product-idea-auditlisted

# Product Idea Audit A method for taking an idea from "sounds nice" to "here is what is true, here is what kills it, and here is where else it could go." Two passes, run in this order. The product pass establishes what is real. The creative pass expands from that reality. Running creative first produces enthusiasm about a market that does not exist. ## The core principle: deliver the negative Most analysis lists what is there. The value is in what is missing. Across markets, the same blind spot repeats: everyone ships the positive, nobody ships the negative. Handover tools produce a document of what was said, none produce the signed list of what was never covered. