---
artifact: pivot-decision
version: "1.0"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
status: draft
---

# Pivot Decision: [Product/Initiative Name]

## Overview

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Decision Date** | [Date] |
| **Decision Maker(s)** | [Names and roles] |
| **Product/Initiative** | [Name] |
| **Time in Market** | [Duration since launch] |
| **Investment to Date** | [Time, money, resources] |

---

## Executive Summary

**Decision:** [Persevere / Pivot to X]

[2-3 sentence summary of the decision and primary rationale]

---

## Current State

### What We're Doing Now

[Description of current product/strategy/approach]

### Key Metrics

| Metric | Current | Target | Gap |
|--------|---------|--------|-----|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Value] | [+/-X%] |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Value] | [+/-X%] |
| [Metric 3] | [Value] | [Value] | [+/-X%] |
| [Metric 4] | [Value] | [Value] | [+/-X%] |

### Timeline of Events

| Date | Milestone | Outcome |
|------|-----------|---------|
| [Date] | [Event] | [Result] |
| [Date] | [Event] | [Result] |
| [Date] | [Event] | [Result] |

### Resources Invested

| Resource | Amount |
|----------|--------|
| Time | [X months] |
| Budget | [$X] |
| Team | [X people × Y months] |
| Opportunity cost | [What else we could have done] |

---

## Evidence Summary

### Data That Triggered This Evaluation

<!-- What signals suggested we should reconsider our direction? -->

1. [Evidence point 1]
2. [Evidence point 2]
3. [Evidence point 3]

### Customer/User Feedback

**What Users Are Saying:**
- "[Quote 1]" - [Source]
- "[Quote 2]" - [Source]
- "[Quote 3]" - [Source]

**User Behavior Patterns:**
- [Behavioral observation 1]
- [Behavioral observation 2]

### Market Signals

- [Market observation 1]
- [Market observation 2]
- [Competitive development]

### Internal Learnings

- [Learning 1]
- [Learning 2]

---

## Hypothesis Review

### Original Hypotheses

| Hypothesis | Status | Evidence |
|------------|--------|----------|
| [Hypothesis 1] | Validated / Invalidated / Untested | [Brief evidence] |
| [Hypothesis 2] | Validated / Invalidated / Untested | [Brief evidence] |
| [Hypothesis 3] | Validated / Invalidated / Untested | [Brief evidence] |
| [Hypothesis 4] | Validated / Invalidated / Untested | [Brief evidence] |

### Key Learnings from Validation

- [What we learned from validated hypotheses]
- [What we learned from invalidated hypotheses]

---

## Options Considered

### Option 1: Persevere (Stay the Course)

**Description:** [What continuing current direction looks like]

**What Changes:** [Adjustments to current approach]

**Rationale for Considering:**
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]

**Risks:**
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

**Resource Requirements:** [What it takes to continue]

---

### Option 2: [Pivot Type - e.g., Customer Segment Pivot]

**Description:** [What this pivot looks like]

**What Changes:**
- [Change 1]
- [Change 2]

**Rationale for Considering:**
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]

**Risks:**
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

**Resource Requirements:** [What this pivot requires]

---

### Option 3: [Pivot Type - e.g., Platform Pivot]

**Description:** [What this pivot looks like]

**What Changes:**
- [Change 1]
- [Change 2]

**Rationale for Considering:**
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]

**Risks:**
- [Risk 1]
- [Risk 2]

**Resource Requirements:** [What this pivot requires]

---

## Analysis

### Evaluation Criteria

| Criterion | Weight | Definition |
|-----------|--------|------------|
| Market Opportunity | [High/Med/Low] | [How we evaluate] |
| Competitive Advantage | [High/Med/Low] | [How we evaluate] |
| Team Capability | [High/Med/Low] | [How we evaluate] |
| Resource Requirements | [High/Med/Low] | [How we evaluate] |
| Risk Level | [High/Med/Low] | [How we evaluate] |

### Options Comparison

| Criterion | Persevere | Pivot Option 2 | Pivot Option 3 |
|-----------|-----------|----------------|----------------|
| Market Opportunity | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |
| Competitive Advantage | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |
| Team Capability | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |
| Resource Requirements | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |
| Risk Level | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |
| **Overall** | [Score] | [Score] | [Score] |

---

## Decision

### Chosen Direction: [Option Name]

**Decision Statement:**
[Clear statement of what we're doing]

### Rationale

[Detailed explanation of why this option was chosen over alternatives]

### Trade-offs Accepted

| Trade-off | Impact | Why Acceptable |
|-----------|--------|----------------|
| [Trade-off 1] | [Impact] | [Justification] |
| [Trade-off 2] | [Impact] | [Justification] |

### Dissenting Views

<!-- Capture disagreement for the record -->

[Who disagreed and their reasoning]

---

## Implementation Plan

### Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

| Action | Owner | Due Date |
|--------|-------|----------|
| [Action 1] | [Name] | [Date] |
| [Action 2] | [Name] | [Date] |
| [Action 3] | [Name] | [Date] |

### Resource Requirements

| Resource | Current | Needed | Gap |
|----------|---------|--------|-----|
| Budget | [X] | [Y] | [Z] |
| Headcount | [X] | [Y] | [Z] |
| Technology | [X] | [Y] | [Z] |

### Success Criteria

**How we'll know if this is working:**

| Metric | 30-Day Target | 90-Day Target |
|--------|---------------|---------------|
| [Metric 1] | [Value] | [Value] |
| [Metric 2] | [Value] | [Value] |
| [Metric 3] | [Value] | [Value] |

### Checkpoint Schedule

| Date | Checkpoint | Decision Point |
|------|------------|----------------|
| [Date] | [30-day review] | [What we'll evaluate] |
| [Date] | [90-day review] | [What we'll evaluate] |

---

## Communication Plan

### Internal Communication

| Audience | Message | Channel | When |
|----------|---------|---------|------|
| [Team] | [Key message] | [How] | [When] |
| [Leadership] | [Key message] | [How] | [When] |
| [Broader org] | [Key message] | [How] | [When] |

### External Communication

| Audience | Message | Channel | When |
|----------|---------|---------|------|
| [Customers] | [Key message] | [How] | [When] |
| [Partners] | [Key message] | [How] | [When] |

---

## Appendix

### Supporting Documents

- [Link to detailed analysis]
- [Link to customer research]
- [Link to financial model]

### Pivot Type Reference

<!-- For context on pivot types -->

Common pivot types (Lean Startup):
- **Zoom-in Pivot:** Single feature becomes the whole product
- **Zoom-out Pivot:** Product becomes a feature of larger product
- **Customer Segment Pivot:** Same product, different customer
- **Customer Need Pivot:** Same customer, different problem
- **Platform Pivot:** Change from application to platform or vice versa
- **Business Architecture Pivot:** High margin/low volume ↔ low margin/high volume
- **Value Capture Pivot:** Change how you monetize
- **Engine of Growth Pivot:** Viral ↔ paid ↔ sticky
- **Channel Pivot:** Change distribution mechanism
- **Technology Pivot:** Same solution, different technology

---

*Decision documented on [date]. Review scheduled for [date].*
