Verktækni - 2019, Síða 105

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common conclusion. In most cases, 15 to 20 experts are chosen to participate. Delphi is based on a
questionnaire for the specified field and answers cannot be traced to the participants. Typically, Delphi
is executed in two rounds. Once the first round is complete, the results are processed and used for
preparing the second round. Participants are now asked to rank the outcomes from the first round in
order of importance. The main advantages of this method are that each participant responds
individually and does not see the input of other participants. This ensures that there is no bias from
other participants (Hsu and Sandford, 2007).

A questionnaire was prepared, presenting and outlining the twelve future streams. Participants were
asked to arrange them in order of importance. Participants also recorded their gender and occupational
classification according to the NACE classification which is The Statistical Classification of Economic
Activities in the European Community (NACE, 2019). This was done to facilitate comparison in case the
survey is repeated at a later stage. The questionnaire was prepared using the SurveyMonkey web
application for surveys. The survey was sent to recipients by email with detailed definitions of the 12
future trends, and further explanations of the purpose and structure of the survey. Once the results
from the first round were reached, the second round was prepared and sent to the recipients in a
similar way. In order to see if there was a decisive difference in the ranking of the trends, only the six
top trends from the first round were used in the second round.

The panel of experts that participated in the Delphi survey were selected by the authors and consisted
of experienced individuals from many industries. All participants have extensive knowledge of project
management, due to their education and experience, and many of them have conducted research in the
field. The survey was sent to a total of 34 individuals (12 women and 22 men).

Focus group on the output from the Delphi survey
Focus group is a research method whose purpose is to collect data from a group interaction of people
who have experience or are likely to contribute something meaningful regarding the topic under
investigation. The method is very valuable in an initial phase of research as to help prepare for the main
data collection phase, e.g., as a precursor to the development of a more structured instrument. Focus
groups should preferably consist of 6-8 persons. The researcher defines the topic and participants are
encouraged to exchange ideas and opinions, giving a deeper perspective to the topic. When people
interact with each other, the result can be more powerful than in a one-on-one interview. Focus groups
should feel informal but should still be structured to a degree. The moderator is responsible for leading
the discussion and questions should not exceed 10 per hour. The secretary at the meeting should take
notes and be responsible for recording the meeting if required (Robson & McCartan, 2011).

The decision was made to conduct a workshop as part of a focus group. The reasoning behind this
decision was that interviews would restrict the quality of collected information. The aim of the project
was to verify the results of the Delphi survey, based on the study of Gemünden and Schoper (2014).
Focus groups allow the participants to be creative and to think outside the box. Therefore, the focus
group was the ideal method to acquire the required information.