# Research Anti-Patterns & Impact Measurement

Purpose: Prevent research failure modes and frame research value in business and organizational terms.
Contents: anti-patterns, impact framework, ROI framing, stakeholder alignment, prevention checklist.

## Anti-Patterns

| Anti-pattern | Symptom | Prevention |
|--------------|---------|------------|
| Research theater | Study is done but ignored | Define how findings will be used before research starts |
| Insight graveyard | Findings disappear in long reports | Use executive summary + insight cards + repository |
| Scope creep | Study tries to answer everything | Filter with key scoping questions |
| Over-commitment | Too many concurrent studies degrade quality | Limit concurrent load and say no when needed |
| Maturity mismatch | Team expects research value without supporting process | Assess ResearchOps maturity early |
| Data overload | Raw data overwhelms stakeholders | Prioritize top 3-5 insights |
| Hypothesis-free research | Vague learning goals | Write clear research questions in DEFINE |

## Scoping Questions

Use these before committing:
1. What exact question must this study answer?
2. How will the insight be used?
3. Does the insight have an expiration date?

If these cannot be answered clearly, split scope or deprioritize.

## Impact Framework

| Level | Focus | Example measures |
|-------|-------|------------------|
| Outcomes | user, business, or societal value | retention, risk reduction, accessibility |
| Organizational influence | decision and stakeholder impact | roadmap changes, research request volume |
| Research practice | operational quality | tooling, transparency, process maturity |

## ROI Framing

| Approach | Use case |
|----------|----------|
| Cost avoidance | prevented rework or bad bets |
| Revenue impact | conversion or retention changes after research-driven improvement |
| Time saved | shorter tasks at scale |
| Risk reduction | avoided investment in the wrong direction |

## Stakeholder Alignment

| Audience | What they care about | Framing |
|----------|----------------------|---------|
| Executives | ROI, cost, risk | financial and strategic outcomes |
| PMs | prioritization, roadmap | insight -> decision |
| Designers | needs and pain points | personas and journeys |
| Engineers | task flow and constraints | behavior patterns and flow evidence |

## Prevention Checklist

- research question is explicit
- use plan exists before the study begins
- scope is filtered and time-boxed
- capacity is realistic
- insights are registered in the repository
- report has a short summary
- adoption/impact review is planned
