channels so they can plan their strategies accordingly. 

A deeper drill down into this data can shine a light on other elements that are interesting to look at. For example, by comparing the peak times in which customers are most likely to call, managers can ensure that agents are available at those times to cover the demand. Additionally, you can look into the average time to solve an issue and tackle any inefficiencies. 

• Marketing: 

As seen throughout this post, ad hoc reports present data visually, making it easier to analyze and extract actionable insights on the spot. This is particularly true when it comes to making the most out of your marketing efforts. When dealing with promotional campaigns, you need to make the most out of your available resources. When a promotional campaign was launched in the past, it was not known whether it was successful or not until a report was generated after a few weeks. Thanks to the speed of this kind of report, marketers can now understand in real-time how a campaign is being perceived and adapt it accordingly to avoid wasting resources.

• Manufacturing: 

In the manufacturing industry, the use of real-time data provided by an ad hoc report proves to be extremely useful. Knowing the status of the different production stages allows businesses to stay on top of any issues and ensure production runs as planned to meet customer shipping deadlines. 

For instance, a manufacturing company with a big delivery coming can create an ad hoc report to understand the share of production for the different machines. If a machine is observed to be underperforming, the report will show it, and corrective measures will be implemented. 

11. Logistics 

Probably more than any other industry on this list, logistics is the one that can benefit the most from ad hoc analysis and reporting. Getting on-the-spot information about several operational processes, such as the number of orders, inventory labels, machine performance, workforce availability, and much more, enables logistics managers to find any potential bottlenecks to ensure the daily operations are running smoothly and customer deadlines are being met. 

The ad hoc report sample above tracks the on-time shipping. This is one of the most important logistics KPIs to track, as it directly influences customer satisfaction. Generating an ad hoc document for this KPI daily to understand how the warehouse performed is a great way to spot improvement opportunities and tackle any inefficiencies.

12. Procurement 

Last but not least, we have procurement. Just like all other industries, the procurement department can benefit from ad hoc management reports to identify weak areas and streamline their performance in real time. This level of insight enables them to uncover trends and patterns to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and obtain the best materials and services.

The image above shows an example of how the department can benefit from these kinds of tools during its procurement analytics process. For instance, if the CPO needs to send an urgent order to a supplier, he or she can generate an ad hoc report about supplier purchase order cycle time and identify the supplier with the shortest cycle.

Static Reports vs. Ad Hoc Reporting: Key Differences

So far, we’ve covered some definitions and benefits and looked at practical examples of how ad hoc reports can facilitate the way average business users can manage data on their daily activities. To keep putting their value into perspective, we will compare them to a more traditional approach to data management: static reports. 

Also known as canned reports, this traditional way of reporting has been performed for decades and used by businesses to assess their past performance. These documents are usually generated by data analysts or the IT department and handed to decision-makers on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, depending on previous requirements. Some of the main differences between these two include: 

• Generation: The first difference between these two analytical tools is the way they are generated. As mentioned, static reports are usually created by the IT team upon request of the different departments that use them to answer vital questions. Due to their static nature, the information on them can’t be explored, which makes them less versatile. On the other hand, ad hoc reports are easily generated by the average business user on a need-to-know basis and used to make important decisions. The learning curve for users with no experience can indeed be a challenge, but with the help of the right self-service tool, it is fairly easy to manage. 
• Usability: Next, we have usability. As mentioned, static reports can’t be navigated or manipulated to respond to a specific question on the spot as they are generated with a specific aim in mind and for a wider audience. If a different need arises, a new report needs to be ordered, which can take hours or days to be completed as the IT department might already be busy with other tasks. On the contrary, ad hoc reporting has interactivity and real-time data as a base. They can include various levels of data and are easily navigable to answer any vital question that arises. This is possible thanks to interactive filters and visualizations provided by a dashboard tool .  
• Format: The format in which reports are utilized is another huge difference between these two methods. On the one hand, static documents are usually sent via email in the form of a spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation. On the other hand, ad hoc analysis can be accessed online from any device with an internet connection. This is one of the multiple BI features you can enjoy if you pick the right solution for your organization. 
• Accessibility: Following the same line as the last point, accessibility is a key element when comparing the two. As mentioned above, a static report is usually shared via email in traditional formats such as an Excel sheet. If something is changed, the user needs to browse through several versions of the same document, which makes it confusing and harder to collaborate. Ad hoc reporting has shearability and data transparency at its core. Thanks to their online nature, reports can be easily shared between departments to implement a collaborative data-driven environment. 

All these points are not to say traditional reporting is bad. In some cases, static documents are useful for businesses, such as showing financial compliance to authorities. That said, their static nature can seem tedious and repetitive for the daily decision-making process. Not to mention, it burdens the IT department with a load of work that is not even as efficient as it could be. For this reason, BI solutions with a self-service approach present a way to manage data in a way that is time-efficient, accessible, and interactive. Regardless, the use of these technologies also comes with challenges for organizations. We will explore some of them in the next section. 

Challenges Of Ad Hoc Analysis & Reports

While implementing ad hoc reporting and analysis in the organization might seem perfect on paper, it doesn’t come without challenges. Although the use of data has become a mandatory practice for modern businesses, there is still a big knowledge gap for average users that make it a bit harder and intimidating to use data for their decision-making process. This is paired with other limitations that we will explain below. 

• Lack of literacy: Studies say that 90% of company leaders cite data literacy as a driver for overall success. However, only 25% of employees say they feel confident working with it. Considering the self-service nature of ad hoc analysis, the lack of knowledge or confidence can present a big challenge. Paired with the lack of general data knowledge, it is also possible to face challenges with employees that are simply not tech-driven or don’t have the initiative to learn. To tackle this problem, implementing training instances to show the friendlier side of analytics is a good way to start empowering employees to implement this practice into their regular workflow. 
• Incomplete data : Having all your data in one centralized location is a key element to ensure a successful ad hoc reporting system. If your information is spread across multiple locations, it can make the report-generation process a lot more difficult. Luckily, BI dashboard tools offer fast and efficient integration of multiple sources that can be visualized in an interactive report with just a few clicks. 
• Lack of governance : Not having an appropriate system to manage the massive amounts of data coming into your organization is another great challenge of ad hoc analysis. Data governance is the practice that ensures data remains secure, available, and usable. Therefore, it is fundamental to implement it to ensure efficiency across the entire reporting process. 
• Covering the needs of all departments : Another challenge is to cover the needs of all departments. This point is related to the stage in which company leaders are deciding on what tool to invest in. As mentioned earlier, traditional reports were meant for wider audiences, while ad hoc ones are more specific and required to answer particular departmental needs. To tackle this challenge, it is necessary to generate an outline in advance and select the tool with the features that will serve all organizational needs the best. To assist you with this task, you can find key features below. 

How To Create An Ad Hoc Report

Now that you know the ad hoc meaning in business, benefits, and challenges of implementing these kinds of reports into your organization, we will dive into some best practices you should follow to ensure you are extracting the maximum potential out of them.

• Define the question you want to answer

Since the end goal of an ad hoc report is to answer a question that is not already answered in an existing report, it is a crucial step to think carefully about that question before diving into the actual generation. This practice should be followed for any kind of report, especially for ad hoc analysis, as you don’t want to waste time answering a question already covered in previous reports. Plus, knowing what question or end goal you are trying to analyze will help you pick your data and layout more efficiently. This leads us to our next point. 

• Select your data 

One of the benefits of modern data analysis is the fact that you can gather data from multiple internal and external sources to get a 360-view of product performance, customer behaviors, and various internal processes. That being said, gathering too much data can be a double edge sword, as having a lot of information can mislead your analysis. This is especially true for ad hoc analysis, as those reports aim to answer a specific question quickly and efficiently. Therefore, you should start by defining the question or discussion you want to explore and select only the data that will help you find the answers you are looking for. 

• Use the right visuals 

As we saw in the challenges section, the lack of technical skills can often present a challenge for these reports. This lack of skills can translate into using the wrong data or visuals and extracting the wrong conclusions. While the self-service nature of these reports significantly mitigates this issue, it is important to carefully pick your visuals considering the end goal of your analysis. That way, you can tell a compelling and engaging story. Setting the tone to build agile and efficient strategies. 

• Prioritize simplicity 

This is a best practice that can be applied to any type of reporting-related area but is especially important in an ad hoc environment due to the need for agile and efficient analysis. When we talk about prioritizing simplicity, we mean avoiding overcrowding the report with unnecessary data but, most importantly, considering design best practices. Choose a smart layout to tell an engaging story with your KPIs, use only a couple of colors that are not too strong or vibrant, and stay away from 3D effects and any other distracting elements, among other things. This is not to say that you should generate a boring report. It is about being smart and only placing the elements to make your process more interactive and efficient. 

• Collaborate with your team 

Once you have generated your reports following the best practices we mentioned above, it is of utmost importance to make the process as collaborative as possible. Share your findings with team members and other relevant stakeholders and support any discussions that might arise during meetings and other instances. This is a fundamental part of successful analysis, as collaboration and communication will ensure your business is continuously growing and exceeding its targets. 

