case study templates

case study templates

The Importance of Case Study Templates

1. Introduction

A case study is a good way to thoroughly investigate research since it provides an explanation of complex events and gives the readers data to evaluate. This method is particularly useful if you are trying to test a theory to a set of circumstances, and it is widely utilized in the field of psychology. Case studies are also useful for explanatory research, which is research that you do when you want to know why something happens. A case study can enable you to explain and explore complex behaviors or incidents. An example of a psychological case study would be if we did a case study on the how and why the Tsunami happened by interviewing various eyewitnesses and onlookers.

Without an understanding of the basic concepts, a case study is not an investigation of a legal case but the case of an issue or problem in real life. Its nature is an in-depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey. The essence of a case study is to identify what is happening and why. It is useful in answering cause and effect problems and can be done quite easily if the researcher keeps in mind the proposition on how to analyze a given case in the simplest possible way to understand what is happening and why.

2. Benefits of Using Case Study Templates

First and foremost, the use of case study templates is beneficial because they make it easier for a novice – and indeed anyone who is unfamiliar with what they are doing – to do the task at hand. Case study templates provide a kind of schema, which is helpful for a reader in understanding how to get from point A to point B. Using a template, one is able to see how each step is broken down, and how it ultimately leads to the conclusion. It is much easier to follow a well constructed path than it is to try and blaze a trail on your own, and templates provide just that. Another benefit of case study templates is that they provide a framework or system for organizing information. When conducting a case study, it is far too easy to get lost in large amounts of information and lose track of what you were looking for in the first place. Templates provide guidance on how to keep information focused and within the scope of the study. Completing an actual template for a study can keep researchers on track, and can make it much easier to organize and present information later. Finally, case study templates provide a safety net of sorts. For example, let us say that a management consulting firm is preparing a case study for presentation to a client. If the firm prepares the case study based on the client’s needs and expectations, the firm’s work may not meet professional academic standards. In this case, the firm could use a template that corresponds to academic case studies, which would still allow them to be successful in the client case study by making modifications to the professional template. So, if you are planning to do a case study, there are many reasons to consider using a case study template to make the process easier, more organized, and ultimately more successful.

3. How to Create an Effective Case Study Template

At this point you will be prepared to develop the template itself.

A field can best be defined as a specific content area of a case, such as “Background data,” “Problem,” “Stakeholders,” and “References”. A card will best be defined as a sub-field of a field. An example in the “background data” field is a field on the patient’s socioeconomic status, and its corresponding cards may be “Education Level,” “Occupation,” and “Income.” This is a concept from the case-centered qualitative data analysis handbook by Gary King.

After the introduction is finished, you will write the case in a document, and then consider what you want the template to include. If you already have a pre-written case, you may need to revise it for clarity and succinctness. It will generally be useful to create an outline of the case, and then start a new document with the outline in a bulleted format with as little detail as necessary. Each bullet of the outline will represent a field in the case that will in turn result in a “card” in your NVivo case field. This is important preparation for converting the case to a web-based form. The case and the template will be too large if you do not keep it succinct.

Then move to introduction/index: the introduction should not exceed one page and it will introduce the problem and the stakeholders, and summarily state the findings and conclusions. It is generally written after the case study is completed, since by then, you will know precisely what the case contains. The introduction should include a one sentence problem-oriented description of the case followed by a sentence describing what you are aiming to accomplish in the case. A bulleted list of findings/conclusions should follow.

Next, consider an author byline: Who will write the case? This will help you identify who your stakeholders are, and what the relevant background data may be.

Start with a title: You need to decide on a title that accurately encompasses the problem that the case study addresses. Make the title simple, easy to understand, and with the appropriate level of specificity. A title that is too technical will put readers off. An example of a bad title of a problem-oriented case study is “The ADHD Syndrome.” An example of a better title is “How Can John’s Father Advocate for ADHD Services in a Rural Elementary School?” This title is problem-oriented, specific, and easy to understand.

4. Examples of Successful Case Study Templates

The TiMe template is divided into 13 sections, each providing a clear step in the case analysis. These are: 1. Title 2. Pre-amble 3. The case 4. Questions 5. Background 6. Key evidence 7. Case resolution 8. Clinical scenario 9. Clinical bottom line 10. References 11. Acknowledgements 12. Decision log 13. Contact details. The divisions in this case study are clear and provide an efficient means of conveying information. This guide is essential for the facilitation of learning and teaching of evidence-based healthcare decisions.

Examples of successful case study templates have mirrored the primary elements and sections of typical case studies found in published sources. The following are good examples of perspective case study templates: Text Analysis of Patient X (TiMe) which is on the website of the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and Teaching in Practice: ‘Case Analysis’ by Harvard Business School. The TiMe template and guide was developed by G. Dooley for the teaching of evidence-based health care decisions. It allows a comprehensive investigation of patient management. This template is being used throughout the International Cochrane Collaboration.

5. Conclusion

The case study scrutinized the effects of a new technology with respect to automating processes. This provided critical qualitative feedback about the nature of technology and its comparative impact on businesses. Often today businesses find themselves in situations not dissimilar to the case study business, where a technology has great potential to reduce costs or improve capabilities, yet the short-term impact of the change is a less cash flow and less resources to respective scope.

The purpose of this case study has been to provide a detailed analysis of the effects and improvements that can be implemented in a business proposal that will enable consideration of the implementation of new technology. The primary learning outcome from this case study is the understanding of how increased competition in a global marketplace is continually pressuring businesses to change the way they do business. This emerging trend is a result of market saturation in a new technology which leads to much lower costs of implementation. The concerns businesses face with these decisions often revolve around the possible negative impacts it may bring to the business, and how changes can be made which bring a positive impact.