Validation
Validation is not a yes or no. It is a probability built from evidence that is cited, graded and weighted by how close it came from the right audience.
Seven sub-scores
Each sub-score is its own record with its own template: problem, solution, product-market fit, pricing, go-to-market, team and operations readiness.
Grading evidence
Grading adapts GRADE, the method medicine uses to rate certainty of evidence.
| Kind of evidence | Starts at |
|---|---|
| Behavior (what people did) | high |
| Commitment (a deposit, a letter of intent) | moderate |
| Stated (what people said) | low |
| Desk research | low |
| Opinion | very low |
An item drops a level for an adjacent or unknown audience (two for the wrong audience), for a sample under five, for general rather than specific answers, and for being older than eighteen months. A record takes its best item’s grade, rises one level when three or more distinct sources agree, and falls one when equally strong evidence contradicts it. A claim with no evidence grades very low.
The score
The validation score is V = Σ(w · p · e) / Σw: each sub-score’s probability p, times its evidence weight e, weighted by w. The weights depend on the go-to-market path and the kind of venture. The score recommends; the owner decides.
mentura purpose/validation/score run --venture my-venture