SEED Method Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagement in Question Development and Prioritization - A guide to SEED processes and tools

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Rowan

SEED Method Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagement in Question Development and Prioritization provides structured guidance and practical tools to support community research teams across the SEED workflow. The toolkit includes introductions, templates, examples, scripts, meeting agendas, and stakeholder matrices for team formation, topic group facilitation, scanning, and question refinement with literature review tracking. It supports participatory evaluation by offering instruments and questionnaires, helping teams organize activities, document decisions, and prioritize research questions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

SEED Method

I. Introduction to SEED Method and Toolkit

II. Community Research Team

a. Introduction/instructions

b. Templates

c. Examples

III. Topic Group

a. Introduction/instructions

b. Templates

c. Examples

IV. SCAN

a. Introduction/instructions

b. Templates

c. Examples

V. Question Refinement/Literature Review

a. Introduction/instructions – Guide for SEED Method Step 6

b. Templates

c. Examples

Evaluation Module

I. Introduction/instructions

II. Evaluation matrix and constructs

III. Instruments and Questionnaires

SEED Method Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagement in Question Development and Prioritization Emily Zimmerman, PhD Sarah Cook, MPH August 2017 Acknowledgements Carlin Rafie, Sarah Kye Price, Dawn Moser, Amber Haley, Albert Walker, Chanel Bea, Chimere Miles, and Steven Woolf provided important contributions to the materials in this Toolkit. Dr. Rafie and Ms. Moser led the demonstration in Martinsville, VA and provided valuable feedback on SEED processes and tools. Dr. Price helped develop evaluation instruments and provided expertise in participatory evaluation. Ms. Haley and Mr. Walker lead the first SEED demonstration in Richmond, VA and provided feedback on the methodology and tools. Dr. Woolf provided project guidance throughout. Ms. Bea and Ms. Miles were a part of the SEED evaluation committee. We’d like to thank Ms. Sarah Blackburn and Ms. Cassandra Ellison for their graphic design work, and extend our deepest gratitude to the community-based participatory research teams Engaging Richmond and Engaging Martinsville for their efforts in leading the two demonstrations. Funding Research reported in this Toolkit was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award (\#1310-07664) in the Improving Methods for Conducting PatientCentered Outcomes Research program. The statements presented in this work are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), its Board of Governors, or Methodology Committee. Copyright The SEED Method Toolkit is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). The toolkit was authored by Emily Zimmerman and Sarah Cook of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health. A suggested citation for this work is as follows: Zimmerman EB, Cook SK. The SEED Method Toolkit for Stakeholder Engagement in Question Development and Prioritization. Richmond (VA): Virginia Commonwealth University, Center on Society and Health; 2017. Available from: [https://societyhealth.vcu.edu/work/the](https://societyhealth.vcu.edu/work/the)projects/the-seed-method-for-stakeholder-engagement.html Toolkit Assistance and Contact Information Please direct questions [to Emily Zimmerman at emily.zimmerman@vcuhealth.org](to Emily Zimmerman at emily.zimmerman@vcuhealth.org). SEED Method Toolkit – Table of Contents SEED Method I. Introduction to SEED Method and Toolkit II. Community Research Team a. Introduction/instructions b. Templates 􀁸 Timeline (excel) 􀁸 Trainings (all): Focus Group facilitation, Conducting Key Informant Interview, and Notetaking (ppt) 􀁸 Meeting materials: 􀁸 Research team project overview, Research team agenda items, Research team meeting agenda template 􀁸 Research Team kickoff presentation template, Roadmap template 􀁸 Research Team activities: 􀁸 Informational interview script template, Informational interview sign‐up sheet, Stakeholder matrix facilitation guide template, Topic group planning templates 􀁸 Stakeholder Matrices ‐ Matrix 1, 2, 3 templates (excel) c. Examples 􀁸 SEED one page summary, Timeline example, Research Team kickoff presentation example, Topic group planning examples, Stakeholder Matrix 3 example, Selected meeting agendas and materials (including: Health demographics handout, Diabetes/hypertension information sheet, and Local health resources handout) III. Topic Group a. Introduction/instructions b. Templates 􀁸 Meeting Materials: 􀁸 Stakeholder participant overview, List of agenda items, Topic group full schedule template, Topic group meeting agenda template 􀁸 Topic Group Facilitated Activities: 􀁸 Topic Group Facilitation Scripts 􀁸 Facilitated activity objectives 􀁸 Facilitated Activity Script – Conceptual Model Training 􀁸 Facilitated Activity \#1 Script – Building Conceptual Models i. Brainstorming factors worksheet ii. Domain worksheet 􀁸

FAQs

What does the SEED Method Toolkit help stakeholders do?

It supports stakeholder engagement in developing and prioritizing research questions through structured processes, templates, and examples across multiple SEED steps.

Which materials are provided for community research teams and topic groups?

The toolkit includes community research team introductions, templates, examples, topic group facilitation scripts, meeting agendas, and other planning materials to guide hands-on activities.

How does the toolkit support question refinement after scanning?

It provides guidance and templates for question refinement and literature review tracking, including materials aligned to SEED Method Step 6.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Rowan