Now, you might be wondering, how do I make all this happen? Luckily, modern ad hoc reporting tools provide a wide range of functionalities that will enable you to not only visualize your data but take your insights one step further. To help you understand a bit more about these solutions, below we will dive into the main features and functionalities you should be looking for. 

What To Look For In Ad Hoc Reporting Tools?

To create the best possible reports, there are some features that these solutions should have on offer to ensure maximum application value. Here we list the most critical ones:

1. Self-service reporting interface

Considering that ad hoc reports are generated for one-time use,  it is of utmost importance to invest in a tool that offers a self-service interface and features. In the past, reports were created by the IT department, and it could take hours or even days to get them. That is no longer enough in today’s fast-paced business environment, where decisions must be made as quickly as possible. A self-service tool enables all users, regardless of technical knowledge, to generate reports and extract valuable insights to boost their strategies.  

2. Real-time access to fresh data 

As mentioned a couple of times already, the true value of ad hoc reports lies in their interactivity and agility. Therefore, a professional ad hoc analysis tool should offer real-time data at the center of its functionalities. Our reporting tool offers users complete access to fresh data as soon as it is generated. This way, decision-makers can generate reports in a matter of seconds and answer any critical questions that might arise efficiently. All the user needs to do is connect the data sources, and the tool will update them every couple of minutes to show any relevant insights that might arise. After all, the true value of modern reporting solutions over traditional tools such as Excel is agile and flexible decision-making.  

3. Advanced interactivity features

It's fairly easy to generate a spreadsheet, but if that spreadsheet doesn't give you the answer you're looking for, then you will have thousands of rows and columns that will cannot easily manipulate with. Interactive ad hoc reports will enable you to drill into bits and pieces of specified data analysis and ensure you can interact with your report using advanced interactive features of professional business intelligence dashboard software .

From advanced chart options and sophisticated filters to time intervals and chart zooms, the possibilities to interact with your data are immense. Besides, overcrowding your screen space is a thing of the past - interactivity features of the modern dashboard software continue to evolve and adjust to the users.

4. Access to numerous data sources

By having access to different data sources in one single place, a report can easily answer current and upcoming business questions with every piece of data a company has.

With solid ad hoc reporting software, it's possible to apply controls to specific dashboards by adding elements like screen filters, sliders, conditional formatting for filtering, and link reporting dashboards for direct comparison. That way, all data can be easily accessed and managed.

5. Basic and advanced analytical possibilities

These reporting solutions need to offer basic and advanced analytical capabilities. No matter if you're an average business user that needs to extract a simple report or an advanced analyst that creates custom queries, ad hoc analyses should cover both. That way, the business user has a chance to utilize a drag-and-drop interface where you simply need to drag the values to be able to analyze them, and the analyst has a special SQL box where s/he can build queries on their own.

6. Data visualization capabilities

It's a scientific fact that humans are visual learners since half of the human brain is devoted to processing visual information . Data visualization helps understand larger or smaller volumes of data much faster than the written or spoken word. In other words, charts are much more powerful than pure numbers, columns, or rows of raw data. For example, a sales graph will immediately show you the main developments in your sales processes compared to simply presenting a spreadsheet filled with numbers or a PowerPoint presentation clogged with bullet points and sentences.

7. Professional ready-to-use templates 

By now, you already know that one of the biggest benefits of using ad hoc reports is that they provide a flexible and agile means of making strategic and operational decisions. That is possible thanks to interactive, ready-to-use templates offered by these modern solutions. Ad hoc analysis providers think of common questions businesses must answer during their analysis process and offer extensive template libraries for different scenarios, areas, and departments that users can select and start analyzing with just a few clicks.  

8. Artificial intelligence features

Operational ad hoc reporting oftentimes also includes questions about the future. Professional software has built-in predictive analytics features that are simple yet extremely powerful. For a practical ad hoc analysis example, let's say a stakeholder wants to know what kind of revenue they can expect in the next 6 months based on the specified marketing channels. The tool will automatically calculate predictions based on selected past data points, and you have your answer within minutes. Remember that although these features are extremely advanced, no one can predict the future with 100% accuracy. The point is to gain a data overview to better prepare for potential business changes.

9. Numerous sharing options

One of the goals of business intelligence and ad hoc reporting is to simplify the decision-making processes while enabling a collaborative culture between colleagues and departments. The creation of reports is fairly easy, but the sharing process should be as well. Professional business reporting software will cover multiple sharing options:

• sharing through e-mails immediately or within a specified time interval
• viewer area that enables external parties to manipulate the dashboard based on filters you have assigned
• public URL will enable you to send a simple link
• An embedded dashboard that you can insert within an application or website, e.g.

Ad Hoc Reporting Tool Example

It's clear that ad hoc reporting offers many benefits to the ongoing success and growth of any ambitious modern business. And when it comes to ad hoc reporting software that offers freedom, flexibility, and usability while helping answer critical questions both swiftly and accurately, datapine's data visualization and reporting tool ticks all the boxes.

Aimed specifically at the end user, our different types of dashboards and self-service reporting tools are intuitive and accessible, so you don’t have to possess a wealth of technical knowledge to utilize our platforms. The drag-and-drop interfaces make handling important data sets both logical and digestible. Moreover, our cutting-edge algorithms run in the background of our applications to fortify our interface with enhanced built-in intelligence to help you during every step of your ad hoc data analysis journey.

For reporting on the go, our tools, applications, and dashboards also allow you to monitor data and generate fresh insights anytime, anywhere, with your web browser or tablet, safe in the knowledge that your data privacy and security are being preserved to the highest standards.

At datapine, we've invested an incredible level of time and effort in developing an enterprise-level security layer akin to core banking applications. As a result, it’s possible to copy existing data into our data warehouse to speed up your workload or retain your data in-house by connecting datapine to your server remotely. And as you’re free from the shackles of managing your data from one specific location, sharing your dashboards, KPI reports, discoveries, and insights with colleagues are possible with just a few clicks.

To discover more about our tools, solutions, and services, explore our business intelligence features page.

If you want to delve deeper into the power of superior data analysis, then our completely free 14-day trial will help you to start your journey towards data-driven enlightenment!

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Ad-Hoc Projects

Whether you are a project manager, an engineer, or in another business function, you have likely been in a position when something "urgent" has come up, and you have had to shuffle things, reprioritise initiatives, and re-allocate team resources to accommodate. While we can all agree that these ad hoc projects are not ideal, sometimes they are simply unavoidable.

So, what exactly is an ad hoc project? And what should you do if one comes up? These are all questions we will be answering in this article.

Managing ad hoc projects may seem like an oxymoron - after all, how can you manage something that doesn't have structure or rules? But there are many ways to organise, prioritise, and keep track of tasks when your work isn't standard in any way.

At Blue Cat Reports , we are dedicated to helping you manage your projects better and more efficiently, so we have compiled some tips that will help make your ad hoc projects both manageable and successful!

What is an Ad Hoc Project

An ad hoc project is one that's conducted on an as-needed basis, with no set time frame or budget, and with existing staff handling the project on their own time. Often, ad hoc projects are those that are defined and carried out to address a specific or unique business need rather than one that is part of a strategic plan. Ad hoc projects can be short-term or long-term, and some don't even have end dates.

Ad hoc projects can be taken on by internal employees of your company, but they can also be done by outsiders you contract out to – either full-time or part-time. Contractors are ideal for handling the work when you don't want to (or can't afford to) disrupt existing initiatives.

If you don't know how to manage ad hoc projects successfully, you could create inefficiencies, waste resources, and miss the mark on the project altogether.

How to Manage Ad Hoc Projects Effectively

So your boss has informed you of a new project that you must now fit into your team’s already packed schedule. Now it’s time to figure out what you’re going to do. Fear not; we have outlined a phased approach to ensuring the project is completed sufficiently on time.

Phase 1 - Evaluate the Project

When an ad-hoc project comes up, rather than hurrying to get to work (as you probably are inclined to do), it's best to take a step back and assess the project at hand. If you are quick to start assigning and moving things around without considering the full scope, you can create more work for the team and yourself. You can create a numbered scoring model or a simple kanban board to assess how urgent his ad hoc project really is.

Evaluating your project means assessing how much time it will take, what skills will be needed, what expertise is already in-house or if outsourcing would be best, as well as evaluating which tools and platforms are going to be required.

Phase 2 - Divide the Project Into Tasks

Ad hoc projects are temporary by definition, so they generally don't include any long-term commitments—and they often come with a timeline that's too short to allow for anything other than quick, immediate action. So for most projects, you will not be able to assign them to an individual person.

Often there are multiple items needed and dependencies for each task. For instance, you may need something from the design team before involving your developers. And perhaps you need help from both your frontend team and your backend team.

To make sure each piece of the puzzle is being attended to, you need to divide the overall deliverable into a series of tasks so you can assess what components are required and in what order. And, who knows, you might be able to integrate these ad hoc tasks into your main workflow to ensure that they’re being effectively done if they do become recurring tasks over time.

Phase 3 - Evaluate the Existing Projects at Hand

Now that you have determined what components will be needed to complete the task, the challenging part comes. You must now determine what needs to be moved around so your team can work on the ad-hoc project, and specifically, what are the most important or highest priority items at hand.

