| name | pmf-validate |
| description | Use this skill after /pmf-research-synthesis has identified the riskiest PMF dimension. Takes that dimension (or any business idea/strategy) and runs a structured assumption extraction, mapping, and experiment design sequence. Triggers include: 'validate my riskiest dimension', 'extract assumptions', 'what are the riskiest assumptions', 'run assumption mapping', 'design an experiment', 'pressure test this', 'what could go wrong with this', or any request to surface and test specific assumptions before committing resources. Runs a guided Extract → Map → Test workflow. |
PMF Validate
Purpose
Surface and test the riskiest assumptions inside your riskiest PMF dimension — before committing time, money, or credibility. Run this after /pmf-research-synthesis has told you which dimension to focus on.
Feed in your riskiest dimension (e.g. "Competitive Advantage — Anti-Slop Positioning") or any specific strategy, and this skill will extract the 9 specific assumptions that could prove it wrong, help you map them by importance vs. evidence, and design a structured experiment brief for the one that matters most.
Core Principles
These rules apply across all three phases without exception.
- Never say "hypothesis" or "hypotheses" — always say "assumption" or "assumption to test"
- Every assumption must start with "I believe..." or "We believe..."
- Desirability = user needs, problem severity, perceived value, solution fit only. Never include pricing, dollar amounts, willingness to pay, or any financial assumptions here
- Viability = all financial assumptions: pricing, willingness to pay, revenue, margins, unit economics, business model sustainability
- Feasibility = operational, technical, or organizational delivery assumptions
- Tone: calm, coaching-oriented, no exclamation points, executive-level precision
- Never ask clarifying questions before generating — work with whatever is provided and make reasonable inferences
- Never use motivational or hype language
Flow Overview
Run phases in sequence. Do not skip ahead. After each phase, ask if the user wants to continue to the next.
Phase 1: Extract → Surface DVF assumptions from the idea
Phase 2: Map → Critique the user's assumption map
Phase 3: Test → Design a structured experiment brief for the riskiest assumption
Phase 1: Extract Assumptions
Trigger
User provides a PMF dimension, business idea, strategy, or initiative they want to pressure-test.
Behavior
Before generating assumptions, silently analyze:
- What would have to go wrong for this dimension/idea to fail?
- Where does the biggest uncertainty exist about user behavior, revenue, or execution?
- Which beliefs is the team implicitly relying on to move forward?
Convert those failure points into assumptions starting with "I believe..." or "We believe..." Do not show this analysis. Output only the assumption tables.
Work with whatever is provided. If the input is vague, make reasonable inferences and generate assumptions anyway. Never ask clarifying questions before generating.
Output exactly 3 assumptions per category in markdown table format.
Output Format
## Desirability
| Category | Assumption | Rationale |
|----------|------------|-----------|
| Desirable | I believe [assumption] | Why this matters and what breaks if it is wrong... |
## Viability
| Category | Assumption | Rationale |
|----------|------------|-----------|
| Viable | I believe [assumption] | Why this matters and what breaks if it is wrong... |
## Feasibility
| Category | Assumption | Rationale |
|----------|------------|-----------|
| Feasible | I believe [assumption] | Why this matters and what breaks if it is wrong... |
Rules
- Output tables directly — no conversational preamble or postamble
- 3 assumptions per category, no more, no less
- Each assumption must start with "I believe..."
- Never put financial assumptions in Desirability
- Never put user-need assumptions in Viability
- Assumptions must describe something that could prove the idea wrong if tested
- Prefer assumptions about observable behavior rather than opinions
- Avoid assumptions about total market size, industry growth, or macro trends unless they directly affect early adoption or revenue
- Each assumption should represent a distinct risk — do not repeat the same idea across categories
- Do not explain the assumptions before or after the tables
DVF Tension Check
After outputting the assumption tables, identify the single most important tension between the DVF categories. Examples of tensions to surface:
- A Desirability assumption that depends on user behavior that conflicts with a Viability assumption about willingness to pay
- A Feasibility constraint that limits the value promised by a Desirability assumption
- A Viability assumption about profitability that relies on user behavior that may not occur
Each tension should be 1-2 sentences and reference only the assumptions already listed. Output this as a short section immediately after the tables:
## DVF Tensions
[1-2 sentence description of the most significant tension between assumptions]
Transition
After outputting the tables, ask:
"Would you like to move to the Map phase? If you've placed these assumptions on a 2×2 matrix (importance vs. evidence), share an image and I'll give you feedback on the placement."
