---
title: The Q2 Grid — research-plan template
series: Objektive Working Paper No. 4 · ScaleQ2 · 2026 edition
source: https://scaleq2.com/grid
cite: Objektive Working Papers (2026). ScaleQ2: Quantitative × Qualitative. Working Paper No. 4, 2026 edition. https://scaleq2.com
license: Free to use and adapt with attribution.
---

# The Q2 Grid — research-plan template

(Quantitative × Qualitative) = Iⁿ. Quantitative research proves. Qualitative research brings to life. Every source gets a Quantitative read and a Qualitative read; there is no quant-only or qual-only source, only sources read with one eye.

How to use this template: (1) fill the Quant plan and Qual plan columns for the project; leave a row blank if it is not relevant; (2) count the cells you need to compare; (3) size each cell with the tables below; (4) run the five tests on every insight before it leaves the room.

Project: ____________________  Phase: Assessment / Strategy / Execution  Date: ________

## 1. The grid — nineteen sources, two reads each

Pass: **I** Build (insight) · **M** Prove (measurement) · **B** both. Lens: the Assessment lenses the source feeds (1 Market and competitive · 2 Regulatory and political · 3 Financial community · 4 Leadership change · 5 Stakeholder expectations · 6 Information environment · 7 Internal baseline).

### Asked — you put questions to people

| Source | Quant read | Qual read | What AI scales | Pass | Lens | Quant plan | Qual plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survey | Frequencies, scales, cell comparisons | Open-ends | Open-end coding at n=150+ | B | 5, 7 | | |
| Interview | Theme frequency per cell | Meaning, verbatims | AI-moderated, 30–50 per cell | I | 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 | | |
| Focus group | In-room concept scores | Group language, dynamics | Transcript synthesis; moderation stays human | I | 5 | | |
| Message / concept test | Preference, credibility ratings | Why it lands, or feels defensive | Variant volume | B | 5 | | |
| Internal expert perspectives | Structured internal polls, Delphi rounds | SME interviews, institutional memory | Cross-interview synthesis | I | 4, 7 | | |

### Observed — you read the signals people and markets leave behind

| Source | Quant read | Qual read | What AI scales | Pass | Lens | Quant plan | Qual plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media monitoring | Volume, share of voice, sentiment | How the story is told, by whom | Full-corpus reading | B | 6 | | |
| Social listening | Volume, reach, sentiment | Actual language; the say-do gap | Thread and community reading | B | 1, 5, 6 | | |
| Search | Query volume, trends | What people are actually asking | Long-tail clustering | B | 1, 6 | | |
| LLM audit | Citation share, position | What models say, and cite | Multi-model, multi-prompt runs | B | 6 | | |
| Owned / web | Traffic, engagement | Paths, behaviour | Session synthesis | M | 6, 7 | | |
| Paid performance | Reach, CPM, conversion | Creative resonance by segment | Variant testing | M | 6 | | |
| Customer service | Contact volume, CSAT, resolution | Transcripts, complaint language | Every transcript read | B | 5 | | |
| Regulatory | Filings, comment counts, approval timelines | Comment content, decision language, testimony | Docket-scale reading | B | 2 | | |
| Financial performance | Results, share price, multiples vs peers | Earnings-call language, analyst questions | Transcript reading across peers and time | M | 3 | | |

### Assembled — you gather what already exists

| Source | Quant read | Qual read | What AI scales | Pass | Lens | Quant plan | Qual plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary / literature | Published data | Prior findings, gaps | Rapid review | I | Any | | |
| Syndicated trackers | Benchmarks | Category narrative | Cross-study reconciliation | M | 5, 7 | | |
| Expert analysis & ratings | Ratings, rankings, scores, awards | The reasoning in the reports | Cross-report synthesis | B | 1, 3 | | |
| Competitive / peer | Every row above, on peers | Their story vs yours | Same grid, run on peers | B | 1 | | |

Grid coverage = sources read ÷ sources relevant. Rows read: ____ of ____ relevant = ____.

## 2. Count the cells

Total = cells × per-cell minimum. Count the cells first.

| Segment / cell | Job (Discover · Understand · Compare · Quantify) | Qual per cell | Quant per cell |
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

## 3. Size each cell

Three jobs, sized per cell:

| Job | Claim | Qual per cell | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | "These are the things people say" | 9–12 | Code saturation |
| Understand | "This is why, and what it means" | ~24 | Meaning saturation |
| Compare | "Group A raises X more than B" | 30–50 | Emerging practitioner norm |
| Quantify | "38% raised X" | Approaches quant n | Content analysis; needs power |

Quant per cell: ~100 for a directional comparison; ~385 total for ±5 at 95%.

Margin of error at 95% confidence (approximate, 1/√n):

| n | ± at 50% |
|---|---|
| 100 | 10.0 |
| 200 | 7.1 |
| 400 | 5.0 |
| 500 | 4.5 |
| 1,000 | 3.1 |
| 2,000 | 2.2 |

Starter targets by population (ScaleQ2 defaults; adjust to the decision):

| Population | Starter n | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Market-wide / general population | 1,000 | ±3.1; the point where extra sample buys little |
| Single market, region or segment | 400–500 | ±4.5–5 |
| B2B decision-makers | 200 | ±7; the practical ceiling for a hard-to-reach professional universe |
| Niche stakeholders (policymakers, regulators, investors, analysts) | 25–50 (e.g. 35) | Treated as representative of a small universe; report as counts and themes, not percentages with a margin |
| Employees | ~10% of the population as a rule of thumb; coverage of every market, role and demographic matters more than the total | Response-rate benchmarks 65–85% |
| Any reported subgroup | 100 to compare; 25 to report at all | Comparison needs ±10 or better; 25 is the ScaleQ2 floor for anonymity and stability |

Two rules over the table. Coverage before count: a sample that misses a market, a role or a demographic is wrong at any n. Never report below n=25.

## 4. Score the insight — a and t

- **a — Actionability.** Surfaces it can direct ÷ surfaces available (audience, message, creative, Partnered, Organic, Earned, Targeted, partner, timing — nine in the canonical set). Gate: it must name an action, not only a truth. a = ____ / ____
- **t — Transferability.** Contexts it held in ÷ contexts tested (markets × audiences × time). Transfer can only be claimed over contexts actually tested. t = ____ / ____
- Tag: Capture (upside to take) / Protect (downside to prevent)

| | Low t | High t |
|---|---|---|
| **High a** | Narrow insight | **Scalable insight** |
| **Low a** | Observation | Platitude |

Observations and Platitudes are discarded in Assessment; only Narrow and Scalable insights proceed to Strategy.

## 5. The Q2I Standard — five tests

An insight is scalable when it passes all five. A checklist, not a score.

- [ ] 1. **Number** — quantified, with a known probability (Quantitative)
- [ ] 2. **Segment** — says who, specifically (Quantitative)
- [ ] 3. **Repeatable** — the instrument can run again (Quantitative)
- [ ] 4. **Voice** — carries the language it was found in (Qualitative)
- [ ] 5. **Source** — traceable to a receipt (Qualitative)

Three tests for confidence, two for meaning. Pass all five and the insight can leave the room.

## 6. What doesn't scale

Human moderation on contested or emotionally complex topics. Executive interviews. Ethnography. Anything where the interviewer is the instrument.

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Cite as: Objektive Working Papers (2026). ScaleQ2: Quantitative × Qualitative. Working Paper No. 4, 2026 edition. https://scaleq2.com
Part of the Objektive Working Papers series — https://objektive.io