There is a huge amount of data and research about public engagement out there already. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Organisations and institutions like third sector organisations and local authorities may have data to draw on. You can cause frustration if you do engagement processes that civil society organisations have already done. You can cause engagement fatigue if you ask members of the public questions they’ve already answered. Duplicating isn’t only a waste of time, but it can make you seem uninformed.
You can use previous engagement data to work out where the gaps are and what you need to know. This doesn’t mean you can’t build on previous engagement processes. You may want to dig deeper into an issue coming out of a previous engagement process, springboard from a specific recommendation or outcome, or use a broader piece of engagement to target outreach different groups (like specific minoritised groups). You can also take inspiration from other examples nationally and globally too.