Sample planning refers to a detailed outline of measurements to be taken:

·        At what time – Decide the time when a survey is to be conducted. For example, taking people views on newspaper outreach before launch of a new newspaper in the area.

·        On Which material – Decide the material on which the survey is to be conducted. It could be a online poll or paper based checklist.

·        In what manner – Decide the sampling methods which will be used to choose people on whom the survey is to be conducted.

·        By whom – Decide the person(s) who has to collect the observations.

Sampling plans should be prepared in such a way that the result correctly represent the representative sample of interest and allows all questions to be answered.

Steps

Following are the steps involved in sample planning.

·        Identification of parameters – Identify the attributes/ parameters to be measured. Identify the ranges, possible values and required resolution.

·        Choose Sampling Method – Choose a sampling method with details like how and when samples are to be identified.

·        Select Sample Size – Select an appropriate sample size to represent the population correctly. Large samples are generally proner to invalid conclusion.

·        Select storage formats – Choose a data storage format in which the sampled data is to be kept.

·        Assign Roles – Assign roles and responsibilities to each person involved in collecting, processing, statistically testing steps.

·        Verify and execute – Sampling plan should be verifiable. Once verified, pass it to related parties to execute it.