Proof plantemplate.
One move. One owner. One proof point. A deadline that is not “ASAP”, because that is just another way of saying “never”. The Proof Plan turns a stuck debate into the smallest real step that creates evidence.
Fill it in. Copy it out.
Type into the boxes and the copy-ready version writes itself. Copy it, print it, or save it as a PDF. Press Example to see a filled-in version.
Drafts save in this browser only. Nothing leaves your machine.
Appendix B4Proof Plan Template
One move. One owner. One proof point. A deadline that is not 'ASAP', because that is just another way of saying 'never'.
PROOF PLAN (Launch & Learn) Next step (smallest real step): [step] Owner (one name): [owner] Deadline (date): [date] Proof point (must be showable): [type] Specific: [what will be shown] What will block this: [blocker] Who removes the blocker: [name] by [date] Checkpoint (date/time): [checkpoint] Decision we will make at checkpoint: [decision] Rule of thumb: if the proof point cannot be shown, it is not proof. It is vibes in a Word document. — From Just F*cking Ship It · voltsmethod.com/learn
Rule of thumb: if the proof point cannot be shown, it is not proof. It is vibes in a Word document.
From Appendix B4, Just F*cking Ship It by Matthew Barrington-Packer
When to reach for it,
and how to fill it in.
Use it when
- The room keeps arguing because nobody has any evidence yet.
- A pilot has become a project, and nobody can say what it is meant to prove.
- You need to move without betting the whole budget on being right.
How to fill it in
- Name the smallest real step. One move, not a programme.
- Give it one owner and a real date.
- Choose a proof point you can show: a diagram, a prototype, a test result.
- Name the blocker now, and who removes it by when.
- Set the checkpoint and the decision you will make there: proceed, adjust or stop.
Where it usually goes wrong.
If the proof point cannot be shown, it is not proof. It is vibes in a Word document.
“The platform team” cannot be chased. A named person can.
A checkpoint without a proceed, adjust or stop decision is just another meeting with a nicer name.
Quick answers
What is a proof plan?
A one-page plan for the smallest real step that creates evidence: the step, the owner, the deadline, what will be shown, the likely blocker and the decision you will make at the checkpoint.
How is it different from a proof of concept?
A proof of concept is often a mini-project. A proof plan is deliberately smaller: one move, days not months, ending in a decision.
What makes a good proof point?
Something you can put on the table: a working flow, a test result, a diagram someone can challenge. If you have to describe it, it is not ready.
The rest of the toolkit.
A template fixes ambiguity.
The book fixes the room.
This is one of the tools from Just F*cking Ship It, the five-move VOLTS Method for getting stuck work shipped. Read it in an afternoon. Ship something by Friday.