Define 3 measurable success criteria before any tool…
When evaluating new tools, define three specific measurable criteria before beginning trial and set evaluation period between 14-30 days, as shorter periods miss friction and longer periods activate sunk cost bias.
When This Fires
- Before starting any tool trial (Require a trial period with pre-defined success metrics…)
- When previous tool evaluations ended with "I'm not sure if it's better" because there were no objective criteria
- When Pick a tool with 5 minimum requirements, select the first…'s 5-requirement satisficing needs refinement for the evaluation phase
- Complements Require a trial period with pre-defined success metrics… (trial period requirement) with the specific evaluation design
Common Failure Mode
Post-hoc criteria: starting a trial and then deciding what "success" means based on what the tool happens to do well. This guarantees the tool "passes" because the criteria were reverse-engineered from its strengths. Pre-defined criteria prevent this by setting the bar before the tool has a chance to shift it.
The Protocol
(1) Before installing the trial tool, write exactly 3 measurable success criteria: "Capture from phone takes under 10 seconds," "Daily review load under 15 minutes," "Can find any note within 30 seconds of searching." (2) Set an evaluation end date: 14-30 days from trial start. Mark it on your calendar. (3) During the trial, track performance against the 3 criteria. Not impressions — measurements. (4) On the evaluation date, score each criterion: met or not met. 3/3 → adopt. 2/3 → adopt if the missed criterion isn't critical. 1/3 or 0/3 → reject. (5) The evaluation date is a hard deadline: decide on that day. "One more week" is sunk cost bias talking.