11 KiB
Kill Criteria & Exit Ramps Templates
Quick-start templates for defining kill criteria, go/no-go gates, pivot/kill decisions, and wind-down plans.
Template 1: Kill Criteria Document (Pre-Launch)
When to use: Before starting new project, feature, or product
Kill Criteria Document Template
Project Name: [Project name]
Project Owner: [Name, role]
Start Date: [Date]
Kill Decision Authority: [Specific person who makes kill decision, e.g., "Product VP"]
Escalation Path: [Who can override, e.g., "CEO can override with written justification"]
Success Metrics
Primary Success Metric: [Quantifiable metric, e.g., "20% conversion rate"]
Secondary Success Metrics (if applicable):
- [Metric 2, e.g., "NPS >40"]
- [Metric 3, e.g., "CAC <$100"]
Time Horizon: [Evaluation period, e.g., "6 months post-launch"]
Kill Criteria
Kill Criterion 1 (Primary):
- Metric: [What to measure, e.g., "Conversion rate"]
- Threshold: [Trigger value, e.g., "<10%"]
- Time: [When to evaluate, e.g., "6 months post-launch"]
- Action: If threshold met → Kill project
Kill Criterion 2 (Secondary, if applicable):
- Metric: [e.g., "CAC"]
- Threshold: [e.g., ">$200"]
- Time: [e.g., "3 months post-launch"]
- Action: If threshold met → Evaluate pivot or kill
Kill Criterion 3 (Time-based):
- Metric: [e.g., "Profitability"]
- Threshold: [e.g., "Not profitable"]
- Time: [e.g., "By Month 18"]
- Action: If threshold met → Kill project
Pivot Criteria (Optional)
Pivot Criterion 1:
- Metric: [e.g., "Conversion rate"]
- Threshold: [e.g., "10-15% (between kill and success)"]
- Time: [e.g., "6 months post-launch"]
- Action: If threshold met → Evaluate pivot options
Pivot Options to Consider (if pivot triggered):
- Option 1: [e.g., "Target different customer segment"]
- Option 2: [e.g., "Change pricing model"]
- Option 3: [e.g., "Shift go-to-market strategy"]
Monitoring Plan
Tracking Frequency: [How often to review metrics, e.g., "Weekly dashboard, monthly review"]
Dashboard Owner: [Who maintains dashboard, e.g., "Product Analyst"]
Review Meetings: [When to formally review, e.g., "Monthly project review"]
Alert Thresholds: [When to notify decision-maker, e.g., "Alert if conversion <12% (approaching kill threshold)"]
Wind-Down Plan (If Kill Triggered)
See Template 5: Wind-Down Plan for detailed execution checklist.
Signatures (Pre-Launch Approval)
- Project Owner: ________________ Date: ______
- Decision Authority: ________________ Date: ______
Note: Changes to kill criteria after launch require re-approval.
Template 2: Go/No-Go Gate Assessment
When to use: At milestone gates during multi-stage project
Go/No-Go Gate Template
Project Name: [Project name]
Gate Number: [e.g., "Gate 2: MVP"]
Gate Date: [Date]
Decision Authority: [Who makes go/no-go decision]
Gate Success Criteria (Defined at Previous Gate)
-
Criterion 1: [e.g., "40% weekly active users among 50 beta users"]
- Target: 40%
- Actual Result: [X]%
- Met?: ☐ Yes ☐ No
-
Criterion 2: [e.g., "NPS >30"]
- Target: >30
- Actual Result: [X]
- Met?: ☐ Yes ☐ No
-
Criterion 3: [e.g., "CAC <$150"]
- Target: <$150
- Actual Result: $[X]
- Met?: ☐ Yes ☐ No
Overall Gate Assessment
Criteria Met: [X] out of [Y] criteria met
Business Case Review:
- Original Business Case: [Revenue projection, strategic rationale]
- Current Business Case: [Has it changed? Still valid?]
- Changes: [Any significant changes in market, competition, resources?]
Alternative Opportunities:
- Alternative 1: [Other project/opportunity] — Expected value: [X]
- Alternative 2: [Other project/opportunity] — Expected value: [X]
- This Project: Expected value: [X]
- Ranking: [Is this project still best use of resources?]
Gate Decision
Decision: ☐ GO (Continue to next stage) ☐ NO-GO (Kill project) ☐ PIVOT (Change approach)
Rationale: [1-2 paragraph explanation of decision]
Next Stage Investment (if GO):
- Budget: $[X]
- Timeline: [X months]
- Team Size: [X people]
- Next Gate: [Date and success criteria for next gate]
Kill Actions (if NO-GO):
- Wind down within [timeframe]
- Reallocate team to [project]
- Postmortem scheduled for [date]
Pivot Plan (if PIVOT):
- Pivot Direction: [What changes?]
- Hypothesis: [What are we testing?]
- Timeline: [How long to test pivot?]
