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Project Settings

Project Settings is where you configure how your Delphi study operates: survey type (classical vs. Delphi), phase management (pre-phase and auto-switching), participation requirements, and notification preferences.

Accessing Settings​

  1. Open your project
  2. Click Project Settings in sidebar
  3. Settings panel opens with configuration form

Available at all phases: Settings can be viewed anytime, but some options lock after project launch to preserve data integrity.

Survey Type Configuration​

Survey Type​

Choose your study methodology:

Classical Survey:

  • No real-time feedback to participants
  • Standard questionnaire format
  • No consensus-building mechanism
  • Single round only

Delphi Survey:

  • Real-time or delayed feedback
  • Consensus-building focus
  • Multiple rounds (if delayed mode)
  • Expert panel methodology

When to lock: Survey type locks after first participant completes survey (changing it would invalidate responses).

Delphi Mode​

Available when Delphi Survey selected:

Realtime:

  • Participants see aggregated results as they respond
  • Immediate feedback on each thesis
  • Continuous consensus building
  • No distinct rounds

Delayed (Traditional Delphi):

  • Participants don't see results until round ends
  • Distinct rounds (1, 2, 3...)
  • Controlled feedback between rounds
  • Classical Delphi methodology

Best for Realtime:

  • Fast turnaround needed
  • Smaller panels (<30 participants)
  • Time-sensitive topics

Best for Delayed:

  • Formal academic studies
  • Larger panels
  • Traditional Delphi requirements
  • Need for round-by-round documentation

Phase Management​

Enable Pre-Phase​

What is Pre-Phase? Initial data collection before main survey launch:

  • Gather baseline ratings without feedback
  • Pilot test with small group
  • Collect preliminary stakeholder input
  • Transition to main phase when ready

Pre-Phase Options:

  • ☑️ Enabled: Project goes to pre-phase on launch
  • ☐ Disabled: Project goes directly to main phase

When to use Pre-Phase:

  • Want to collect baseline data first
  • Need pilot testing phase
  • Staged rollout (small group then full panel)
  • Research design requires pre-test

Transitioning to Main Phase: Manual button in Project Overview or automatic (see auto-switch below).

Auto-Switch Phases​

What it does: Automatically transition from pre-phase to main phase when threshold reached.

Configuration:

  • ☑️ Auto-Switch Enabled
  • Threshold: Number of completed participants to trigger switch

Example: Set threshold to 10 → When 10th participant completes pre-phase, project automatically switches to main phase.

Why use it:

  • Hands-off management
  • Ensures minimum sample before real-time feedback
  • Consistent workflow across studies

Caution: Cannot undo auto-switch—ensure threshold is appropriate.

Max Rounds (Delayed Delphi Only)​

What it controls: Maximum number of Delphi rounds before study ends.

Options: 1-10 rounds

Typical values:

  • 2-3 rounds: Most common in practice
  • 4+ rounds: Rarely needed (diminishing returns)

Round Management:

  • Manual trigger for each round
  • Option to end early if consensus achieved
  • Round-by-round result export

Participation Settings​

Require Email​

Options:

  • ☑️ Required: Participants must provide email to access survey
  • ☐ Optional: Anonymous participation allowed

When to require:

  • Need to contact participants for follow-up
  • Want to send automated reminders
  • Formal recruitment with consent forms

When to make optional:

  • Anonymous expert panels
  • Privacy-sensitive topics
  • Want maximum participation (lower barrier)

Require Name​

Options:

  • ☑️ Required: Participants must provide name
  • ☐ Optional: Anonymous identification allowed

When to require:

  • Formal expert panel (need credentials)
  • Institutional requirements
  • Attribution in results

When to make optional:

  • Fully anonymous studies
  • Whistleblower scenarios
  • GDPR compliance preferred

Allow Invitation Sharing​

What it controls: Can participants forward their unique survey link to others?

Options:

  • ☑️ Allowed: UUID links work even if forwarded (open panel)
  • ☐ Restricted: UUID links tied to specific email (closed panel)

Allow sharing when:

  • Snowball sampling desired
  • Hard-to-reach populations
  • Want maximum participation

Restrict sharing when:

  • Carefully selected expert panel
  • Qualification criteria strict
  • Institutional review board requires controlled access

Max Participants​

What it controls: Hard cap on total participant count.