This is where having priority-sorted swimlanes on your board can help you easily see what things can be shifted around. This is when you need to determine where the ad-hoc project falls in priority. And sometimes, it’s ok to acknowledge that it is at the bottom of the list (in which case, less shuffling and scrambling is required.)

Phase 4 - Manage the Resources for Each Task

Now you know how the tasks need to be prioritised among the countless other things you have going on, it’s time to think about what resources are needed for each task. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Do you have an engineer who can develop this feature?
• Do you have a designer for the UI?
• Is there a specific specialty or skill level required?
• Who is the best person to work on each task and what are they already working on?

These questions can be challenging because sometimes, the engineer you need for the job is working on another high-priority item or requires a skill set that nobody on your team has.

In the latter case, you may have to source a resource from a third party outside of the organisation or bring in someone from another team. In these instances, there is often a learning curve element that also needs to be taken into account, which can delay the time to get the ad hoc project out the door.

Phase 5 - Assign a Timeline for Completion

This is an important step because it’ll help you determine how much time you need to complete your project. Sometimes you will discover that you will not be able to get the project done by its requested deadline, in which case, it's essential to communicate this proactively with leaders and stakeholders.

Phase 6 - Check-In Regularly On Project Updates

Even if you are on the other side of the world, there is a simple solution that allows you to check in with your team and still keep up to date with project updates: use a project management tool. With an online project management tool like Trello and a visualisation dashboard like Blue Cat Reports , keeping track of each person’s progress and making sure everyone is moving towards a successful outcome is easy.

Of course, it’s also not a bad idea to get verbal feedback on how things are going in recurring production meetings.

Other Tips for Managing Ad-Hoc Projects

Taking the phased approach to project management is one way to simplify the process of handling ad-hoc projects, but we have some additional tips for you below.

Use a Reliable Project Management Tool

If you're not already using a project management tool, now would be the time to implement one. Trello is a great option for managing various projects and tasks. It's free to use, easy to understand, and has everything you need to manage your ad hoc projects.

Use a Tool Like Blue Cat Reports to Track Progress

Blue Cat Reports is a visualisation tool that integrates with Trello to make it easy for you to see the status of your projects and the productivity of your team all in one place.

Standardise, Standardise, Standardise

When it comes to any project, you should have a standard process that gets the project from point A to point B. Whether using a template in your project management tool or simply making sure it goes through the necessary steps in the process, standardisation is crucial to creating an efficient workflow.

When it comes to ad-hoc projects—especially if it’s a relatively simple project- you may be tempted to message your developer and ask her to do it quickly, but we urge you not to do this. By not creating a ticket and treating it like any other project, you risk having it fall through the cracks or disrupting other projects that are underway. You may also create bad habits among yourself and your team that are likely to negatively impact productivity and efficiency far into the future.

Make All Requests Visible and Transparent to Leadership

One or two ad-hoc requests may seem harmless, but larger goals and initiatives are likely to suffer after the tenth one has interjected its way onto your team’s plate. For this reason, it’s crucial to make sure all ad hoc requests are transparent to everyone on your leadership team (yes, even if the leaders are the ones asking for them.)

After all, you don’t want them coming to you asking why things are behind or why there still hasn’t been progress made on a given initiative. The best way to avoid this is by making all requests visible to all key stakeholders. You can achieve this by standardising ad hoc requests and implement a project management visualisation dashboard; everyone can be aware of everything going on at a given time.

While nobody likes accommodating ad-hoc requests, following these simple tips can help make them more manageable. Visit our homepage to learn more about how you can simplify your project management processes.

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The Ad Hoc Research Thinking Field Guide

This field guide is for digital services and technology leaders working at the federal, state, or local government level. It describes a new, advanced way of applying research approaches to strategic decision making across digital services.

Research is more than UX

Most U.S. government agencies do not yet use research to its full potential.

Of course research is invaluable to inform user experience and design (UX), usability testing, and which features to build next. Forms and features that are tested deliver better digital experiences for constituents. This application of research is inherently valuable. Yet, research’s biggest strategic contributions go beyond a “check the box” approach after the fact.

The real value of research lies in its ability to inform better decisions at every level , from how to lay out a dashboard to what priorities should drive long-term resource planning in digital services. Research enables you to clearly describe wider issues and identify potential solutions in a way that can be tested. It allows you to determine appropriate metrics with which to measure success, and to steer a course ever closer to that success. Research — or more accurately, the approach that we at Ad Hoc call Research Thinking — drives far better outcomes.

In the rest of this guide, you’ll learn:

• What Research Thinking (ReThink) is and its core principles
• The Research Thinking process, step by step
• Common mistakes to avoid in agency situations
• Specific guidance on applying Research Thinking to strategy, customer experience (CX), and risk reduction

At Ad Hoc, we believe user research can drive dramatically better decisions — if the research is applied with systematic, strategic thinking.

Agencies can see not just improved customer experience, but also decreased risk and increased ability to deliver useful services quickly with no more cost.

Research Thinking turns research into outcomes for the direct benefit of the agency and its mission.

A tale of two approaches

Juan Doe is the new VP of technology at the Generic Federal Agency. The agency’s mission is to provide specific benefits for low-income citizens who qualify, and Juan believes deeply in that mission. His mother received these benefits at a critical time in her life, and they helped her build a better life for her family, including Juan.

The GFA’s benefits are truly life changing for recipients, but qualifying is a difficult process for both beneficiaries and the hard working civil servants at the agency. The agency leadership knows that its systems need to modernize and has found the funds. Juan is in charge of digitizing a key qualification form and making it work with the new systems.

The goal for this project is to decrease the agency’s application backlog and make the application process easier for beneficiaries and employees alike.

Here our story diverges into two paths.

The conventional path

In the first path, the agency takes a conventional approach. Juan and his team predetermine the requirements of the new system down to the smallest detail, and request proposals accordingly. They select the vendor largely based on price, but Juan wants to do the project properly. He ensures that the vendor selected has staffed a visual designer to mock up the form and has included usability testing on the form as part of their proposal.

A year later, Juan and his team have the final form integrated into the agency’s new system and have seen the impact. The form is exactly what they asked for, but hasn’t led to the outcomes he had hoped for. The backlog barely shrinks ten percent, leaving applicants still waiting hundreds of days for a decision, and agency employees still have to use painstaking workarounds to make the process function. Juan got the job done, but he feels unsettled about the results.

What if he had taken another path?

The Research Thinking path

In the second path, Juan and his team select a vendor based on both price and a proposal focusing on achieving better outcomes for the agency. The vendor’s process will take the same amount of time as their competitors’, but that time will be spent differently. They will spend the first few weeks in discovery, determining what they need to accomplish for beneficiaries, employees, and the agency, with success criteria and metrics. They will describe their assumptions and find what information will be needed. Then, they will hit the ground running, doing detailed research on the agency’s existing systems and their impacts on people.

The teams then will together finalize a roadmap to reach the agency’s big picture goals for the application in manageable steps. With this plan in place, the form migration will end up taking a fundamentally different technical approach than Juan had originally planned, but he feels profoundly good about the path. Even better, the form migration will be completed with better outcomes for constituents, in less time, and with the ability to adapt the technology as the agency and the public’s needs change.

A year later, Juan’s team continues to work diligently with the vendor to iterate toward the big picture on the roadmap. The redesigned (and legally compliant) form has been integrated into the agency’s employee system seamlessly for five months.

Based on the Research Thinking, the team has also enabled applicants to track the status of their application in a simple-to-use online portal, and continues to deliver new features that make an impact. Hard working civil employees have stopped Juan in the halls to tell him how much easier their jobs have gotten. And countless beneficiaries have received funds for the first time.

The agency is featured in a major newspaper, and their turnaround cited as a success from the White House. Juan’s team is making progress bit by bit to deliver the customer experience they’ve always hoped for.

What is Research Thinking?

At its core, Research Thinking is about learning strategically. ReThink considers what information is needed to inform a particular decision or decisions, and determines how to gather that data well.

ReThink includes standard research activities, such as writing interview guides, recruiting participants, interviewing people, developing surveys, and analyzing results. But, the approach does not do research for its own sake; it places those activities in the context of an agency’s larger goals. ReThink then goes further, seeking to understand the context of the people, policies, systems, and the overall environment involved, so that a decision can be made from a truly informed place.

Research done under a ReThink approach is not overly broad or unfocused; it does not go on forever, but always has a specific and actionable goal. Research is tightly connected to the questions the team needs answered in order to decide and take action. As a result, ReThink is cost effective, and has an outsized impact on positive decisions with good outcomes.

Focused on people. The Research Thinking process is driven by human-centered design principles, considering the needs of all of the humans in the system, from constituents to stakeholders and front-line civil servants. As a result, decisions made from an ReThink approach are based on reality and equity, and tend to lead to positive customer and employee experience, as well as stakeholder satisfaction.

Deeply knowledgeable about systems. In addition to traditional research activities, Research Thinking can include a wide range of additional information-gathering tasks and data analysis steps. These strategic activities build the broader context of policy, systems, and the overall environment in which products are delivered and used.

