Alignment: It's Foundational

One of the first words researchers learn in proposal development is alignment. Alignment is the first and most important component of a solid research proposal. It explains the researcher's stream of logic from the problem statement (What is the problem I want to solve?), to the purpose of the research (What do I want to accomplish? What should be different as a result of my research?) to the questions that will drive the research project (What do I need to learn in order to accomplish my purpose?). These three elements should make perfect sense or, in other words, be perfectly aligned. Alignment!

Sometimes our thinking is completely logical to us, but not necessarily to others. This is a great time to reach out to colleagues who are also working on alignment. Learning how others see the logic of these three components (problem, purpose, research questions) will help you ensure that your sensemaking is communicated and lays the groundwork for a solid research design.