Project Concept Funnel

Overview

A structured process for filtering project ideas through progressive gates. Many ideas enter; few emerge as committed projects. Each gate applies specific criteria to kill weak ideas early and invest energy only in validated concepts.

Core principle: Ideas are cheap. Commitment is expensive. The funnel protects your time by forcing ideas to prove themselves before you invest.

When to Use

digraph when_to_use {
    rankdir=TB;
    "User has project idea(s)?" [shape=diamond];
    "Asking which to pursue?" [shape=diamond];
    "Stuck/overwhelmed by options?" [shape=diamond];
    "Use this skill" [shape=box, style=filled];
    "Not applicable" [shape=box];

    "User has project idea(s)?" -> "Asking which to pursue?" [label="yes"];
    "User has project idea(s)?" -> "Not applicable" [label="no"];
    "Asking which to pursue?" -> "Use this skill" [label="yes"];
    "Asking which to pursue?" -> "Stuck/overwhelmed by options?" [label="no"];
    "Stuck/overwhelmed by options?" -> "Use this skill" [label="yes"];
    "Stuck/overwhelmed by options?" -> "Not applicable" [label="no"];
}

Use when:

• User has one or more project ideas to evaluate
• User asks "should I build X?"
• User is paralyzed choosing between projects
• User keeps starting but not finishing projects
• User wants to validate an idea before committing

Don't use for:

• Already-committed projects (use planning skills instead)
• Pure research/exploration tasks
• Work assignments with fixed scope

The Funnel

digraph funnel {
    rankdir=TB;
    node [shape=box];

    subgraph cluster_stages {
        label="STAGES";
        style=invis;
        capture [label="1. CAPTURE\n(Raw ideas)"];
        screen [label="2. SCREEN\n(Quick filter)"];
        scope [label="3. SCOPE\n(Define MVP)"];
        validate [label="4. VALIDATE\n(Test assumptions)"];
        commit [label="5. COMMIT\n(Go/No-Go)"];
    }

    subgraph cluster_gates {
        label="GATES";
        style=invis;
        g1 [label="Gate 1:\nDoes it matter?" shape=diamond];
        g2 [label="Gate 2:\nCan I build it?" shape=diamond];
        g3 [label="Gate 3:\nWill it work?" shape=diamond];
        g4 [label="Gate 4:\nShould I commit?" shape=diamond];
    }

    capture -> g1;
    g1 -> screen [label="yes"];
    g1 -> kill1 [label="no"];
    screen -> g2;
    g2 -> scope [label="yes"];
    g2 -> kill2 [label="no"];
    scope -> g3;
    g3 -> validate [label="yes"];
    g3 -> kill3 [label="no"];
    validate -> g4;
    g4 -> commit [label="yes"];
    g4 -> kill4 [label="no"];

    kill1 [label="KILL" style=filled fillcolor=lightgray];
    kill2 [label="KILL" style=filled fillcolor=lightgray];
    kill3 [label="KILL" style=filled fillcolor=lightgray];
    kill4 [label="KILL" style=filled fillcolor=lightgray];
}

Stage Details

Stage 1: CAPTURE

Goal: Get all ideas out of your head into a list.

No filtering yet. Just capture:

• What is the idea?
• What problem does it solve?
• Who has this problem?

Gate 1: Does It Matter?

Kill ideas where:

• [ ] You don't personally care about the problem
• [ ] No one you know has this problem
• [ ] Solution already exists and is good enough
• [ ] It's a "nice to have" not a real pain point

Stage 2: SCREEN

Goal: Quick feasibility check.

For each surviving idea, assess:

| Criterion | Question | Score 1-5 | |-----------|----------|-----------| | Motivation | How excited am I about this? | | | Capability | Do I have (or can learn) the skills? | | | Time | Can I build MVP in 2-4 weeks? | | | Differentiation | What makes this different from existing solutions? | |

Gate 2: Can I Build It?

Kill ideas where:

• [ ] Motivation < 3 (you'll abandon it)
• [ ] Capability requires massive learning curve
• [ ] MVP would take months, not weeks
• [ ] No meaningful differentiation

Stage 3: SCOPE

Goal: Define the smallest useful version.

Answer these precisely:

1. Who is the specific user? (Not "everyone")
2. What is the ONE core feature?
3. When will you know it works? (Success criteria)
4. What's OUT of scope for v1?

Write a one-sentence MVP definition:

"A [type of solution] that lets [specific user] do [one thing] so they can [outcome]."

Gate 3: Will It Work?

Kill ideas where:

• [ ] Can't define a specific user
• [ ] "Core feature" is actually 5 features
• [ ] Success criteria is vague ("people like it")
• [ ] MVP scope keeps growing

Stage 4: VALIDATE

Goal: Test critical assumptions before building.

Identify your riskiest assumption and test it cheaply:

| Assumption Type | Validation Method | |-----------------|-------------------| | "People want this" | Talk to 5 potential users | | "This is technically possible" | Build a 2-hour prototype | | "I can learn X" | Complete a tutorial/spike | | "The market exists" | Find 3 competitors or adjacent solutions |

Gate 4: Should I Commit?

Kill ideas where:

• [ ] Users said "nice idea" but wouldn't use it
• [ ] Technical spike revealed blockers
• [ ] You lost interest during validation
• [ ] Better idea emerged from research

Quick Reference: The 4 Gates

| Gate | Question | Kill Signal | |------|----------|-------------| | 1 | Does it matter? | No real pain point | | 2 | Can I build it? | Too hard, too long, no motivation | | 3 | Will it work? | Can't scope, keeps growing | | 4 | Should I commit? | Validation failed |

Facilitating the Funnel

When helping someone through the funnel:

1. Start by counting ideas - "How many project ideas do you have right now?"
2. Apply gates in order - Don't skip to validation before screening
3. Be willing to kill - The funnel's job is to eliminate, not nurture
4. One survivor is success - If one idea makes it through, the funnel worked
5. Zero survivors is also success - Killing all bad ideas saves months of wasted time

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Skipping gates | Gates exist to kill early. Use them. | | "All my ideas pass" | You're not being honest. Apply harder. | | Scope creep at Stage 3 | MVP = ONE feature. Enforce ruthlessly. | | Skipping validation | 2 hours of validation saves 200 hours of building wrong thing | | Emotional attachment | Ideas are cheap. Your time is not. Kill freely. |

Red Flags: User Rationalizations

Watch for these - they indicate the user is avoiding the funnel:

• "But this one is different"
• "I just need to start building to figure it out"
• "I don't need to validate, I know people want this"
• "The MVP needs all these features to be useful"
• "I can't narrow it down, they're all good"

Response: Return to the current gate's kill criteria. Apply them honestly.

Output: The Commitment Statement

If an idea survives all gates, the user should be able to state:

"I'm building [MVP description] for [specific user]. I validated that [assumption] by [method]. My success criteria is [measurable outcome]. I'm committing [X hours/weeks] starting [date]."

No commitment statement = not ready to build.