Case Study / Grounded Theory Research Roadmap Template

Qualitative research roadmap: research design, data collection from interviews, observation and documents, three-stage coding, theory building. For case study and grounded theory theses; free PNG, Word and PowerPoint export.

Theory building

Saturation check
collect more data if not saturated

Build the theoretical model

Propositions and discussion

Data analysis

Open coding

Axial coding

Selective coding

Data collection

Semi-structured interviews

Triangulation

Participant observation

Documents and secondary data

Research design

Research question

Theoretical lens and framework

Case selection and theoretical sampling

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When to use it

Case study and grounded theory theses in management, sociology, education and public policy. The data collection phase shows interviews, observation and documents side by side (triangulation), the analysis phase shows open, axial and selective coding, and the saturation check notes "collect more data if not saturated", which is the main difference from an empirical roadmap.

Making it yours

  • Interviews only: delete nodes E and F. For a multiple-case study, rename the nodes in C2 to "Case 1", "Case 2", "Case 3".
  • Name your coding software: G[Open coding<br/>NVivo 14].
  • For a longitudinal single case, organise the analysis by period, such as "Start-up", "Growth", "Transformation".
  • The three sources merge into "Triangulation"; with a single source, delete that node too and go straight to analysis.
  • Switch to a light theme before exporting if the thesis is printed in black and white.

Mermaid code

flowchart TB
    subgraph C1[Research design]
        direction LR
        A[Research question] --> B[Theoretical lens and framework] --> C[Case selection and theoretical sampling]
    end
    subgraph C2[Data collection]
        direction LR
        D[Semi-structured interviews]
        E[Participant observation]
        F[Documents and secondary data]
        D --> T[Triangulation]
        E --> T
        F --> T
    end
    subgraph C3[Data analysis]
        direction LR
        G[Open coding] --> H[Axial coding] --> I[Selective coding]
    end
    subgraph C4[Theory building]
        direction LR
        J[Saturation check<br/>collect more data if not saturated] --> K[Build the theoretical model] --> L[Propositions and discussion]
    end
    C1 --> C2 --> C3 --> C4

Ask an AI for one with this structure

Send the prompt below to ChatGPT or Claude, then paste the whole reply into the editor; the code inside is detected automatically.

Draw a qualitative research roadmap (grounded theory / case study) in Mermaid flowchart TB syntax for the topic [your topic]. Use four subgraph phases with direction LR inside each: Research design (research question → theoretical lens → case selection and theoretical sampling), Data collection (semi-structured interviews, participant observation and documents side by side), Data analysis (open coding → axial coding → selective coding), Theory building (saturation check, noting "collect more data if not saturated" → theoretical model → propositions and discussion). Connect the three sources to a "Triangulation" node. Connect phases by their subgraph ids and do not draw arrows back across phases. Output only the mermaid code block.

FAQ

How is a qualitative roadmap different from an empirical one?

Empirical research runs in a straight line: hypotheses, data, tests. Qualitative research builds theory from the data, and collection and analysis repeat until the theory is saturated. Noting "collect more data if not saturated" in the saturation check shows reviewers that you follow that logic.

Should the coding stages list the actual categories?

Not in the roadmap. Initial concepts, categories and the core category belong in a coding table or a separate category diagram; the roadmap only shows which coding stages you used.

Why is there no arrow back to data collection?

An arrow back across phases makes Mermaid reorder the phases to route it. The note in the saturation check carries the idea, and you can explain the iteration in the defence; if you need the arc, export SVG and add it in Word or PowerPoint.

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Updated 2026-10-03