While focus groups are an excellent methodology to meet many research and evaluation objectives, there are times to use them and not to use them.

When to use focus groups

• To dive deeper into issues identified through a larger, quantitative study. Focus groups are helpful when the goal is to generate an explanation. If an issue or problem is identified in a quantitative study and you want additional information on why it is an issue or problem, a focus group offers an avenue to gather this information at an affordable cost.
• To pilot testing things, such as ideas, campaigns, surveys, or products. Focus groups can be used to get reactions to plans before big amounts of money are spent in implementation.
• To evaluate programs or products. Focus groups are useful in uncovering if programs and products are working and how they might be improved.

When to not use focus groups

• To make major decisions. While focus groups can provide a wealth of ideas and feedback on perceptions and opinions, qualitative data lacks statistical precision. Focus groups work well in line with a quantitative study, but they should not be used in place of a quantitative study when there is a lot at stake.
• If you need to generalize results to a large population or statistical data is required. The participants of a focus group are often representative of the population, but they are not necessarily a statistically representative sample of the population. The sample sizes are usually too small to draw statistical conclusions about a large population.
• To save time and money in the data collection process. A common myth about focus groups is that they are a quick and cheap way to collect data. Focus groups, like other methodologies, require a great deal of planning and effort in order to be effective. While the meeting itself may last only 1 or 2 hours, it takes time to create an effective set of questions, locate the appropriate participants, and make sense of the data they provide. Recruitment and analysis are especially likely to be expensive and time-consuming, unless the participants are already at hand and the project goals are very limited and direct.
• If a group discussion is not an appropriate forum. The basic goal in conducting focus groups is to hear from the participants about on the topics of interest to the evaluator. This means that focus groups are not a viable option unless we can compose and conduct groups in ways that allow participants to voice their views.
• If the topic is not appropriate for the participants. The match between the evaluators' topics of interest and the participants' ability to discuss those topics is essential for successful focus groups. To assess this match during the planning stages, ask the basic question, “How easy will it be to generate a free-flowing and productive conversation on this topic?”