It is vital that surveys are well managed for results to be reliable and meaningful. Poorly managed surveys can result in falsified, lost or incomplete data. Good management requires time to plan and think about all those involved in the process of the survey: the respondents, interviewers, supervisors, coders and the wider community. This paper draws on our experience of running a randomized household survey in three locations in the rural area of Makueni district, Eastern Kenya. The paper outlines the various strategies used to: gain access to the local community; recruit and train interviewers; supervise; plan day to day activities; and manage data.