What to change
Clarify the purpose of optional questions and remove contradictory instructions. Confirm with the receiving team what they can do when those answers are absent.
A worked example
Illustrative example
A preferred-practitioner field explains that the team can use a name to look for matching options, but can also discuss appointments when no preference is given. The form accepts both situations clearly.
Put it into practice
Ask your supplier to submit the form with every optional field empty. If it fails or produces a confusing error, the wording and behaviour disagree. Keep the questions that help the next conversation and remove those nobody uses.
Check that leaving the question blank does not produce a warning that sounds compulsory. The label, sending behaviour and receiving-team expectations should all agree about whether an answer is needed.
What to agree before publishing
Confirm the optional status with the receiving team before adjusting the label. Explain the benefit of answering where that helps, without suggesting that leaving it blank makes the enquiry unwelcome. Ask the supplier to complete the form with every optional field empty and show what reception receives. A later error or warning should not contradict the choice. Optional questions should serve a clear purpose when answered, rather than being added because the information might become useful at some unspecified future point.
How to check the result
Someone can make an informed choice about providing the information without feeling that optional secretly means required.
A mistake to avoid
Do not add optional labels while designing the response process around receiving every answer.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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