Hypothesis Discipline

Core Principle

A hypothesis is not a guess — it is a structured statement with clear validation criteria and a time budget. Every hypothesis must answer: "How will we know if this is true or false?"

Hypothesis Characteristics

• Hypotheses exist at every level of the OST hierarchy (Outcome → Opportunity → Solution → Assumption)
• Each hypothesis has a target level attribute indicating which OST level it addresses
• Hypotheses follow an ADR-style lifecycle — a single file tracks the full journey from draft to conclusion
• Rejected and invalidated hypotheses are never deleted — they are learning assets

Hypothesis Lifecycle