Glossary
FIRE Framework
A method for prioritizing qualitative feedback by scoring it on Frequency, Intensity, Risk, and Evidence, so the loudest complaint doesn't drown out the one that actually matters.
The FIRE Framework is a way to turn a pile of ambiguous, emotional feedback, call transcripts, exit interviews, support tickets, into a clear priority. It scores each theme on four axes: Frequency (is it a pattern or a blip?), Intensity (a paper cut or a gaping wound?), Risk, and Evidence.
The point is to stop the “squeaky wheel” problem, where a high-frequency, low-intensity complaint (the office coffee is bad) crowds out a low-frequency, high-intensity, high-risk one (a specific bad manager driving a retention crisis). If your qualitative data is a mountain of raw ore, a quantitative tool like RICE is the forge that shapes what you’ve already decided to dig up. FIRE is the X-ray scanner that tells you which part of the mountain is worth digging into in the first place.