Useful for a variety of decisions. The types of decisions that Research Thinking can and should inform are broad. They include not just design and user experience decisions, but also decisions around what services to create, how to create them, and the priorities and roadmaps for developing them over time. Agencies wanting to make data-driven decisions will find Research Thinking approaches invaluable.

The central questions of Research Thinking are:

• What decision do we need to make?
• What do we need to know in order to make this decision?
• Do we already have the right data to make this decision? If not, how do we gather that data?
• What are our assumptions? Are they true in practice?
• How can we use our resources to make a bigger impact in this situation?
• How will this decision affect all of the people involved?

Notice that ReThink considers the big-picture questions about each decision, and ideally, the entire context the decision sits within. This is very different from the kind of user research that gets slotted in where convenient, often late in the process. That kind of research can be helpful, but Research Thinking goes much further, to think about the big picture: what we are building, why we are doing it, and what impacts it will have.

What you will need to do Research Thinking well

Research Thinking is an approach that can be used by professionals from many backgrounds. Many of its skills — such as framing decisions, determining outcomes, questioning assumptions, asking better questions, and applying data to inform decisions — can be applied by everyone.

However, we recommend that an experienced research practitioner lead the research and analysis. This ensures that the methods chosen are appropriate, the research is conducted ethically, and the analysis is thorough and well-connected to the decision at hand. If you do not have an advanced research skill set on your team already, you’ll need to add it, and work closely with your practitioner(s) throughout the project.

Principles of Research Thinking

Here are the most important philosophical pillars of a Research Thinking approach.

• Own assumptions.
• Look beyond just the humans.
• Think in outcomes, not artifacts.
• Remain adaptable.

Own assumptions

Most projects begin with a set of assumptions — this is a natural and necessary human tendency. To start planning, we all must rely on existing knowledge and best guesses. However, assumptions can be dangerous, and unspoken assumptions often lead to future problems and wasted work. To ensure that ReThink works as planned, everyone involved must be willing to identify and be honest about their assumptions from the beginning of the project, and during it.

Just because you identify assumptions, of course, does not mean you have to explicitly research or test every one. The practice itself is still important. You acknowledge what you don’t yet know. You create a clear view of your existing knowledge so that you can prioritize future research. You also explicitly choose what work will not be done as part of the project, freeing resources to go where most helpful.

Identifying and owning assumptions is a key practice in ReThink. Even when you do not explicitly research an assumption, an identified assumption may be proven wrong. If that happens, you then have an opportunity to make a better decision based on the new information.

Look beyond just the humans

Like human-centered design (HCD), Research Thinking prioritizes understanding, designing for, and making decisions that serve the experiences of all of the people involved. However, Research Thinking goes further than HCD. ReThink asks questions to uncover the values, goals, and constraints that impact peoples’ behavior, their why .

Surface-level research might tell you that people are frustrated by long wait times and lack of transparency when they apply for a benefit. This information tells you about what a problem is, but it does not help you understand the factors that create that problem, nor how to begin to address it. ReThink will seek to understand those realities too. This means researchers may need to dig into what agency employees are doing, what systems are collecting and storing information, and even what processes have been put into place to ensure policy is being followed. Part of the skill of an advanced researcher is to decide how and when research on a topic is “done,” to fully answer the important question at hand, and no more.

The ReThink approach addresses: (1) the experience of all of the humans, but also (2) the full scope of an environment, to understand the broader context in which a service is delivered.

Think in outcomes, not artifacts

It is surprising how many contracts still prioritize artifacts over outcomes. While artifacts like service blueprints, personas, and customer journeys can be helpful tools for building understanding, by themselves they do not accomplish any outcomes. They do nothing inherently to advance an agency’s mission, serve its employees and stakeholders, uphold policy, or deliver services to people. The “thing” is not the result.

Research Thinking, on the other hand, starts with outcomes, and only adds artifacts if they will help those outcomes happen. That means research is not done simply to create personas, journey maps, or even user stories. Research is instead framed from the beginning with the end goals in mind. Work is tightly connected to the ultimate decisions or actions that must be taken, and the resulting insights apply directly to the agency’s goals.

This approach is more difficult in practice than it sounds. In fact, an outcome focus can feel emotionally unsatisfying to people used to a tangible “thing” that proves work has been done. ReThink does not produce as many of these as traditional “do-first” approaches, but the ones it does produce are far more useful.

Remain adaptable

A key aspect of Research Thinking is the willingness to learn and adapt along the way.

The ReThink approach holds knowledge lightly; research always brings up new information which will change the conceptualization of a product or service. This is normal, and productive. In fact, the most effective research is often done in concert with other technical experts who work iteratively. Information will spark testing, which will lead to new needs for information. Discovery should not be the end; there is always something new and useful to learn.

More than anything else, Research Thinking requires flexibility in approach and methods. A skilled research practitioner will match methodologies to what information is required for a decision or action, but this is not enough on its own. Often, the “best” methods are not possible, so reaching outcomes requires creativity and flexibility. “Best” must always balance time, resources, and priorities, and as such, non-research practitioners can provide valuable input and guidance.

By focusing on outcomes and remaining flexible, it’s possible to change course as many times as needed to effectively reach the goal.

Research Thinking provides the most value when brought in as early in the product journey as possible; it will provide a framework to focus and inform major decisions at that stage. However, it’s never too late to use a ReThink lens, and no decision is ever too small. There is always something relevant to learn.

If the entire Research Thinking approach feels too big, or too expensive at any point, step into it instead in bits and pieces. Even if the decision is as small as which form layout to use, approaching that decision from a ReThink framework can provide important benefits. The more you use Research Thinking, the more it will feel natural, and the better your results will get.

The Research Thinking process

Note that while ReThink is a roughly linear process, it can look messy in practice. There may be different lines of research starting at different points in the process and overlapping. This is normal, and to be expected.

Apply the process to your situation in the way that best fits your needs.

• Find your purpose and outcomes for the project.
• What big-picture decisions must be made?
• Determine what you don’t yet know.
• After you describe, prioritize.
• Research strategically.
• Translate data into action.
• Make the decision(s).

1 Find your purpose and outcomes for the project

Because Research Thinking values the big picture first, the process starts by understanding what the big picture is. That often means creating a dialogue between users, stakeholders, and the organization to decide. What people want to achieve is important to understand, since it can bring out opportunities to add additional value or to reach goals by different means.

ReThink begins by finding the answers to three questions.

• What is your purpose for the project? (In other words, why are you beginning this initiative now?)
• What outcomes do you want to achieve from it?
• What constraints are you working within?

For large-scale projects or decisions, determining these answers can take several complex discussions with many stakeholders! For small ones, such as which layout is easier for users to read, these answers can take less than five minutes with pen and paper. Either way, this step cannot be skipped; we find that a little time spent thinking critically can avoid literally weeks or months of wasted effort down the road.

Normally you will begin a new initiative with one of the first two questions partially answered; you will need to be sure to have the full answers to all three questions before you move on.

Do not skip the conversation about constraints. While limitations such as policy, time, funding, and even strong stakeholder opinions may at times feel frustrating, they ultimately push you to creatively work through recommendations and solutions. Beginning this conversation early, in a collaborative fashion, makes sure as many players in the ecosystem as possible are invested in, and bought into, the approach or solution that results.

Defining outcomes

See the earlier “Principles of Research Thinking” section for important information about how ReThink approaches outcomes. These should always ultimately be framed in terms of every human touched by the project, as well as the processes and systems involved. The solution must work for the organization as a whole, the end users, stakeholders, and employees, if it will be sustainable long-term.

2 What big-picture decisions must be made for the project or program?

Moving from goals and outcomes to big-picture, concrete decisions seems like a straightforward step. In practice, it is often one of the hardest parts of the process. Yet, it is well worth the extra thought; research cannot improve the quality of decisions if the decisions are not made explicit.

Let’s take a project where the purpose is to “improve the physical and mental health of seniors.”

• For example, you may need to choose between in-person interventions or digital ones. Which is likely to have more impact on seniors’ health? Is there a third option?
• For example, you may prioritize a digital or in-person intervention based on not only the impact to seniors’ health, but also cost, digital systems capabilities, and other key factors.
• Your criteria will include the constraints you identified in the previous step, but will not be limited to them. Choose comprehensive criteria that you can return to throughout the project for a clear and unbiased assessment of progress.
• Finally, based on the criteria, eliminate strategic options that clearly don’t qualify. For example, costs that are several times higher than your budget, or options that require more people than you have, make it easy to eliminate those options.
• For example, for digital interventions, you may need to decide between a website, mobile-first site, or text campaign to begin. Are there any other options?
• Repeat the elimination step for tactics, based on the same criteria.

For small-scale decisions, such as which layout is easier for users to read, this entire process may be less formal, and be worked through in the space of a meeting. However, even for small decisions it is important to be intentional about the fact that a decision needs to be made, and the basis for making it.

Slow down and think decisions through

Many decisions in everyday life go unnoticed. People assume that a specific choice is the right one, and move forward without considering the other potential paths or approaches. However, it is always worth defining a decision rather than moving forward blindly. After all, not making a decision is a decision. Framing a contract in a specific way represents several decisions. By defining all decisions, including the “hidden” ones, you can explicitly explore creative options and do better, more actionable research.

