STATISTICAL METHOD
Framework Analysis for Qualitative Research
Consulting for Case by Theme Matrices
We apply framework analysis in qualitative research through a working framework agreed by the team, indexed transcripts and a case by theme matrix, with every summary linked to its coded source text and the framework revised when the data do not fit.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Fixed Project Fee
Same-Day Response
METHOD OVERVIEW
What Is Framework Analysis?
Framework analysis is a qualitative method for organizing and comparing data across cases and themes, using a matrix in which each row is a case, usually a participant, and each column is a theme. It proceeds in stages, commonly five (familiarization, a thematic framework, indexing, charting, and mapping and interpretation) or seven in a later formulation, and the working framework may start from the data, from prior theory or from both. Its strength is transparency, because matrix summaries stay linked to the coded source text. It is widely used in applied and policy research, often by teams. OnlineSPSS, a specialist statistical consultancy for academic, clinical and professional research, provides framework analysis support for qualitative research, from framework development to a traceable matrix and its interpretation.
WHEN TO ENGAGE
When Is Framework Analysis Appropriate?
Framework analysis fits applied questions that compare cases across shared topics, and these are the situations in which researchers most often ask us to build or confirm the matrix.
Policy or Program Evaluation Aims The study answers questions set in advance by a commissioner or a program logic, and the findings must be reported against each question within a fixed timeline.
Team Needing a Shared Framework Several analysts work on the same interviews and need one agreed structure for coding and summarizing, so that their work can be combined and checked.
Case by Theme Comparison Needed The question compares participants or sites on the same topics, so a matrix of cases by themes is built without losing each case's context.
Reviewing a Completed Analysis A framework analysis is complete, and a funder has questioned the matrix. Independent Statistical Review follows the matrix back to the source text.
ANALYTICAL APPROACH
How We Apply Framework Analysis
Within the family of Qualitative & Mixed Methods, framework analysis is chosen when cases must be compared across a shared structure.
Stages and Working Framework The stages run from familiarization to a working analytical framework built from the data, prior theory or both, and agreed by the team before the transcripts are indexed.
Indexing and Charting Rules Transcripts are indexed against the framework, then charted into a case by theme matrix. Each cell summarizes in the analyst's words and points to the coded source text.
Preserving Case Context Over-compressed cells strip meaning from accounts, so summaries keep the case's circumstances and short quotations. Participants stay visible as cases, not only as theme columns.
Revision and Audit Trail The framework is revised when the data do not fit it, and each change is dated. Every matrix summary can be followed to the coded excerpts, so the analysis is auditable.
DELIVERABLES
What You Receive
As part of our Qualitative & Mixed Methods Analysis service, the matrix comes with the framework, source links and files needed to report and defend it.
Data & Variable Review Transcripts are checked and de-identified, case attributes such as site or role are recorded, and every transcript is assigned to a case before indexing begins.
Method-Specific Checks The working framework is tested on a subset of transcripts by more than one analyst, overlapping or ill-fitting categories are revised, and each change is recorded.
Statistical Results The final analytical framework with definitions, the indexed transcripts, and the case by theme matrix with cell summaries that reference the coded source text.
Publication-Ready Tables & Figures A framework table, an anonymized extract of the matrix and selected quotations by theme, formatted to SRQR or COREQ and the journal's requirements.
Interpretation Patterns within and across cases are mapped and interpreted against the research question, with contrasts, negative cases and the limits of the sample stated plainly.
Reproducible Analysis Files The coded NVivo, MAXQDA or ATLAS.ti project and the matrix are provided with source references, so every summary can be traced and updated as data are added.
ALTERNATIVE METHODS
When Another Method May Be More Appropriate
We choose the method by the research question and the structure it needs. A matrix suits cross-case comparison, and these methods fit other aims.
01
Thematic Analysis
When one analyst develops themes reflexively across the dataset and comparing individual cases is not the aim, thematic analysis fits better than a case by theme matrix.
02
Grounded Theory
When later interviews must be chosen to develop an emerging explanation of a process, grounded theory fits better, since a matrix organizes data already collected.
03
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
When a few participants are studied in depth for how each makes sense of an experience, IPA keeps each case whole, where a matrix compares cases across common themes.
04
Mixed Methods Research
When interviews sit beside outcome or survey measures for the same cases, a mixed methods design decides in advance where they meet, often in a joint display by case.
CASE EXAMPLE
How We Work in Practice
An illustration of how a working framework moves from a protocol to a matrix that can be audited and interpreted.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · COMMUNITY FOUNDATION EVALUATION · UNITED STATES
A community foundation's evaluation team interviewed staff at funded programs and needed to compare how each site implemented the same strategy across common topics.
