Evaluate a small validation test
See this course’s project requirements
A business practice packet: a customer-problem brief, one-page offer, validation record and justified decision, setup checklist, outreach plan, and operating scorecard. Use the supplied fictional café case or clearly identified permitted real evidence. A supported proceed, revise, or stop decision is a complete learning result.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- A problem brief with classified source notes, a customer-problem statement citing at least two notes, one counterexample or evidence gap, and a useful follow-up question. Use the four supplied fictional notes or clearly identified real evidence you have permission to use.
- Draft a one-page offer with customer, result, scope, exclusions, price, timeline, and next step. Identify assumptions separately from supported facts.
- A validation record showing the test, the decision rule chosen beforehand, classified observed results, and a justified decision to proceed, revise, or stop. Include a limitation and one bounded next test. Use the supplied practice case or clearly identified real-world evidence.
- Draft a setup checklist naming requirements to verify, responsible official sources or support, status, and next actions. Keep unresolved items marked pending.
- Build a sales-process plan with a sample prospect list, outreach draft, stages, and dated follow-ups. Use fictional records for practice.
- Create an operating scorecard with costs, capacity, cash timing, and review dates. Label assumptions and explain one decision using sample results.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Claims can be traced to source notes. Fictional inputs, reported behavior, opinions, assumptions, and missing evidence are distinguished.
- The problem and offer fit the customer situation supported by the notes and acknowledge counterevidence.
- The original decision rule is applied accurately. A justified negative finding or revise/stop decision meets the criterion.
- The next test changes one defined element, sets a rule in advance, and names resource limits.
- Plans are internally consistent and record unresolved checks honestly. Assessment depends on reasoning and the work produced, not sales or outside approval.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
Core practice uses the supplied offer, prewritten decision rule, and complete set of fictional results. Analyze what happened and decide what to do next. A well-supported decision to revise or stop is a useful completed result.
A test is useful when it changes a decision. Judge the evidence against a rule written before the result; learning can succeed when the offer test falls short.
The test is finished. What should happen next?
A fictional two-week scheduling reset for one café: import availability, create one reusable template, train one manager, and support the next schedule for $450. Payroll and ongoing schedule management are excluded.
Contact 10 qualified managers facing recent repeated schedule changes. A qualifying commitment is a reservation of a dated pilot session under the stated offer terms by Friday. Proceed with a limited next pilot only if at least 3 of 10 reserve. If fewer than 3 reserve, revise one defined element or stop this version before expansion. Compliments and unanswered messages do not qualify. This rule is for the practice case, not a universal business benchmark or a course completion rule.
- Qualified prospects
- 10
- Dated reservations
- 2
- Compliments only
- 5
- No reply
- 3
Two recorded objections: The proposed Tuesday training slot conflicts with opening duties. The proposed training time is difficult; a later option might help.
Download the case and blank worksheetOptional fieldwork
Optional fieldwork: Interview people who agree to take part, or run a small offer test with the appropriate permissions, time, and budget. Keep real observations separate from this fictional case. This adds time beyond the lesson estimate. Sales and positive responses are optional milestones; completion depends on your reasoning.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.
- 1
Read the supplied fictional offer, qualifying-commitment definition, and prewritten decision rule. Copy the rule before analyzing the results. If using permitted real evidence instead, retain the rule recorded before that test.
- 2
For the supplied case, classify 2 dated reservations, 5 compliments without reservations, and 3 no replies from 10 qualified prospects. For permitted real evidence, classify its actual results. Count only behavior that meets the original commitment definition.
- 3
For the supplied case, compare 2 of 10 reservations with the threshold of 3 of 10, then justify revising one element or stopping this version. For permitted real evidence, apply its original rule and justify proceeding, revising, or stopping.
- 4
Explain one limitation and propose one bounded next test: what changes, what stays stable, the resources available, and a rule set before results arrive. A justified proceed, revise, or stop decision completes the reasoning task. Optional fieldwork adds time.
See how it works.
Only 2 dated reservations meet the defined commitment, so 2/10 = 20%, below the 3/10 = 30% rule. The 5 compliments and 3 nonresponses do not raise that count. The result supports revising one element or stopping this version before expanding. Testing an after-lunch training slot is a possible next step because two notes raise timing concerns; those notes do not establish causality. Accurately documenting this failed threshold demonstrates successful learning.
Did you cover these?
- I preserved the original decision rule and classified every outcome without inflating commitments.
- I compared results with the rule and justified proceeding, revising, or stopping. In the supplied case, 2 of 10 is below the 3-of-10 threshold.
- I stated a limitation and one bounded next test, with a resource limit and rule chosen in advance.
What to finish
A validation record showing the test, the decision rule chosen beforehand, classified observed results, and a justified decision to proceed, revise, or stop. Include a limitation and one bounded next test. Use the supplied practice case or clearly identified real-world evidence.
Watch for this
Changing the threshold after seeing results, counting compliments as reservations, or treating an unsuccessful offer test as failed learning.
How can I tell I understand it?
You can apply the rule without changing or inflating the evidence and explain why a supported proceed, revise, or stop decision demonstrates learning.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.
Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.
Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
An Introduction to the SBA
From U.S. Small Business Administration. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
Use the SBA planning resources to document your offer assumptions and decision rule, then compare those assumptions with the supplied test results.Tools, templates, and lesson sources
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Sources and further reading
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