3 Determine what you don’t yet know

Once you have your list of critical decisions, the next step is figuring out what you need to know in order to have confidence in making those decisions. This requires formally describing assumptions and gaps in your current knowledge.

Unstated assumptions can become the hidden killers of projects. For instance, if an agency has assumed that users complete an application or enrollment process in a single visit, it is crucial to confirm that reality. Otherwise, the agency may build a service where there is no ability to save. If users need to return several times without saved progress, the application may not work, and the agency may not be able to provide services. The mission failure was preventable, since the underlying assumption could have been tested easily.

Not every assumption or gap in knowledge must be researched immediately, but all must be identified. Understanding the gaps and deciding which are most important allows you to spend your resources wisely, and keeps important outcomes from being derailed unnecessarily.

Examples of assumptions and unknowns

Assumptions that can impact outcomes.

• Users can complete an application or enrollment process in a single visit.
• Mobile app ratings accurately reflect how well the service is being delivered via app.
• A modernized digital service built on new technology should have exactly the same feature set as the current version, because the risks of removing an existing feature outweigh any potential gains from new features developed instead.

Unknowns that can impact outcomes

• What other sources of information do people use to learn about the service and how to access it? What is the agency not providing that they need?
• Who is not accessing the service that needs it?

Make note of what you know , what you don’t know , and what you assume in a format that feels as lightweight as possible. Our teams have used sticky notes and a whiteboard, a Figma board online, or a diagram with plain-form written notes. The format is less important than the thinking.

A sample known, unknown, assumed template

Notice that we ask why to help identify the hidden “drivers” of reality and behavior. At every stage Research Thinking works to relate research to the larger outcomes and goals.

Question what you know

Take the time to question each piece of information you think you know, looking for hidden assumptions that could hurt the initiative. Ask, “how do we know that? What data do we have to support that?” “Do our users actually know how to do this? Is this important to them?” Questioning assumptions is always an uncomfortable exercise, but it is one that is critical to success.

Do a double-check

Once you’ve made a list of what you need to know and what you assume for each strategic and tactical decision option, do a double-check with your research practitioner. Is the information you need to obtain for a given decision researchable? If not, cross the option off.

Be prepared for existing knowledge to take work to assemble

Often, there is already a lot of existing data and knowledge, but it may be spread across different sources. If it is not yet consolidated or analyzed, or not analyzed in light of the current questions, make a note. There may be work that needs to be done to bring that information together early in the research phase, before traditional research is done. Consider using common Research Ops approaches to creating, maintaining, and governing repositories.

4 After you describe, prioritize

Once the knowns, unknowns, and assumptions are listed, there will be way more to know than can reasonably be addressed in a single research project. (This is normal, as every project must work within the reality of time and budget constraints.) The next step, then, is to prioritize with a critical eye. What must be learned now? What can safely wait, or not be researched at all?

Some questions to consider are:

• What information is mission critical? What must we know to make the decision confidently?
• What information is merely nice to have?
• Which unknowns can potentially block decision making?
• Which assumptions are least well supported by data?
• And which of these, if wrong, would have negative effects on outcomes?

Decide on research priorities using the purpose, outcomes, decisions, and criteria you determined earlier. Your advanced research practitioner may be helpful here to inform what is and isn’t possible within the bounds of well-designed research.

Consider beginning with foundational assumptions

Often the first priority should be to research foundational assumptions, as these will affect the entirety of the product or service decisions moving forward.

For example, an agency is changing their online application processes online. They rely on social services organizations to do direct outreach to beneficiaries. The agency plans to send out a pre-recorded training about the new processes to the organizations. Will this format be effective? If not, thousands of beneficiaries could ultimately become confused and go through the process incorrectly. This assumption must be researched first for the remainder of the work to be successful.

Go into the research phase (in the next step) with a good understanding of what you will need to learn, and in what order. You need not yet know exactly how you will learn this information.

5 Research strategically

Finally, it is time to research! Research Thinking means learning as much as possible as strategically as possible, within constraints. That means carefully matching research methods to your priorities and what you need to learn.

Research Thinking aims to do the least amount of research possible to make a specific decision well. However, it also ensures enough research is done to enable a long-term impact, improving your product, service, or outcomes iteratively over time. All research should therefore be continually designed and re-designed to help you reach your purpose, in the short and long term.

Work with a research practitioner

We strongly encourage you to work closely with an advanced research practitioner during this step. How to obtain the needed data efficiently and ethically, and which methods to use, are both questions that will require deep expertise to answer. The research itself can be done by a dedicated team of researchers, or can be democratized and conducted by people with a variety of backgrounds. However, the planning must be done by an experienced practitioner, to ensure that it results in actionable research.

Making research actionable

The purpose of research is to enable you to make decisions and take actions, no more and no less. Research that delivers on this promise is called “actionable.”

The most important part of making research actionable is ensuring that the methods chosen, and the way they are implemented, can actually provide the data needed for a specific decision. For instance, usability testing is invaluable for helping make decisions about page layout; it builds a solid understanding of how people understand and navigate the page. The same method tells you nothing about the overall experience of using a digital service or the outcomes of use, and would be unsuitable for decisions about high-level strategy. It is the match between decision and method that makes research actionable.

Be creative before, during, and after this research step, and remain flexible. There are often several alternate ways to achieve a single actionable end. What you will need to learn also often changes as you’re researching, and unexpected changes or obstacles arise. Resource constraints may mean reprioritizing work part way through. When something happens, keep your eye on your outcomes, work with your practitioner, and adjust accordingly.

The following are best practices in the research phase of the Research Thinking process.

Leverage existing research

One of the most common mistakes we see is beginning each research project from scratch, often unintentionally duplicating past efforts. Rather than wasting time recreating what is already known, we recommend beginning each research project with a formal step designed to locate and leverage existing research.

Mining existing sources of information should not be limited to reports and transcripts from user research studies. Even policy can be a source of research. (Not only does it tell us about the constraints and rules we are operating in, it provides insight into the people and the ecosystem in which decisions are being made.)

Places to look may include:

• Reports from past research projects conducted inside your organization
• Existing site metrics and data analyses
• External reports by related organizations
• Oversight reports in government
• News stories that contain existing research

The range of existing data that can be useful is broad, and should be approached with a creative eye.

Employ a broad range of data and research types

When planning research, ReThink recommends using a creative mix of methods when possible, rather than any one individual research method alone. One set of data will provide information to help “fill in” the gaps in another set to provide additional clarity and confidence to conclusions.

Occasionally the various data and methods will give rise to seemingly contradictory information, but this too is beneficial. This is a signal that the problem may be more complex than predicted, and that in-depth attention will be needed in analysis (two steps from now) to identify the reasons for these divergences.

We recommend working closely with your advanced research practitioner throughout the planning process. With care, your methods will be able to not only answer needed questions, but also to address ethical considerations and program constraints.

Informing the decision cycle

Match your mix of methods to where you are in the decision making cycle. For example, some forms of research, like contextual interviews, are suited to inform high level product, strategy, and design decisions. At the other end, extremely small-level tactical decisions, such as whether specific details of design decisions are working for users, are usually a good match for usability testing.

Qualitative and quantitative methods

Use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, as they complement each other and lead to a more comprehensive view of the ecosystem than either approach alone.

Qualitative methods illuminate the why of user preferences and behaviors. The most common are variations of interviewing and observing individual users. These commonly include 1:1 structured interviews, observing participants as they try to accomplish their goals, diary studies where participants track their activities over time, feedback sessions, and task driven usability studies.

However, these interactive approaches can also be supplemented by other inputs. Our teams have drawn qualitative findings from sources such as:

• Feedback surveys
• Call center logs
• App store reviews
• Online forums

Quantitative methods point to the what of user behavior. They can also be drawn from a variety of sources, including site metrics, surveys, and unmoderated usability studies. These methods tell us more about how people use the tools we build, and the demographics of the groups using them.

It is not enough to surface statistics about numbers of clicks; the quantitative data must directly connect to the questions that need to be answered, such as whether users can successfully solve the problems they are seeking to solve.

Research Thinking moves quickly

Consider using Research Thinking to approach research on a fast-moving deadline. ReThink is particularly valuable to frame experimental, iterative approaches in this way. Center the assumption or guess as a decision-point, and go through the ReThink process with low-risk research studies to inform that decision. For example, you can test a possible “right answer” by designing a very basic, low-fidelity prototype to show to users, even something as simple as a sketch on cardboard. Or, you could build basic functionality on a site to gather metrics and feedback on an assumption in a few days, to inform the direction of next steps. Research Thinking helps frame these studies as learning exercises, with decision points based on what was learned.

Then, when you have made the immediate decision, repeat the process for the next decision point. You’ll be surprised at the way the process aids your need for velocity.

Consult a range of experts and perspectives

In the same way that we generally recommend using a range of research methods, we recommend seeking out a broad range of individual perspectives across your research wherever possible. This applies in four ways:

• Involving a range of stakeholders and subject matter experts, to ensure a range of organizational needs are considered.
• Conducting direct user research with a range of end users.
• Including non-researchers in conducting research, as observers with different perspectives see new things.
• Empowering participants as partners to co-create research that reflects the needs of the individuals impacted.

