Choose the framework before fieldwork when you can. If a pattern surprises you later, a relevant framework may still help you make sense of it during analysis.
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Start with hypotheses.
A framework lets you form hypotheses before fieldwork. Use them to decide whom to interview, what to probe, and what evidence would challenge the explanation.
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Give the moderator something to listen for.
Frameworks help moderators judge which observations warrant deeper questions and which are less relevant to the study.
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Use the framework to sort the patterns.
A framework structures the analysis so you recognize valuable patterns that might otherwise slip past. The study evidence still determines whether the apparent pattern holds.
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Leave a trail another study can test.
Write down which observations support the framework and which do not. A later study can test the same explanation without reconstructing the team's reasoning.
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Add explanatory power.
Use the framework to explain why several observations belong together. It should also expose what the current fieldwork cannot establish and which question comes next.
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Follow the framework back to its sources.
A framework connects your study to an established body of resources and research, giving the team sources to consult when it needs to investigate the behavior further.