Options:

  • Empty/0: Unlimited participants
  • Number: Stop accepting responses at this limit

Why set a limit:

  • Subscription quota management
  • Sample size target met
  • Budget constraints
  • Experimental design requires exact N

When reached:

  • New participants see "study full" message
  • Existing participants can still complete
  • Project owner receives notification

Notification Settings​

Daily Summary Emails​

What you receive: End-of-day email summarizing project activity.

Includes:

  • New participants added
  • Responses completed
  • Progress toward goals
  • Outstanding invitations

Options:

  • ☑️ Enabled: Receive daily summary (sent at 11 PM your timezone)
  • ☐ Disabled: No automated emails

When to enable:

  • Active data collection phase
  • Want daily progress monitoring
  • Managing multiple projects

When to disable:

  • Project complete
  • Long-running study with slow response rates
  • Email fatigue

Additional Notifications (Coming Soon)​

Future notification options:

  • Instant alerts when participant completes
  • Weekly digests instead of daily
  • Slack/Teams integration
  • SMS alerts for milestones

Editing Permissions by Phase​

Setup Phase​

✅ All settings editable: Full configuration access

Pre-Phase / Main Phase (Active)​

⚠️ Limited editing:

  • Can change: Notifications, max participants, auto-switch threshold
  • Cannot change: Survey type, Delphi mode, require email/name

Why locked? Changing core settings mid-study invalidates existing responses.

Completion Phase​

⚠️ Read-only (mostly):

  • Can change: Notifications
  • Cannot change: Everything else

Exception: Can re-open project to collect more data (converts back to active phase).

Saving Settings​

Auto-Save: Changes save automatically after you stop editing (similar to Survey Editor).

Save Indicators:

  • 🟡 "Saving..." - Changes being saved
  • 🟢 "All changes saved" - Successfully saved
  • 🔴 "Changes not saved" - Error (check connection)

Explicit Save Button: Click "Save Settings" to force immediate save.

Common Configurations​

Academic Research Study​

Survey Type: Delphi Survey
Delphi Mode: Delayed
Enable Pre-Phase: Yes
Auto-Switch: No (manual control)
Max Rounds: 2-3
Require Email: Yes
Require Name: Yes
Allow Sharing: No
Max Participants: Based on sample size calculation
Daily Emails: Yes

Fast Corporate Forecasting​

Survey Type: Delphi Survey
Delphi Mode: Realtime
Enable Pre-Phase: No
Max Rounds: N/A
Require Email: No
Require Name: No
Allow Sharing: Yes
Max Participants: None
Daily Emails: Yes

Anonymous Expert Panel​

Survey Type: Delphi Survey
Delphi Mode: Realtime
Enable Pre-Phase: No
Require Email: No
Require Name: No
Allow Sharing: No (controlled access despite anonymity)
Max Participants: 30
Daily Emails: Yes

Pilot Study​

Survey Type: Classical Survey
Enable Pre-Phase: Yes
Auto-Switch: Yes (threshold: 5)
Require Email: Yes
Require Name: No
Allow Sharing: No
Max Participants: 10
Daily Emails: Yes

Advanced Settings (Coming Soon)​

Future configuration options:

  • Custom consensus thresholds
  • Response validation rules
  • Multi-language support
  • Custom branding/themes
  • API access controls
  • Data retention policies

Troubleshooting​

Can't Change Setting​

Cause: Project phase restricts editing

Solution: Check phase (setup vs. active). Some settings lock after launch to protect data integrity.

Changes Not Saving​

Cause: Network issue or validation error

Solution:

  1. Check internet connection
  2. Look for error messages (red text)
  3. Verify values are within allowed ranges
  4. Try manual "Save Settings" button

Auto-Switch Not Working​

Cause: Threshold not yet reached or pre-phase not enabled

Solution:

  1. Verify pre-phase is enabled
  2. Check participant completion count vs. threshold
  3. Ensure auto-switch toggle is checked

Participants Can't Access Despite Settings​

Cause: Settings vs. participant record mismatch

Solution:

  1. Check individual participant records (may have old requirements)
  2. Re-send invitations after changing settings
  3. Verify max participants not reached

Best Practices​

Before Launch​

  1. Review all settings carefully
  2. Test with pilot participants
  3. Confirm email/name requirements match recruitment
  4. Set realistic max participant cap
  5. Enable daily emails during active collection

During Data Collection​

  1. Monitor daily summaries
  2. Adjust max participants if needed
  3. Don't change locked settings (data integrity)
  4. Use auto-switch carefully (cannot undo)

After Completion​

  1. Disable daily emails
  2. Document final configuration
  3. Export settings metadata
  4. Archive project settings with data

Learn More​

See Also​