Choose a problem worth testing Brief & Field / Fieldwork tools / 8 October 2026 Use one card for one decision. Start with a real case, examine the current alternative, and mark missing evidence as unknown. 01. Decision and owner Which role needs to make what decision, and when? What would a useful result allow that person to do? Notes: 02. Most recent real case Describe one recent occurrence. Record its date and an authorised evidence reference. Separate what happened from your interpretation. Notes: 03. Frequency and consequence How often has this happened over a stated period, and what followed? Record the evidence, denominator where relevant, and any unverified estimate. Notes: 04. Current alternative How is the decision handled today? What already works, what fails, and could an existing feature or simple rule address the gap? Notes: 05. Minimum evidence needed Which inputs and local rules are essential? Note availability, permitted use, freshness and missing information; identify who can confirm correctness. Notes: 06. Ability to deliver and review Who can produce, check and repeat the result? Estimate the full effort, including preparation, review and corrections, and identify missing expertise. Notes: 07. Assumption most likely to fail State the most consequential unverified assumption. What evidence would contradict it, and how will you check it before making a commitment? Notes: 08. Next decision Choose investigate, test or stop. Record the reason, the smallest useful next step, its owner and review date. Notes: METHOD NOTE Original Brief & Field application of the cited reading, not a validated questionnaire or an endorsement by its authors. Our working judgment: move to a sample test when a real decision, owner, usable evidence and feasible review are identified. Investigate critical unknowns first; stop or reframe if the current alternative already meets the need. A problem card does not establish demand or willingness to pay. SOURCE CONNECTIONS — our application, not a validated author questionnaire. LBS01: The New Business Road Test, fifth edition: Chapter 1 — Our opportunity: why will or won’t this work? https://assets.london.edu/hxo16fanegqh/e20f8fef-6e0f-4ec9-bdb5-338e625bfd2c/ae429ef4c334c1a9a8a9295b034367bb/the-new-business-road-test-sample-chapter-1---new.pdf LSE04: Unlocking SME productivity: Review of recent evidence and implications for the UK's Industrial Strategy https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_NEW/PUBLICATIONS/abstract.asp?index=6004 LBS02: A basic theory of inheritance: How bad practice prevails https://lbsresearch.london.edu/id/eprint/896/1/FVermeulen_A%20Basic%20Theory%20of%20Inheritance.pdf LON03: The Hidden Architecture of Effective Groups https://www.ucl.ac.uk/management/news/hidden-architecture-effective-groups Original B&F questions: CC BY 4.0. Linked publications retain their own terms. https://briefandfield.com/library/london/reading-list-license.txt