The protocol, set before coding began, specified framework analysis with a working framework drawn from the foundation’s logic model and open to revision, and three analysts who first coded a few transcripts together to agree it. The first matrix held one-line judgments, such as a rating of partnership strength, which hid why sites differed. We rebuilt the cells as short summaries in the analyst’s words, each with a quotation and a transcript reference, and added a context column for site characteristics. One topic had no place in the logic model, so a category was added and dated in the framework log.
Outcome: The team received the final framework with definitions, the case by theme matrix with source references, a cross-case summary for the team's interpretation, and the coded project file.
This example does not describe a real client or project. We never share details of actual client work, in line with the confidentiality we promise every researcher. This illustrative example is included to show the type, scope, and standard of work involved in this kind of analysis.
SOFTWARE
Software for Coding and Matrix Building
Coding and the matrix are built in qualitative software, while IBM SPSS is used only where a survey strand or case attributes sit alongside it.
RESEARCH DISCIPLINES
Framework Analysis Across Research Fields
Framework analysis is common in applied research, and each field brings its own cases, framework sources and reporting conventions.
A Defined Process for Your Analysis
We review your transcripts, research question and starting framework before any work begins, so the scope, deliverables, timeline and fixed project fee are clear from the outset.
01
Share Your Research Materials
Send your dataset, research question, study design and any existing analysis plan or output. We will let you know if anything else is needed to assess the project.
02
Receive Your Assessment
Your statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the project and confirms the required analysis, deliverables, timeline and fixed project price before work begins.
03
Analysis & Delivery
Once you confirm the scope, an in-house statistician completes the agreed analysis and delivers the outputs, interpretation and reporting files.
RESEARCHER VOICE
What Researchers Say
Feedback from a researcher who needed the framework matrix traceable to individual cases and source extracts.
“Our dataset looked straightforward until we got into Framework Analysis and realized how to keep the framework matrix traceable back to individual cases and source extracts. The team sorted out the analytical setup and gave us a clear explanation of what could and could not be concluded. The final output was concise, clearly interpreted, and ready to use in our research reporting.”
RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITY
Statistical Support Without Taking Over Your Research
We provide the methodological support for your framework analysis, while the framework, its interpretation and the authorship stay entirely with you.
Agreed Statistical Support We provide the agreed methodological, analytical and reporting support for your framework analysis, within the scope confirmed before work begins.
No Intellectual Contribution OnlineSPSS claims no intellectual contribution to your research. Our work is methodological support, and authorship remains yours.
Your Research Decisions The research question, the final framework, the cross-case interpretation and the conclusions remain with you, and our work stays within what the matrix and the source text support.
Confidential Handling Case files and project details are handled confidentially and are not published. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions About Framework Analysis
Short answers to what researchers ask before a framework analysis, from choosing the method and building the matrix to confidentiality and process.
Framework analysis or thematic analysis for my study?
Framework analysis suits a team working to set questions that compares cases across the same themes. Its matrix makes each step visible and auditable. Thematic analysis, especially in its reflexive form, suits an analyst building themes without a prior structure. Framework analysis is flexible about epistemology, so it can serve inductive or deductive work, and the choice follows the question and the team.
Must the analytical framework be set in advance?
No, a working framework can be built from the data, from prior theory or from both, and a deductive start is expected to change. The risk is forcing data into the initial categories, so we keep room for new ones, date each change and report how the final framework differs from the starting version.
How do I stop the matrix from losing case context?
Cells should summarize in the analyst’s own words, keep short quotations where the wording matters, identify the case and reference the transcript location. One-word or rating-style cells strip meaning from accounts and cannot be audited. A context column and fuller summaries for central cases let readers judge each interpretation.
Can you review an analysis that has already been completed?
Yes, we can review a completed framework analysis before submission, a funder report or a response to reviewers. We check how the framework was built and revised, whether cell summaries still link to the source text, and whether the cross-case interpretation matches the matrix, then advise on any gaps.
How do you protect my dataset and research confidentiality?
Transcripts, case attributes, matrices, framework versions and project files are handled confidentially, and project information is not published. An NDA is available where required and can be arranged before sensitive materials are shared. Read more about confidentiality and data security.
What happens when I request an assessment, and how long does it take?
You share your research question, design and relevant materials, and a statistically trained Research Coordinator reviews the request and responds the same day. The analysis, deliverables, timeline and one fixed project fee are then confirmed before any work begins, so the timeline follows from the agreed scope.
Still have a question? Find more answers in our full FAQ.
NEXT STEP
Need Support With a
Framework Analysis?
Share your research question, transcripts and any starting framework. We assess whether framework analysis fits and confirm the scope before any work begins.
No Commitment Required
Strictly Confidential
Fixed Project Fee
In-House PhD-Level Statisticians
Same-Day Response
Serving Researchers Since 2014