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Launching a study is the point at which design decisions become operational commitments. By this stage, the objectives, audience, discussion guide, cost, and timeline should all be clear enough for the project to move into fieldwork without further structural change. The purpose of launch is confirmation rather than configuration: confirming that the study you intend to run is coherent, feasible, and appropriately governed.

What launch confirms

  • The discussion guide is approved and ready for use.
  • Audience and screening logic are finalised.
  • Cost and timeline expectations are understood and accepted.
  • All stakeholders have reviewed and approved the approach.

What happens at launch

Once live:
  • The discussion guide becomes the source of truth for interviews.
  • Audience and screening logic are locked.
  • Cost and timeline expectations are fixed.
  • Interviews can begin immediately (for panel studies) or when participants are available (for own-audience studies).
Launch confirmation is a required checkpoint — it’s the point at which spend is committed. If scope needs to change after this, return to the relevant artefact stage (brief, guide, or audience) and proceed again through review.