Seeking out a variety of perspectives is a research best practice. No single data source, stakeholder, or subject matter expert has a complete view of a complex environment. Neither is a single type of end user able to speak to the needs and experience of all users. By consulting a range of sources, you get a wider perspective on the system, and a more complete understanding than would otherwise be possible.

You will also naturally find and address many more potential risks and unintended consequences than you would otherwise be able to surface.

Make sure to consult users with a diversity of experiences and needs

Particular care should be taken to seek out end users with a range of experiences and needs. Some users will have differing goals or outcomes they want to achieve from the system or service, and others will access it differently, such as with a mobile device or screen reader. However, the range of perspectives should go further, to include people who may not traditionally be thought of as users, but who may still actively use or be directly impacted by a system or service.

For example, while the beneficiaries of a health care agency are the direct users of the service, their caregivers may be just as involved in negotiating the system. Employees and stakeholders may also be impacted, and should be given the opportunity to speak.

Democratizing research

Research Thinking should include ways for non-researchers to study people and develop insights. Often, this involves opportunities for non-researchers to observe or “ride along” with research sessions, with space for them to ask their own questions. While practitioners who have trained for years in research bring a unique skill set, learning only grows through inclusivity. Many researchers see their task as “make the familiar strange and the strange familiar,” and fresh eyes are one of the best ways of doing the former.

Participants can also be included in co-creating research design, or be given additional voice in participant-driven research methods such as diaries. This co-creation can result in new insights and areas for investigation, ensuring decisions and actions taken truly reflect the needs of the individuals impacted.

6 Interpret the data in the context of your decisions

Data do not speak for themselves. It is the meaning behind the data that brings the most value to decision making. The analysis phase is when the meaning is made.

Analysis brings together a variety of perspectives and voices and makes sense of them in the context of the criteria and decisions you determined. This level of analysis and interpretation is a complex skill best led by an experienced practitioner, as with the research itself.

Deliverables focused around outcomes.

A good deliverable in the ReThink framework does not simply “deliver data,” but rather focuses on answering the questions that were asked. It makes meaning, curating and prioritizing information, and clearly tells the story that connects data to strategic outcomes.

Deliverables should always draw a direct line to recommended decisions and actions. The connection between the insights and the next steps should be clear, and the implications of decisions, to the extent that they are understood, should be articulated. This means curating what may be a large amount of data so that the interpretations are clear and are not obscured by excess data on other topics.

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, delivering more is not the same as delivering better. The best deliverables focus and clarify the path to the desired outcomes.

In analysis, the first step in making sense of the data is to organize it. You will begin with a tangle of data reflecting what you heard and observed, and will need to bring order. A variety of methods for grouping and developing themes can be useful, from bottom-up coding to affinity diagramming and more formalized, structured frameworks. Whatever method you choose, you will need to ensure that the resulting themes reflect the guiding questions that drove the research.

Excluding the irrelevant

One of the biggest challenges for growing practitioners is separating out what is relevant and what is not in the analysis. While all learning is good, detailed extraneous information can be overwhelming to you and your audience and is ultimately counterproductive.

That is not to say that findings should be thrown out. Responsible Research Thinking ensures the data is usable for other projects in the future. All data should be available in a repository for cross reference and for reuse in future projects.

Next, interpret what you have observed in light of the questions and decision at hand. Organization is not enough; a deeper analysis goes beyond the surface to understand the meaning and impact represented, and what that impact means for the specific initiative or service. Your work is not done until you create this meaning out of the data.

Integrating multiple sources of data

A ReThink approach to analysis integrates relevant data across multiple sources to inform a comprehensive understanding. This integration can be tricky, but it adds tremendous value.

First, organize and analyze each data set on its own. Once you have managed the individual data sets, you can assess how the findings relate to and inform each other. Analyze the distinctions between what people say and what they do. Pull themes from interviews and contextual observations, and combine them with quantitative data for a more complete understanding. When different data sources lead to differing conclusions, take the time to determine why, as the underlying reasons for the disparities are likely to be significant. (See the previous broad range of data types section, 6b.)

Once you have integrated multiple sources of your data, you have a framework for sensemaking questions such as:

• What does this mean?
• Why is this happening?
• Why does this matter?

The last question is particularly important. The results and analyses need to be translated so that it becomes clear how they can guide decisions and actions for greatest impact.

Storytelling is an important skill for anyone who works with data. A story is more than an account of incidents or events. It is a path to understanding. Good narrative structure can enable decision makers to both see the import of the data, and see the path to action.

A narrative structure in this context does not have to involve any actual stories. Instead, it is a framework that relays what is important; rather than presenting isolated topics and ideas, a narrative structure centers key themes, makes clear what matters, and builds on itself. A good narrative structure also edits out what does not contribute to the themes and will distract from the main points, and unifies what remains.

Create deliverables that tell the story of your data, focused on the decisions, actions, and outcomes that are needed.

7 Make the decision(s)

Decision making has an entire field dedicated to it, and the frameworks for good decision making are beyond the scope of this guide. That being said, in many cases, looking at the data and the analysis together with the criteria you chose earlier will naturally result in a very small number of clear priorities. The decision will be straightforward.

Otherwise, a variety of frameworks exist to take a list of detailed options with good data and turn them into decisions and roadmaps. (One method is the gap scoring method Ad Hoc used on Search.gov .) The choice of framework will depend on the kinds of decisions you have to make. However you get there, the Research Thinking process ends when decision makers make the decision. Unless, of course, the decision leads to more questions that require more research; in that case, you will start again with Step One.

ReThink turns research into robust, informed decision making

It is a way of approaching problems that can be infused through an agency and its partners, creating better outcomes at lower risk. ReThink gets far more value out of agency data and research, and provides better paths to agency outcomes.

Creating effective digital services and general services with good CX requires more than technical know-how and delivery. It requires research to ensure that agencies are building the right things in the right ways to best meet the needs of people. The same is true of strategy and other decision needs; bringing data and a variety of perspectives to bear on decision making leads to better decisions with generally more positive outcomes across agency work.

While thinking doesn’t require more time or budget, it does involve more effort. Problems must be framed and questions aimed at addressing why and how rather than simply what. Research Thinking requires questioning assumptions and testing hypotheses, consulting a variety of sources and stakeholders to research each. The data becomes most important when you can connect the data to the outcomes and decisions needed.

ReThink broadens the definition of research. It goes far beyond targeted user studies, to create a more holistic view of the overall context of people (such as users, stakeholders, helpers, and others affected) and systems (such as policy, technical systems, and the overall environment). ReThink allows for a flexible, inclusive approach to understanding that will adapt to changing circumstances and project needs. The process empowers everyone involved to ask questions and look for answers, which naturally decreases risk as more potential issues and unintended consequences are raised during the process. Step by step, agencies can make more informed, effective decisions with Research Thinking.

ReThink resources

Want to learn more? Read our case studies to examine the far-reaching benefits of the ReThink approach, and then watch a webinar recording with ReThink author Alex Mack.

Get access to the resources

Put this field guide into practice.

Work with Ad Hoc to take the next step in becoming an agency that uses a Research Thinking approach to transforming digital services.

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Ad hoc surveys at the Robert Koch Institute

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) regularly conducts nationally representative cross-sectional studies (KiGGS, DEGS and GEDA) as part of the nationwide health monitoring system. In addition to these health surveys, data is collected in telephone interviews either on specific thematic fields (such as diabetes) or specific groups (such as medical staff) that were not or only insufficiently covered by the larger health surveys. As they are flexible and fast, ad hoc surveys conducted via telephone interviews can respond to specific epidemiological and health political questions. This article describes the procedures applied in ad hoc telephone interview surveys, which were newly introduced as a standardised method in 2017 and are applied by the Laboratory for Health Surveys at the RKI. The article presents the stages of project management such as concept development, establishment of a concept for data protection, questionnaire development, pre-test and field phase, calculation of weighting factors and provision of the final data set. The aim is to describe the process and shed light on the standardised procedures, the reported quality indicators and the breadth of possible scenarios of application.

1. Introduction

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) regularly conducts nationally representative cross-sectional studies as part of the nationwide health monitoring system. These surveys include the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) [ 1-3 ] as well as the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS) [ 4 ]. As regards their content, the broad spectrum of the data collected as well as preparation and implementation of data collection render them highly complex surveys requiring lengthy preparatory work. For example, sampling for these surveys through the official population registries is highly time-consuming and therefore an additional factor to consider. The planning, implementation and preparation of such extensive surveys is usually a process which takes several years. Often, however, new questions arise that cannot be mapped out by these large surveys or only in an insufficient way. This creates the need for additional telephone interview surveys on specific issues (such as diabetes [ 5 ]) or for interviews with particular groups of people (such as physicians). Flexible and most importantly fast, these ad hoc surveys provide information that complements examination and interview surveys such as KiGGS and DEGS and on the short-term produce information on health-related issues.

