Stage-0 Logic Intake
A fast written check of whether your decision is truly model-ready—before you commit serious time or budget.
Stage-0 tells you whether your current decision can be supported by a defensible, reviewable decision model—and what must be clarified or changed before building anything.
Stage-0 is a readiness gate—not an optimization exercise.
We test whether the decision logic holds up before any modeling begins.
Method-focused, not outcome-judging.
~1 business day • no sensitive data required • method-focused review
What Stage 0 is
(and why it exists)
Stage-0 is the entry gate to our process. You share a short, non-sensitive summary, and we return an honest written assessment of:
- whether the decision is model-ready,
- what kind of decision model fits, and
- what the lowest-effort next step would be if you proceed.
No contracts, no payment, and no detailed equations or code at this stage.
Who this is for
Stage-0 is designed for anyone facing a concrete, high-stakes decision tied to a protocol, method, product plan, operational pathway, or governance milestone.
Most teams come to Stage-0 when:
- You have a draft protocol or pathway and want to know if it’s practically modelable around a clear decision.
- You’re preparing external review (IRB/ethics, grant, sponsor, partner, or governance scrutiny) and need a defensible logic trail.
- You’re choosing between competing designs, endpoints, schedules, or rollout options and need a defensible tie-breaker—not another opinion.
Not a fit: Stage-0 is not a marketing call and not generic brainstorming. It’s a focused logic intake with a written answer.
What to send
(minimal, non-sensitive)
Rough, draft-level information is usually sufficient.
You do not need a full grant or a finalized protocol. Clear answers in your own words are enough.
In the form, we ask for:
- What your project is about (1–3 sentences)
- Domain/context (e.g., preclinical, translational, clinical, device, care pathway)
- The decision you want to defend
- (e.g., protocol lock, sample size/power realism, measurement plan, regimen choice, pathway change, go/no-go, next-study design, reuse)
- A brief synopsis of the method / protocol / pathway (draft is fine)
Optional (only if non-sensitive):
- a 1–2 page protocol/pathway summary (no identifiers)
- endpoints + timing (even rough)
- constraints (recruitment reality, sites, measurement limits, capacity/flow constraints, time window)
What you get
(within ~1 business day)
You receive a short written response with a clear verdict — designed for sponsor, PI, or internal decision review:
- 🟢 Modelable as-is (and what the simplest Stage-1 would look like), or
- 🟡 Modelable with changes (what must be clarified/added/locked), or
- 🔴 Not a fit right now (and why)
We also include:
- Routing: the best-fit decision module(s) for your situation (so you know what you’d actually buy next)
- Minimum Inputs List for Stage-1: the smallest set of information needed to build a defensible model for that decision
What you won’t get yet
Stage-0 is deliberately light and fast. You will not receive a full model, full equations, or full code at this stage.
The goal is to reduce uncertainty early and prevent expensive modeling work from starting before the decision is actually model-ready.
Public Stage-0 Example (Zenodo)
Want to see the exact artifact format first?
See an anonymized Stage-0 response (verdict + decision-risk map + minimum inputs list), so you know exactly what you’ll receive before you submit.
How it works
Step 1 — You send the basics
Submit the short form with a non-sensitive summary, the decision you’re facing, and (optionally) a brief outline.
Step 2 — We perform a focused structural review of the decision logic
We check whether the decision can be made explicit as model logic (assumptions → structure → inputs/outputs).
Step 3 — You get a written verdict + next step
A clear feasibility response and the lowest-effort path toward a defensible decision model, if you want to proceed.
Privacy at Stage 0
(important)
- No sensitive data required: Stage-0 is designed to work without identifiable data.
- No NDA at Stage-0: we intentionally keep this step lightweight and non-sensitive.
- If you proceed to Stage-1: NDA / DPA options become available as appropriate.
If you want to see examples first
If you prefer to browse public proof-of-work before starting:
Get a clear verdict before you commit serious resources.
Start Stage-0, and we’ll tell you the most realistic path to a defensible, decision-focused modeling outcome.
~1 business day • no sensitive data required
