ENGAGEMENT · SPRINT

A Sprint tests one hypothesis with buyers and ends in a recommended verdict.

A Sprint is a scoped engagement that tests one hypothesis with the buyers who would sign and ends in a recommended verdict: Proceed, Pivot, Reset or Stop. Pass/fail criteria are set before the first interview, and nothing is redefined afterward to fit the findings.

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Six phases, in the same order every time

  • Scoping. The hypothesis written so it can fail, and the pass/fail criteria signed off.
  • Hypothesis and target list. At least 20 named target accounts, or for a channel test the partners and their plants, or for an internal rollout the plant managers and plant controllers.
  • Field research. At least ten scored interviews per segment. Below ten, one strong opinion can decide the result.
  • Solution and price testing. The planned price, the partner margin, or the cost per site, tested with qualified buyers.
  • Analysis and scoring. Every claim graded Verified, Benchmarked or Assumption.
  • Decision Gate. The Findings Brief and our recommendation. Your sponsor, funder and others affected decide.

A phase ends when its exit condition is met, whatever the calendar says. → The evidence standard · → How interview scores become a verdict

The six phases of a Sprint Six Sprint phases in order, each closed by its exit condition: scoping ends when the criteria are signed off, the hypothesis and target list when there are 20 or more named targets, field research when 10 or more interviews are scored, solution and price testing when the price response is recorded, analysis and scoring when the brief is drafted, and the Decision Gate when the sponsor and funder decide. 01 Scoping Exit: criteria signed off 02 Hypothesis and target list Exit: 20+ named targets 03 Field research Exit: 10+ interviews scored 04 Solution and price testing Exit: price response recorded 05 Analysis and scoring Exit: brief drafted 06 Decision Gate Exit: the sponsor and funder decide

An example timeline

With one buyer segment and warm access, the six phases can fit in about eight weeks.

This is an illustration, not a commitment. It assumes one hypothesis and one buyer segment; 20 or more named contacts supplied by you; interviewees available within two weeks of first contact; a client-side lead available four to six hours a week; a sponsor who can convene the Decision Gate on the planned date; and no change to the hypothesis after scoping. Cold access, more segments or regions, holiday periods, and procurement or security reviews usually extend it. Your length is agreed at scoping and confirmed in writing.

What you need to bring

  • A hypothesis

    Most clients arrive without a testable one, and scoping builds it.

  • Access to buyers

    Named contacts make it faster. Without them, we build the list and run the outreach.

  • Four to six hours a week

    From a lead who can bring the sponsor and funder to the gate.

  • Investment

    Scoped per engagement, fixed once scope is set, and unchanged by the verdict.

See the specimen scorecard

Questions clients ask

How long does a Sprint take?

As long as the evidence needs. With one buyer segment and warm access, the six phases can fit in about eight weeks; that is an example, not a commitment. Each added segment, region or site adds time. Your length is set at scoping from your segment, your access to buyers and your decision date, and confirmed in writing.

How much does a Sprint cost?

A Sprint is scoped per engagement. The fee is fixed once the scope is set and does not change with the verdict. Your buyer segments, whether you have warm access to buyers, and your timeline shape the scope, and the Sprint Assessment tells you what fits.

How is a Sprint different from market research or expert calls?

Research describes a market, and expert calls give one opinion an hour. A Sprint ends in a verdict you can act on, built from scored interviews with the people who hold budget, against criteria set before the first call.

Will the buyers we interview know who the client is?

That is agreed at scoping. Some engagements run anonymously; others name you, which is common with your own customers.

Do you work for our competitors?

We may. Each engagement is confidential, and nothing from yours is used in work for anyone else.

Can a Sprint fit a deal timeline?

Yes, as a Diligence Sprint, with a written statement of what the window can and cannot evidence.

Will an outside review sink a project I am sponsoring?

Three of the four verdicts keep it going, and the verdict is a recommendation: you and your funder decide. What the review changes is that you can defend the decision with evidence, whichever way it goes, while changing course is still cheap. The brief is yours.

Find out whether a Sprint fits your decision.

Bring the hypothesis and your buyer list. You will get a clear answer on scope and timing.

Request a Sprint Assessment

Or reach us directly at hello@thing.company