Experiments within Concept Development – Guidance for Planning and Implementation
Publish date: 2026-03-31
Report number: FOI-R--5874--SE
Pages: 95
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- concept development
- experiments
Abstract
Concept development aims to bridge identified capability gaps or deficiencies, create solutions that are more effective than current ones, and explore potential future solutions. Within the scope of concept development, experiments may need to be conducted to test what works and what does not within the concept under development. The purpose of this report is to facilitate the planning and implementation of experiments, which in this context are defined as a systematically conducted practical investigation carried out in order to obtain further knowledge or to test how well or how effective an idea, method, or hypothesis is. Experiments conducted within the framework of concept development are classified into three main types: (1) exploratory, (2) hypothesis-testing, and (3) validating. Exploratory experiments are particularly useful in the early phases of concept development, hypothesis-testing experiments in the middle phase, and validating experiments in the final phase. The proposed methodology for planning and conducting experiments involves six sequential steps: (1) developing the research questions for the experiment, (2) experiment planning, (3) testing the experiment plan, (4) preparations, (5) conducting the experiment, and (6) analysing the results. In parallel with these steps, a progress planning process is implemented, aimed at addressing practical issues and ensuring that the planning and execution of the experiment proceed as intended. The progress planning process also addresses critical aspects such as risk management, security assessments, adherence to good research practices, management of any personal data, and ethical issues related to the experiment.