You have two options in this area

The first is to look for previously used measurements or scales for the same variables as your search

The second option is to be aware and knew well of the variables of your search. and design the questionnaire by yourself, but you must test it before it is approved in the research regarding it's validity and reliability 

Questionnaire should be more objective and cover most of attributes to be analysed.

Dear

To design appropriate a questionnaire you need to take the following:

1. Be sure that past research do not include questionnaire suitable for your study goals. 

2. Determine the main elements of your variable (dimensions).  

3. Build a items bundle for each dimension from past research or through conducting interview with related people. 

4. Collect data for your new questionnaire. 

5. Analyze your data by using the following tools in order to test Reliability and Validity:

-. Cronbach Alpha 

-. Exploratory factor analysis

-. Confirmatory factor analysis

two significant things: Reliability and Validity. 

Since you say you want to measure an effect, this will be made easier if you can manipulate the variables and randomly allocated them into conditions. This can be done in lots of surveys, but for some research questions it will be more difficult. I think readers will want more information about what cause-effect relationships you wish to investigate. Different methods are often needed to measure effects (of causes) than associations.  

Thanks all for your contribution thus far. However I am not seeking to design a questionnaire, but rather to design an aspect of the questionnaire that will tell the effect of some variables (say environmental and social variables) on a particular condition (say project delivery to schedule). And what will be the best approach or tool to measure same. Thanks.

In my research, am trying to track the effect of training on staff productivity and competitiveness in an accounting firm. I get the indicators of training (prior qualifications, number of training days and cost of training) and map them to responses on staff deployment ratio, charge-out rate (a higher rate implies a more competent staff) etc. Am yet to collect the data and test emprically, but the the hypothesis is that more training has positive relationship with performance and vice versa. In an accounting firm, less trained staff are not preferred because of tight deadlines and supervisors may not have any time to train.

Ok. Thanks Albert your contribution. I look forward to the method u will use in analysing your data. Hopefully that will give me a clearer direction.

If you are just starting out with a research question you may find my workbook for those completing their first thesis with surveys/qualitative-quantitative methods instructive: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2407141

Also, you need to find a reference text in your field of study with instructions on how to design a good questionnaire, with clear constructs, informative and well constructed questions and matching scales. For example, Alan Bryman 'Social Research Methods', by Oxford University Press is an excellent starting point.

Thanks Michelle for your contribution 

This is the best resource I've found on writing questionnaires. Journals are getting more and more strict on quality of questionnaires. If you follow it exactly, you'll have a reasonable shot of publication. 

Artino AR, La Rochelle JS, Dezee KJ, Gehlbach H. Developing questionnaires for educational research: AMEE Guide No. 87. 2014;(36):463–74.

Thanks Andrew, will check out the