Aglet

Triage Discovery Evidence for a Next-Phase Decision

Discovery rarely ends with complete certainty. Triage the decision record by separating what the team knows, believes, and still needs to learn. Identify whether the next move is solution exploration, another research round, a narrower problem, or a deliberate pause.

Establish what is happening

  1. Name the decision

    Write the concrete choice that must be made and the user outcome it serves. List assumptions, constraints, and affected groups. Remove schedule milestones from the decision statement unless they change the evidence or available options.

  2. Map evidence and gaps

    Link research, observations, prototypes, baseline measures, and stakeholder constraints to each question. Mark direct evidence, interpretation, missing context, and contradiction. Record critical unknowns that could reverse the next-phase plan or narrow its scope.

  3. Set a readiness boundary

    Define what evidence is sufficient for the reversible next step and what requires more discovery. State exclusions, owners, and review date. Keep an uncertain decision visible instead of hiding it behind a green status.

What to carry forward

The triage output is a decision brief with outcome, questions, evidence, critical unknowns, constraints, and next-step boundary. Stop when the decision can be reviewed without a narrative leap. Keep readiness provisional when a missing answer could reverse the plan.

Technical background: GOV.UK user research guidance.

Keep the decision with the work.

Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.

Create an account See the product workflow