I was recently asked to put together a checklist for Principal Investigators of team projects (especially remote teams) who plan on deploying an NVivo database for their project. I’ve posted it here as it may assist qualitative researchers in thinking through all the pros and cons whilst planning their team projects:

Research Design – Team Project

Data Collection:

1. Identify coding sources – audio, field notes, transcripts, diaries, demographics or quantitative sources
2. Make decision re- formatting topic guide for auto-coding

Database Design & Implementation

1.  Import sources
2. Set-up Case nodes
3. Link to profiling/demographics tables
4. Set up NVivo user accounts
5. Set up shared folder
6.  Identify coders
7.  Identify database administrator
8.  Design coding strategy/framework
9.  Complete Inter-rater reliability testing.
10.  Agree/write database protocols and link as NVivo memos (systems and procedures for backups, node introduction, naming conventions, merging/importing remote databases, stages of coding, internal communications such as integrating field notes and observations and messages from supervisory team)
11. Create and maintain a project journal
12.  Write up the data analysis methods (demonstrate rigour)

Data Analysis & Reporting

1.  Whole team review/audit coding after each phase of coding
2.  Review and test findings via queries and reports
3.  Produce appendices/database outputs in support of findings

Assumptions* Team members have had at least some basic training on the use of NVivo or similar computer aided qualitative data analysis systems.