Ad hoc research is not a new approach at the RKI. Between 2008 and 2014, in addition to KiGGS and DEGS, the German Health Update (GEDA) regularly conducted health interviews [ 6-9 ]. From 2008 to 2010, GEDA telephone interview surveys took place in-house, and were outsourced 2012 for the first time.

The need to rapidly conduct surveys at the RKI has increased continuously and as maintaining a permanent and efficient in-house Call Center is not possible, an external market and social research institute (USUMA GmbH) was commissioned in 2017, initially for a period of four years. The contracted services include conducting pre-tests and telephone interviews, quality assurance, data processing, provision of sets of data for analysis including weighting factors, as well as report compilation. Despite outsourcing the data collection, the RKI maintains significant influence and monitors planning, quality assurance and supervision as well as the training of interviewers. Table 1 provides an overview of the ad hoc surveys that have been conducted since 2017.

Overview of ad hoc surveys conducted at the Robert Koch Institute

Source: Own table

2. The course of the ad hoc surveys

At the early stage of the projects, the Laboratory for Health Surveys (LfG) assists USUMA GmbH (the company contracted by the RKI) in developing a concept for data collection and thereby serves as a coordinating body and intermediary point of contact. While project leaders are responsible for the conceptual development of questionnaires, they may receive methodological support from the LfG (for example regarding particular terms and their operationalisation in questionnaires). After the final instrument for data collection has been developed, USUMA GmbH programmes it into Voxco, a software programme for telephone interviews. In the run-up to the ad hoc survey, interviewers receive comprehensive training to familiarise themselves with the aims of the project. During these training sessions over several hours, project leaders, the LfG and the market and social research institute present the planned ad hoc survey.

A pre-test before the actual fieldwork serves to detect structural inconsistencies in data collection (for example regarding the length of questionnaires, filtering, obviously missing values regarding specific questions) and allows the survey to be fine-tuned.

In ad hoc surveys, the amount of time spent on data collection will vary depending on the research question, design and the required number of participants. In most cases, the fieldwork of ad hoc surveys will take between one and three months to complete. During the entire fieldwork, the LfG provides supervision (of interviewers) and quality assurance and thereby ensures the RKI’s standards for data collection are complied with.

The market and social research institute records the collected data anonymously (the following section provides further information on data protection). After finalising the fieldwork, the RKI receives the anonymised data set including a methodology report. At this point, data collection for the ad hoc survey is completed. The course of the ad hoc surveys is shown in Figure 1 .

The course of the ad hoc surveys

Source: Own diagram

3. Data protection

Data protection in ad hoc surveys is based on the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and a voluntary commitment to the guidelines of the ADM (Arbeitskreis Deutscher Markt- und Sozialforschungsinstitute) [ 10 ]. An important and fundamental aspect in all ad hoc surveys is ensuring that the informed consent of all interviewees has been obtained. All participants are informed at the start of the telephone interview that their participation is voluntary, receive information about the aims of the survey and data protection and are asked for their verbal consent. Further aspects of data protection measures in ad hoc surveys include:

• ► The separation of personal data (such as telephone numbers) and survey data is strictly observed during data collection. Personal information (in particular telephone numbers) are deleted after the survey is completed.
• ► Interviewers do not have access to survey data and are barred from opening closed datasets.
• ► Contacting interviewees, managing schedules and the interviews themselves are conducted using a specialised computer software programme. The software minimises data entry mistakes and maximises data quality. Only employees involved in process management and data analysis have access to the pool of telephone numbers of interviewees and survey data sheets.
• ► After finishing the ad hoc survey, USUMA GmbH provides the final data set in anonymised format to the RKI.
• ► Data is encoded and transferred via a cryptshare server in line with RKI provisions and in accordance with data protection regulations.

The RKI’s data protection officer ensures that each ad hoc survey complies with the generally applicable General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as Germany’s Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG-neu). To simplify the processing of the required documentation, a data protection questionnaire developed specifically for ad hoc surveys is applicable. For individual ad hoc surveys, clearance certificates from the ethics commission and the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information are obtained.

4. Methodology

4.1 design of sampling and data collection.

Ad hoc surveys are carried out as computer-assisted telephone interviewing surveys (CATI). This allows for comparisons with previous telephone interview surveys that have taken place within the context of health monitoring (GEDA 2009, GEDA 2010 or GEDA 2012) [ 6-8 ]. In principle, the same also applies to the sampling procedure. For statements on the German population in general, there are only few practicable and efficient options for sampling [ 11 ]. One method is sampling through existing official registers such as those held by official residency registries, or by using a generated telephone sampling frame. It should be noted that these concepts are both grounded on a two-step registry sample. The only difference between these sampling procedures is the selected primary survey unit (for example municipalities or types of municipalities). Another method is the ADM design for a personal face-to-face interview. As Germany, however, does not have a complete registry of all telephone numbers for personal use, the telephone sampling frame has to be generated first. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft ADM-Telefonstichproben has filled this gap by providing a sampling frame to member institutes. This generated sampling frame contains all private households in Germany that can be reached by telephone.

For the ad hoc surveys, the ADM’s sampling system for telephone surveys, which is based on a dual frame procedure ( Figure 2 ) is applied. The procedure consists of using two sets of numbers: the totality of mobile phone numbers and the totality of landline numbers [ 12 ].

Visualisation of a dual frame sample; all telephone numbers in the sampling frame, including those that cannot be reached

An additional practicable dual frame for selection is the GESIS framework [ 13 ]. Except for a few minor differences (the GESIS mobile phone sample for example is based on a person-centred approach), it works in a very similar way. Figure 2 is a schematic depiction of this approach. For dual frame approaches, research currently recommends a mobile phone proportion of at least 40% [ 14 ]. Only sampling from both mobile and landline telephone number sets ensures an (almost) complete coverage of the population [ 15 ].

When a person in a household of several people is contacted, an interviewee is randomly selected. Ad hoc surveys thereby apply the Kish Selection Grid [ 16 ]. All potential interviewees in any one household are equally likely to be selected. The CATI software randomly selects the target person and the selected target person is then identified based on their recorded age and gender.

4.2 Call-back and sample management

The provided sample is divided into tranches, i.e. the total of telephone numbers generated is not used from the outset. The separation into tranches is aimed at minimising the number of numbers used and maximising response rates. Moreover, using tranches of telephone numbers which have not yet been used has a positive impact on the motivation of interviewers because they receive fresh numbers with every new tranche, which increases the likelihood of a successful interview [ 17 ].

Each ad hoc survey pre-defines return call rules. These rules are established based on the AAPOR standard (American Association of Public Opinion Research) [ 18 ]. Based on the ADM recommendations, the maximum number of contact attempts is limited to ten calls per number [ 19 ]. Furthermore, sample generation ensures an optimal processing of all telephone numbers and helps to achieve the highest possible response rates. Making appointments with a target person for example is awarded the highest priority because the available surveys indicate that this makes a successful interview most likely [ 17 ].

4.3 Pre-test

Before each ad hoc survey, a pre-test is conducted. In most cases, the pre-test is a standard pre-test in the field [ 20 ]. When testing the survey instruments, the focus is on the logical and structured use of filters, the overall design of the questionnaire (e.g. nonresponse), content related duplications and the length of the questionnaire (the time required for a successful interview). These aspects of the quality of questionnaires are evaluated based on the pre-defined parameters of programming, filter application, frequency count, spread of missing values, time required for each thematic block and feedback from interviewers and interviewees. Generally, pre-test interviews take place ten days before the main stage of the survey.

4.4 Fieldwork

Fieldwork here relates to data collection by telephone and all the processes associated with it, i.e. the calls made by interviewers, as well as measures of supervision and quality assurance [ 17 ]. Fieldwork is left largely in the hands of USUMA GmbH. However, LfG has a quality assurance function through monitoring the supervision and quality assurance of interviewers at their workplace.

The number of interviewers working on individual ad hoc surveys varies between 20 and 100. This mainly depends on the time envisaged for fieldwork and the number of interviews that have to be conducted. To minimise interviewer effects the group of interviewers should be as heterogeneous as possible [ 21 ]. For reasons of quality assurance during the fieldwork, all interviewers receive training beforehand and are thoroughly supervised during the survey. USUMA GmbH ensures the supervision of interviewers. The company thereby receives support from and is monitored by LfG ( Figure 3 ).

Ad hoc survey quality assurance process

The constant supervision of all interviewers serves to maintain continuous data collection quality standards. Quality assurance during the entire fieldwork is part of supervision and as such organised by LfG. Quantitative and qualitative methods aim to maintain data quality. Quantitative quality assurance includes monitoring certain process data (number of call attempts/interviews made, refusals to grant interview/telephone appointments agreed) for example. This serves chiefly to compare interviewers and identify those requiring more support as part of the qualitative measures for quality assurance being pursued. One element of qualitative methods that is used to ensure data quality during the fieldwork is the monitoring of first contact and interview situation of individual interviewers. The aim is to continuously follow-up on the first contact and interview situation of all interviewers during the fieldwork. This is achieved by using standardised quality assurance sheets, which are discussed in detail following supervision with the interviewers. Supervisors have this bank at their disposal during the entire field phase allowing them to judge the development potentials of interviewers during the fieldwork. If quality assurance reveals a poor performance on the part of individual interviewers, they are invited to participate in further training and where appropriate training in putting forward arguments [ 21 ]. Ultimately, where these measures fail to deliver results interviewers are excluded from making further calls.

