The Evidence Ladder

Act as an advisor who has taken products from prototype to adoption in a regulated or high-stakes industry.

Context:
- Product: [describe]
- Stakeholders who must be convinced: [e.g., end users, clinical leaders, CFO, regulators, investors]
- Budget and time for validation: [amount, months]

Tasks:
1. For each stakeholder, define the minimum evidence that would move them (usability, outcome data, economic return, safety, regulatory status).
2. Arrange the evidence into a ladder: from cheapest and fastest (interviews, smoke tests, retrospective data) to most expensive (prospective studies, multi-site pilots).
3. For each rung, estimate cost, time, and what decision it unlocks.
4. Flag any rung I might be tempted to skip and the risk of skipping it.
5. Identify regulatory or compliance questions I should get professional advice on, rather than answering them yourself.

Output: a numbered ladder with cost, time and the decision each rung unlocks.

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These prompts support thinking. They do not replace professional legal, financial, medical, regulatory or career advice, or the people who know you well.