The document is a customer requirement template used to gather information from customers commissioning research. It collects details about the requirement, customer point of contact, desired outputs and outcomes, stakeholders, target group, resources needed, and deadline. It also outlines a standard R&D process with stages of understanding the requirement, analysis, prototyping, validation, and making recommendations.

1. Customer Requirement Template
To be completed by the customer and sent to noel.hatch@kent.gov.uk
REQUIREMENT What do you want the research to investigate and what
corporate/service objectives do these help meet? This will enable the
R&D Lead to structure the activities to carry out the work.
CUSTOMER Who is the person
commissioning the
research? This will be
the single point of
contact the R&D Lead
will liaise with.
R&D LEAD Leave blank. This will
be assigned by the
R&D Team Leader
OUTPUTS What outputs do you
require from the
research to take it
forward? This is
optional as the R&D
Lead can propose
appropriate outputs.
OUTCOMES What are the desired
outcomes you want
from the research?
This will help focus on
how the research can
realise the intended
benefits.
STAKEHOLDERS What stakeholders do
you want engaged
through the research?
This can help
understand who the
R&D Lead should
involve to gather
insights from to
produce
recommendations.
TARGET GROUP Who is the target
group the proposed
solutions should
benefit? This will help
focus the research to
investigate who to
involve in testing &
how the proposals
would meet the target
group’s needs.
RESOURCES
REQUIRED
What resources will
the R&D Lead require
to carry out the
analysis? This will help
structure the budget
for the research and
any other resource
you need to provide
(i.e. data, access, etc)
DEADLINE /
PRIORITY
When does the
research need to be
completed by? This
can help the R&D
Lead understand the
priority & urgency
behind the
requirement.

2. R&D Process
To be agreed between the Customer & R&D Lead
STAGE TASKS OUTCOMES
UNDERSTAND This helps clarify the research
needed to fulfil requirement and
agree criteria for evaluation and
resources required
This provides the customer with a
framework for how the
requirement can be delivered to
help them decide on how the next
stage should proceed
ANALYSE This provides an analysis of the
technology, service or customer
identified, with an appraisal of
options for the customer to select to
take forward
This provides the customer with
the evidence to make informed
decisions on selecting and taking
forward the recommendations
PROTOTYPE This prototypes the options set out
in the analytical stage to enable
them to be tested by the target
group
This provides the customer with
an understanding of how the
options would work
VALIDATE This tests the prototypes based on
the criteria selected for the target
group to review the analysis to
inform recommendations for the
next stage
This provides the customer with
the assurance that the prototypes
meet the needs of the target
group
RECOMMEND This produces the business case to
provide an understanding into how
the recommendations meet the
requirement of the customer
This provides the customer with a
blueprint for taking forward the
recommendations
The Outcomes, Tasks, Resources, Outputs, Stakeholders and relationships to the ICT
Principles are described in more detail in the accompanying Activity Spreadsheet.
METHODS What methods would you like to use to carry out the analysis? This is
optional as the R&D Lead can propose appropriate methods for the
research.