The key to planning in focus groups is to think through the whole project. All research projects using focus groups consist of four basic steps:
Planning - This is the fundamental first step in any project. If is not done well, everything that follows is of questionable value.
Recruiting - Recruiting participants for the focus group can occur in several ways: conducted by the researcher, by volunteers, or by an external group or agency.
Moderating - A typical focus group requires at least three hours of time from both the moderator and assistant moderator.
Analyzing and Reporting - Focus groups are an open-ended, qualitative method, you cannot predict with considerable accuracy how much effort the analysis will take.