Follow the activity from arrival to reception
Define the delivery being studied. Parcel rounds, food deliveries, servicing and bulky goods do not necessarily use the same vehicles or follow the same sequence. Draw the route from the stopping place to the entrance, including crossings, lifts, access controls and the handover. Ask the people carrying out the work where that sequence becomes uncertain or difficult.
The boundary of a curb study matters. A vehicle count alone cannot describe whether a receiving point was open or whether goods had to be moved across a difficult route. Keep the relation between the public street and the private destination visible. Where information is unavailable, state the gap rather than attributing every delay to a shortage of loading space.
Describe time, space and competing access
Record the observation period and the distinction between stopping, loading and waiting. Identify the rules that apply to the place and what the observation can establish about compliance. Where categories are uncertain, keep that uncertainty in the analysis. An observed vehicle is not, by itself, a complete account of the delivery task.
Examine the experience of other people at the same location: a clear walking route, a crossing, a cycle lane or an accessible entrance may need protection while loading takes place. Consider both the normal operating pattern and the moments of overlap. The question is how an arrangement works for the people sharing the place, not simply whether one vehicle can fit.
Make options specific enough to evaluate
A loading place, a delivery window, a receiving arrangement or a different vehicle can be considered as part of an option. Describe what would change in the actual delivery sequence, which actor would need to participate and which conditions would have to hold. A vehicle technology or a booking tool should not be treated as a substitute for a defined problem.
Before a pilot, agree what would be observed and what would count as an unintended effect. Include the receiving organisation, workers and the people who use the adjacent street. The research collections and practitioner materials below support further investigation; their findings must be read in the context of the specific study or guidance, not converted into an unqualified promise of improvement.