Innovation · Experiments · Component
Assumption register
Every assumption an idea depends on, grouped by kind and ranked by how much damage it would do if it turned out wrong.
The deliverable
What it is
Every new offer, process or model rests on beliefs that have not yet been checked. The register writes them down one by one, so the team can see which ones the whole idea hangs on.
The common grouping is desirability, viability and feasibility: will people want it, can it make money, can it be delivered. Ideas fail on all three, and teams tend to test the one they are most comfortable with first.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
Assumption
One belief the idea depends on, written as a sentence that could be shown to be false by a test.
3 attributes: Assumption · Category · Idea
LearnRisk ranking
How badly the idea fails if the assumption is wrong, set against how much evidence already exists for it.
2 attributes: Damage if wrong · Current evidence
LearnTest status
Where the assumption stands now — untested, under test, supported or refuted — and which test last touched it.
2 attributes: Status · Latest test
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If the first assumption tested is the one the team was already confident about, the order has been chosen for comfort.
The other components in experiments
Test card
One test, written down before it runs: the hypothesis, the method, the budget and time box, and the result that would count as a pass.
LearnLearning record
What each test found and what was decided because of it, kept for the failed tests as carefully as for the ones that passed.
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