Note for artifact builders: Image analysis in the Map phase works in claude.ai chat and Claude Code, but not in browser-based artifacts that call the Anthropic API directly (CORS restriction). If building a browser artifact, use a drag-and-drop matrix or text-based placement input instead.
Phase 2: Map — Critique the Assumption Map
Trigger
User shares an image of their assumption map (a 2×2 matrix with Importance on the vertical axis and Evidence on the horizontal axis).
Behavior
Review the map and provide structured, constructive feedback. The high importance / low evidence quadrant contains the riskiest assumptions — these should be the focus.
What to assess
- Placement — are assumptions in sensible positions given their importance and evidence level?
- DVF coverage — are all three categories (Desirability, Viability, Feasibility) represented? Flag any that are missing or underrepresented
- Format — do assumptions follow "I believe..." or "We believe..." format? Common abbreviations (IB, IBT, WB, WBT) are acceptable
- Misplacements — flag any assumptions that appear to be in the wrong quadrant
- Priority — which assumptions appear most critical to test next based on their position on the matrix? Identify the 1-2 assumptions in or nearest to the high importance / low evidence quadrant that carry the most consequence if wrong
- What was done well — note at least one strength
Output Format
Use markdown headers and short paragraphs. No bullet-point-only responses — mix headers with brief analytical prose.
## Map Feedback
### Placement
[2-3 sentences on overall placement logic]
### DVF Coverage
[Note which categories are present, which are missing or thin]
### Format
[Flag any assumptions not in "I believe..." format]
### Assumptions to Reconsider
[Specific assumptions that may be misplaced, with brief rationale]
### Priority
[The 1-2 assumptions in or nearest to the high importance / low evidence quadrant that carry the most consequence if wrong — these are the candidates for Phase 3]
### What's Working
[At least one genuine strength]
Tone
Direct and helpful. Coaching-oriented, not evaluative. No exclamation points. Calm under uncertainty.
Transition
After feedback, ask:
"Ready to move to the Test phase? Share the 1-2 assumptions from your high importance / low evidence quadrant that you want to test first."
Phase 3: Test — Experiment Design
Trigger
User identifies 1-2 riskiest assumptions (typically from the high importance / low evidence quadrant of their map) and wants to know how to test them.
Behavior
For each assumption provided, output a structured experiment brief. Do not invent experiment names — describe the experiment type generically and accurately.
## Experiment Brief
### Assumption to Test
[Exact assumption text, reproduced verbatim]
**Category:** [Desirability / Viability / Feasibility]
### What You're Trying to Learn
[1-2 sentences: what would this experiment confirm or contradict?]
### Experiment Type
[e.g., Customer Interview, Smoke Test, Concierge, Survey, Prototype, etc.]
Use a commonly recognized experiment type (e.g., Customer Interview, Smoke Test, Concierge Test, Landing Page Test, Prototype Test, Survey). Do not invent new experiment labels.
### How to Run It
1. [Step — preparation]
2. [Step — execution]
3. [Step — analysis]
### How to Measure It
- Metric: [what you're measuring]
- Success looks like: [specific threshold or signal that would meaningfully increase confidence in the assumption]
- Failure looks like: [specific threshold or signal that would meaningfully reduce confidence in the assumption]
Success and failure signals must be specific enough that a reasonable observer would agree they change confidence in the assumption being tested.
### Estimated Effort
- Setup: [short / medium / long]
- Run time: [short / medium / long]
- Evidence strength: [light / medium / strong]
### Remaining Uncertainty
[1 sentence on what this experiment won't resolve]
Rules
- Never use the word "hypothesis" — always "assumption" or "assumption to test"
- Reproduce assumption text exactly as written — do not paraphrase
- Do not recommend Commit, Correct, or Cut — surface risk, do not prescribe action
- Do not imply that running the experiment guarantees validation or success
- Maintain neutral, executive tone throughout
Cross-Cutting Rules Summary
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|
| Terminology | Never "hypothesis" — always "assumption" |
| Assumption format | Always "I believe..." or "We believe..." |
| Desirability | User needs only — never financial |
| Viability | All financial assumptions |
| Feasibility | Operational, technical, organizational |
| Tone | Calm, coaching-oriented, no exclamation points |
| Neutrality | Never recommend Commit/Correct/Cut |
Example Opening
When a user invokes this skill with a dimension or idea, begin directly with the Extract output. No preamble. No questions. Tables first.
If a user invokes the skill without providing an input, respond with exactly:
"Share the PMF dimension or idea you want to pressure-test and I'll extract the riskiest assumptions across Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility."
Based on the Precoil EMT methodology by David J. Bland.
