Methodological Rules Skill

Comprehensive methodological support: isolation rules, strain detection, saturation tracking, workspace branching, multi-researcher collaboration, and visualization.

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When to Use This Skill

Triggers:

• "generate rules" / "create rules" / "isolation rules"
• "methodology preset" / "apply preset"
• "saturation" / "am I saturated" / "theoretical saturation"
• "branch" / "fork" / "explore alternative"
• "team" / "add researcher" / "intercoder reliability"
• "dashboard" / "show status" / "visualize"
• After /qual-design completes
• When research_design changes in config

Auto-invoked:

• By PostPhaseTransition hook when sandwich_status changes
• By project-setup skill after design configuration

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What This Skill Does

1. Reads research design from config.json
2. Generates Claude Code rules in .claude/rules/
3. Adapts rules based on current phase
4. Logs changes to reflexivity journal

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Rule Types Generated

Rule	When Generated	Purpose
case-isolation.md	study_type includes "comparative"	Prevent cross-case contamination
wave-isolation.md	study_type includes "longitudinal"	Preserve temporal integrity
stream-separation.md	streams.enabled = true	Keep theory/data separate until synthesis

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Rule Lifecycle

research_design configured
        ↓
generate-rules.js creates .claude/rules/
        ↓
Rules active with configured friction level
        ↓
Phase transition detected (hook)
        ↓
update-rules.js checks relaxes_at conditions
        ↓
Rules regenerated with updated status
        ↓
Change logged to reflexivity journal

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Friction Levels

Rules use graduated friction, not binary allow/block:

Level	Behavior	When to Use
silent	Log only, no interruption	Low-risk boundaries
nudge	Gentle reminder in response	Moderate guidance
challenge	Pause, request justification	Important methodological boundaries
hard_stop	Block action	Critical integrity requirements

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Scripts

generate-rules.js

node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/generate-rules.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project

What it does:

• Reads config.json research_design section
• Generates rule files from templates
• Places rules in .claude/rules/ (auto-discovered by Claude Code)
• Returns JSON summary of generated rules

check-phase.js

node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/check-phase.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project

What it does:

• Reads current sandwich_status
• Returns current phase and which rules should be relaxed

update-rules.js

node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/update-rules.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project

What it does:

• Called by PostPhaseTransition hook
• Checks which rules need status updates
• Regenerates rules with new status
• Logs changes to reflexivity journal

strain-check.js

# Check strain status
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/strain-check.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project

# Record an override
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/strain-check.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --record-override --rule-id case-isolation \
  --justification "Building cross-cutting theme"

# Record resolution
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/strain-check.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --record-resolution --rule-id case-isolation \
  --resolution phase_transition

What it does:

• Tracks rule override patterns
• Detects strain (3+ overrides triggers review)
• Generates conversational review prompts
• Records resolutions for audit trail

apply-preset.js

# List available presets
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/apply-preset.js --list-presets

# Apply a preset
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/apply-preset.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --preset gioia_corley

What it does:

• Lists methodology presets (Gioia, Charmaz, Straussian, etc.)
• Applies preset defaults (isolation config, proactive prompts, vocabulary)
• Logs to reflexivity journal

saturation-tracker.js

# Check saturation status
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/saturation-tracker.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --status

# Record document coding
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/saturation-tracker.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --record-document --doc-id INT_001 --new-codes 5

# Record code refinement
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/saturation-tracker.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --record-refinement --code-id coping --change-type split

# Full assessment
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/saturation-tracker.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --assess

What it does:

• Tracks multi-dimensional saturation (generation, coverage, refinement, redundancy)
• Calculates saturation level (low → saturated)
• Provides recommendations based on saturation signals

workspace-branch.js

# Fork a branch
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/workspace-branch.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --fork --name "alternative-structure" --framing exploratory

# Switch branches
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/workspace-branch.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --switch --branch-id alt-123

# Merge (requires memo)
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/workspace-branch.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --merge --branch-id alt-123 --memo "Synthesis explanation..."

What it does:

• Creates interpretive branches for exploratory analysis
• Tracks methodological framing (exploratory, confirmatory, negative case)
• Requires synthesis memo for merges
• Preserves abandoned branches for audit trail

viz-dashboard.js

# Full dashboard
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/viz-dashboard.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --view all

# Specific views
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/viz-dashboard.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --view saturation

# Mermaid export
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/viz-dashboard.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project --mermaid lineage

What it does:

• Renders CLI dashboards (ASCII art, box drawing)
• Views: saturation, rules, branches, all
• Exports Mermaid diagrams for documentation

researcher-team.js

# Add team member
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/researcher-team.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --add-member --name "Jane Doe" --role coder

# Start ICR session
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/researcher-team.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --start-icr-session --participants "jane,john" --documents "INT_001"

# Log attribution
node skills/methodological-rules/scripts/researcher-team.js \
  --project-path /path/to/project \
  --log-attribution --action created_code --target adaptive_coping

What it does:

• Manages research team members and roles
• Tracks current researcher for attribution
• Supports intercoder reliability sessions
• Logs all analytical decisions to researcher

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Templates

Templates use Mustache-style placeholders:

• {{study_type}} - From config
• {{case_count}} - Number of cases
• {{case_names}} - Comma-separated case names
• {{current_phase}} - Current sandwich_status phase
• {{relaxes_at_phase}} - When this rule relaxes
• {{friction_level}} - Current friction setting
• {{rule_status}} - active | relaxed
• {{timestamp}} - Generation timestamp

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Integration Points

With existing architecture:

• Hooks: PostPhaseTransition triggers rule updates
• Config: Reads from research_design section
• Agents: @dialogical-coder references rules during coding
• Commands: /qual-status shows active rules

With Claude Code:

• Rules placed in .claude/rules/ for auto-discovery
• Uses official glob pattern frontmatter
• Follows Claude Code rule best practices

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Example Generated Rule

# .claude/rules/case-isolation.md
---
paths: data/cases/**
---
## Methodological Rule: Case Isolation

**Study:** 3-case comparative study
**Cases:** TechCorp Alpha, HealthCo Beta, FinServ Gamma
**Status:** ACTIVE
**Friction:** CHALLENGE

### Guidance

When analyzing data from a specific case folder:

1. Focus ONLY on the current case's data
2. Let themes emerge from THIS case independently
3. Do NOT reference findings from other cases yet
4. Note cross-case hunches in memos, but don't act on them

### Why This Matters

Cross-case contamination during open coding prevents genuine pattern
emergence. Each case deserves analytical fresh eyes before comparison.

### When This Relaxes

This rule relaxes when you enter **Phase 3: Pattern Characterization**.
At that point, cross-case comparison becomes methodologically appropriate.

Check: config.json → sandwich_status.stage2_progress.phase3_pattern_characterization

---
*Generated: 2025-12-13 | Friction: CHALLENGE | Relaxes: phase3_pattern_characterization*

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Allowed Tools

This skill may use:

• Read (config, templates)
• Write (rules, journal)
• Bash (script execution)
• Glob (find existing rules)

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Related

• Config schema: skills/project-setup/templates/config.schema.json
• Hook: hooks/post-phase-transition.js
• Command: /qual-design (triggers rule generation)
• Philosophy: See DESIGN-PHILOSOPHY.md on cognitive hygiene