Rolling Research
Continuous discovery, not one-off studies.
What It Is
A research program that runs continuously rather than project-by-project. Instead of commissioning a study every time a question comes up, you maintain ongoing relationships with participants and feed insights into a central repository. The result is faster answers and deeper understanding over time.
The Two-Track Model
Track 1: Stakeholder — understanding and serving the decision-making needs of product managers and leadership. What decisions are coming up, what evidence would help, what format works best. Track 2: Discovery — generating primary evidence through fieldwork with actual users. The two tracks feed each other: stakeholder needs shape discovery priorities, and discovery findings inform stakeholder decisions.
Passive vs. Active Lines
Passive research lines run in the background with minimal dedicated time — market research, competitive intelligence, industry news, academic literature. About 4 hours per week. Active research lines require scheduled time and participant engagement — generative interviews, evaluative testing, quantitative validation. About 26 hours per week. Both feed the same repository.
What It Produces
A steady stream of insights rather than periodic reports. Faster response to ad-hoc questions because context already exists. And institutional memory that survives personnel changes — because the knowledge lives in the repository, not in one researcher's head.