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Evidence Review Meeting

Purpose: Review a working artifact with the people closest to the work and decide what the evidence says.

When to use: After building a first artifact. Before committing to a broader capability build, pilot, or handoff.

Inputs Required

  • Working artifact
  • Original capability brief
  • Real examples to test against
  • 30-45 minutes with the user, operator, or sponsor

Agenda

1. Recap Hypothesis (2 min)

"Last time we talked, you mentioned [workflow pressure]. We built something to test whether [capability] would help. Let me show you against a real example."

2. Walk The Work (10 min)

Show, don't tell. Walk through the core workflow. Keep it focused — this is not a feature tour.

Let them interrupt with questions. That's signal.

3. Discussion (15 min)

Key questions to ask:

  • "Does this improve the workflow you described?"
  • "What is missing that would make this useful?"
  • "Would you use this tomorrow if it existed?"
  • "What would break for you if we built this the wrong way?"
  • "Where should human review stay in the loop?"

4. Decision (5 min)

Be explicit. Ask: "What did this prove, and what should happen next?"

If yes: Define the first useful version or pilot scope.

If no: Document what we learned and decide whether to reframe, park, or stop.

Outputs

  • Decision: continue, reframe, park, or stop
  • If continue: initial scope for the first useful version or pilot
  • If stop: documented learnings about what was wrong or not worth pursuing

Tips

  • Do not apologize for rough edges. Name them and focus the conversation on usefulness.
  • "Would this help the work?" is the question that matters.
  • Watch for polite enthusiasm vs. actual enthusiasm. "That's cool" does not mean "I need this."
  • If they start asking detailed implementation questions, that's a good sign.
  • If they start listing other problems they have, stay focused. One thing at a time.

Next: First Useful Version (if proceeding)