4.5 Weighting

The ‘weighting’ of data from a random sample describes a process by which the relative importance of data from individual target persons or groups in a sample is changed. Frequently weighting factors are employed to project the results of a survey for a random sample (as opposed to the total population) in which target persons have the possibility to refuse answers. Weighting processes are differentiated between those that consider the potentially diverging probabilities with which individual target persons will select an answer (design weighting) and procedures for subsequent stratification and reducing non-response bias, i.e. bias owing to the systematic non-participation by different target population groups (calibration/post stratification). Weighting for telephone ad hoc surveys is developed in close co-operation between the RKI and the institute commissioned. Design weighting is followed by post stratification. Post stratification has primarily two goals: to increase the precision of estimate values and to reduce bias through non-response [ 15 ]. Weighting must be adapted to each specific ad hoc survey because the underlying selection processes vary, the targeted subgroups differ as does the reason for weighting. Frequent sociodemographic markers used in weighting are nevertheless age, gender, federal state and education.

4.6 Response rates

Response rates are an indicator of the degree to which a specific target group has been reached. They serve as a possible but not compelling quality indicator for a possible bias of the sample through the systematic non-participation of particular target groups (non-response bias). For every ad hoc survey, the response rate is calculated based on the AAPOR standard [ 18 ]. This standard is favoured particularly in survey method research and guarantees comparability with other surveys worldwide (in particular ad hoc surveys) [ 22 ]. The AAPOR standard allows the reporting of different response rates that are calculated using similar but slightly modified formulas. One of the most commonly used measures is response rate 3, RR3. This rate was calculated for GEDA 2009, GEDA 2010 and GEDA 2012, rendering comparisons with these surveys. The response rate 3 reflects the proportion of realised interviews in relation to all probable households of the total population. For those telephone numbers that remain unclear to the end of the fieldwork whether they belong to the population or not, an estimate of the proportion of those that do belong to the population is made (eligibility rate). This estimate is extracted from the data collected as a proportion of eligible valid telephone numbers (respondents and non-respondents) to all numbers with a clear status (valid and invalid telephone numbers) [ 23 ].

5. Discussion

The format of ad hoc surveys, as described in this article, provides the RKI with tools to quickly and efficiently generate data and related information for scientific and/or political debate. The structured processes ensure the efficient management of the respective surveys. The cornerstones are bindingly described in the framework agreement allowing for fast and transparent communication with the external service provider and ensuring that costs can be estimated beforehand.

Yet it needs to be noted that each interview format has its advantages and disadvantages. Temporal, economic, practical and methodological dimensions are all contained in the valuation standards [ 24 ]. Advantages of the telephone interview format consist of: a framework for selection, fast and up-to-date availability of data, relatively low costs, the geographic spread of interviewees, the potential to implement screening procedures (i.e. specific target popoulations) and efficient quality management of interviewers and the data collected. These advantages come up against certain disadvantages: the limited number of questions compared to surveys sent by post, the lack of possibilities for visual input to questions and a greater risk of receiving biased results due to social desirability, avoidance behaviour, or more generally through interviewer effect. Before any survey, these and other advantages and disadvantages need to be weighed up and considered within the context of the survey.

Telephone surveys, like all other forms of surveying, have experienced a continuous decrease in response rates over the last few years, even though this trend has petered off recently [ 25 ]. This development entails risks due to bias for the estimated parameters in the individual surveys. Survey research, however, indicates that low response rates do not necessarily translate into a bias of survey results (i.e. a rising non-response bias) [ 26 ].

Looking back at previous ad hoc surveys at the RKI, numerous experiences have been gained. For example it has become clear that already at the stage of questionnaire design and programming providing advice is essential because researchers have no or hardly any experience regarding the telephone interview format. This is particularly important regarding the customisation of questionnaires and related processes. Field pre-tests also revealed that the majority of implemented ad hoc surveys underestimated the true length of questionnaires. Together these experiences provide the basis for a more precise estimation of the length of questionnaires in future. Prior to the pre-testing of future ad hoc surveys the questions or indicators to be analysed using criteria (such as the number of missing values, the required response time etc.) must be clearly defined with the researchers working on questionnaire content. During the actual fieldwork, we will in future strive to further intensify the supervision of interviewers. In the past, supervision has enhanced the quality of data [ 21 ]. If the budget allows it, the aim is to increase the supervisor to interviewer ratio to one to ten, i.e. to have one supervisor for every ten interviewers. It is conceivable that qualitative quality assurance could be digitalised in the form of online feedback questionnaires.

In the long-term, the increasing need for multi-mode or mixed-mode surveys will necessitate an amplification of the framework agreement. The methodological opportunities and limitations of telephone interview surveys will therefore have to be constantly re-analysed and re-interpreted. The accumulated experience and networks of the people working at LfG will be crucial to keeping the quality of data collected at a constantly high level.

Key statements

• The Robert Koch Institute regularly plans ad hoc telephone interview surveys and supervises their implementation.
• The Robert Koch Institute commissions an external market and social research institute with extensive experience in data collection to implement ad hoc surveys.
• One advantage to ad hoc surveys is the capacity to respond to urgent issues in a fast and flexible way.
• While based on a single methodology, depending on the research question, ad hoc surveys can be created in a bespoke way.
• After data collection, researchers at the Robert Koch Institute analyse the data.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Note: External contributions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Robert Koch Institute

What is ad hoc research/advantage/longitudinal research diff.

To do ad hoc research , you must take into account factors such as the subject of the study, its purpose, as well as the human team you have. Without forgetting another series of variables such as the methodology you want to use and even the budget.

There are two main types of studies in market research :

• Follow-up studies or long-term projects
• Market research projects that are adjusted according to needs

Let us know the characteristics of an ad-hoc research and how it differs from longitudinal research .

Difference between ad hoc research and longitudinal research

Ad hoc market research projects are usually short-term, one-time projects designed to address a specific goal.

Whereas longitudinal or long-term research is designed to study participants over a longer period of time or to measure a specific goal continuously.

In short, ad hoc projects are usually one-time projects, while longitudinal projects are more continuous research programs.

Advantages of ad hoc research

These are some of the benefits of conducting ad hoc research

1. Specificity

Ad hoc research is carried out for a specific purpose and offers high-quality data solutions for whatever problem your company faces.

Ad-hoc market research can be done as part of a single channel survey or it can be tailored to suit customer needs.

2. Save money and time

Ex profeso research studies are a unique project that quickly responds to the research needs of a company in a short period of time.

In the long term, this type of market research project saves an organization money by providing results quickly and efficiently without having to continually send surveys over a long period of time.

3. Customizable

A tailor-made ad-hoc market study can be conducted to help clients apply useful solutions to any problem. You can design a survey and select a specific method to carry out the research .

4. Ensures flexibility

Ad-hoc research projects allow the end user to modify the research and add additional questions to meet their research goals and objectives.

5. Streamline decision making

Data from an ad hoc study is used as a decision-making tool.

Depending on the client ‘s needs, you can show a preview of things to improve. Once the data is analyzed, the client and your team can take steps to make those improvements in order to make the business run more efficiently.

6. Applicable to any business

This type of market study can be carried out for any industry, be it education , healthcare, hospitality, retail, etc.

Examples of an ad hoc research

One restaurant is vastly outperforming the other 10 establishments in the country.

The store’s revenue has continuously improved in the last 12 months and there is no data to explain why.

The management team commissioned a brand image survey of 400 residents who live less than 15 minutes from the premises.

The survey tests objectives such as:

• Knowledge of the chain and its competitors.
• The perception of the restaurant in relation to its close competitors.
• What they like and what they don’t like to consume

This study provides the management team with hard data to understand why that particular restaurant is a profit leader .

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• Scientific hypothesis example/definition/types September 24, 2023

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Ad-hoc-research

Your answer to urgent requests.

what is important to us

Marcel blume.

During an initial call we define your individual requirements for the ad-hoc request, final delivery and timeline

Secondary Research

We conduct research in databases, press archives and our knowledge management tool for relevant information, followed by a thorough combination and consolidation of the results

Communication

Another aspect of importance is to ensure smooth communication flows during the project and possible next steps

Project completion

Presentation and discussion of our results via a personal phone call or on site. Upon request the results can be presented in front of a larger group and followed by a discussion about next steps

Reasons for execution

Urgent request of top management, unexpected competitor during pitch, unexpected event was happening, make an appointment.

Directly book a time slot, we´ll be happy to discuss your needs

Project examples

Ad hoc Research is usually a single piece of research rather than part of a continuous process. It is designed for a specific purpose and adjusted to the individual needs of the client. In many cases, it is conducted when existing information is deemed to be insufficient. Our team collects and analyzes relevant data in a timely fashion and delivers it to our clients as PowerPoint presentation, Excel-file or Word document. The comprehensive experience Frenus gained through the successful completion of numerous Ad hoc research projects guarantees high-quality research results collected with the help of proven best practices and fast delivery of required information.