- Success Criteria: [What success looks like for pivot]
Decision Authority: ________________ Date: ______
Template 3: Pivot vs. Kill Decision Framework
When to use: Project not meeting targets, deciding whether to pivot or kill
Pivot vs. Kill Assessment
Project Name: [Project name]
Assessment Date: [Date]
Current Status: [Brief summary of current state]
Assessment Factors
| Factor | Pivot Score (1-5) | Kill Score (1-5) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Pain | ☐ Real pain, wrong solution (5) | ☐ No pain, nice-to-have (1) | [Evidence] |
| Market Size | ☐ Large enough (5) | ☐ Too small (1) | [TAM estimate] |
| Learning Rate | ☐ High insights (5) | ☐ Low, stuck (1) | [Discoveries per week] |
| Burn Rate | ☐ Sustainable (5) | ☐ Too high (1) | [Monthly burn vs. runway] |
| Team Belief | ☐ Believes in vision (5) | ☐ Doesn't believe (1) | [Team sentiment] |
| Opportunity Cost | ☐ Still best option (5) | ☐ Better options exist (1) | [Alternatives] |
| Execution vs. Hypothesis | ☐ Hypothesis valid, execution wrong (5) | ☐ Hypothesis invalid (1) | [Root cause analysis] |
Total Pivot Score: [Sum] / 35
Total Kill Score: [Sum] / 35
Pre-Mortem Inversion Test
Question: "If we were starting today with $0 invested and zero sunk cost, would we start this project?"
☐ Yes, exactly as-is → CONTINUE (no pivot needed)
☐ Yes, but differently → PIVOT (describe how:_____________________)
☐ No → KILL (reallocate resources)
Decision
Decision: ☐ CONTINUE ☐ PIVOT ☐ KILL
Rationale: [Explanation based on factors above]
If PIVOT:
- Pivot Hypothesis: [What changes and why]
- Pivot Timeline: [How long to test]
- Pivot Success Criteria: [What success looks like]
- Pivot Kill Criteria: [If pivot doesn't work, when to kill]
If KILL:
- Wind-Down Timeline: [X weeks/months]
- Resource Reallocation: [Where team/budget goes]
- Postmortem Date: [When to conduct postmortem]
Decision Authority: ________________ Date: ______
Template 4: Portfolio Kill Criteria
When to use: Managing multiple projects, need to kill some to focus
Portfolio Ranking & Kill Decision
Portfolio Review Date: [Date]
Decision Authority: [Who makes portfolio decisions]
Capacity: [How many projects can we support? e.g., "5 projects"]
Project Ranking
| Rank | Project | Expected Value (EV) | Resource Cost (RC) | EV/RC Ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Project A] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✓ Keep |
| 2 | [Project B] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✓ Keep |
| 3 | [Project C] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✓ Keep |
| 4 | [Project D] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✓ Keep |
| 5 | [Project E] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✓ Keep |
| 6 | [Project F] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ← Kill line |
| 7 | [Project G] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✗ Kill |
| 8 | [Project H] | $[X]M | [Y] FTEs | [X/Y] | ✗ Kill |
Ranking Methodology: [How EV calculated, e.g., "(Revenue × Probability) / Resource Cost"]
Kill Threshold: Projects ranked below [X] get killed
Projects to Kill (Example)
[Project Name]:
- Status: [e.g., "80% complete"] | Sunk Cost: $[X] | Expected Value: $[Z]
- Why Kill: [Rationale, e.g., "Opportunity cost — reallocating to Project A yields 2× more value"]
- Wind-Down: [Timeline] | Team Reallocation: [X FTEs] → [Projects]
Decision Authority: ________________ Date: ______
Template 5: Wind-Down Plan
When to use: Kill decision made, need to execute wind-down
Project Wind-Down Checklist
Project Name: [Project name]
Kill Decision Date: [Date]
Wind-Down Owner: [Person responsible for executing wind-down]
Target Wind-Down Completion: [Date, ideally <1 month]
Communication (Week 1)
- Team: Notify within 1 week ([Decision authority + owner], focus on learning not blame)
- Stakeholders: Notify exec team, adjacent teams ([Project owner])
- Customers (if applicable): Migration plan, support timeline, refund policy ([Customer success])
Team & Technical Transition (Weeks 2-4)
- 1-on-1s: Discuss next roles, reallocation plan (Week 2, [Manager])
- Knowledge Transfer: Document learnings, tech docs, research insights (Week 2-3, [Team])
- Code Archive: Archive repository at [Location] (Week 3, [Tech lead])
- Infrastructure: Shutdown servers, cancel services, save $[X]/month (Week 4, [DevOps])
- Data: Backup critical data, ensure GDPR compliance (Week 3, [Tech lead])
Customer Transition (if applicable)
- Migration: [X months timeline] to [Alternative product], support until [date]
- Refunds: Pro-rated refunds for annual customers within [X weeks]
- Sunset: Support ends [date], then [full deprecation]
Postmortem (Week 3-4)
- Schedule: Within 2 weeks ([Date], [Team + stakeholders], [Neutral facilitator])
- Agenda: What worked? What didn't? Learnings? Apply to future?
- Document: Write postmortem doc ([Facilitator]), share with team (learning focus)
- Celebrate: Acknowledge disciplined stopping frees resources for winners
Budget & Metrics
Sunk Cost: $[Total spent]
Remaining Budget Saved: $[Budget that would have been spent if continued]
Resources Freed: [X FTEs, $Y budget]
Reallocated To: [List projects receiving resources]
Time to Wind-Down: [Actual weeks from decision to completion]
Completion Checklist
- Team reallocated | [ ] Infrastructure shutdown | [ ] Customers transitioned
- Postmortem shared | [ ] Budget reallocated | [ ] Project marked "Killed"
Wind-Down Owner Signature: ________________ Date: ______
Quick Reference: When to Use Each Template
| Template | Use Case | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Kill Criteria Document | New project starting | Before launch |
| Go/No-Go Gate Assessment | Milestone decision point | At each gate |
| Pivot vs. Kill Decision | Project not meeting targets | When struggling |
| Portfolio Kill Criteria | Managing multiple projects | Quarterly or as needed |
| Wind-Down Plan | Kill decision made | After kill decision |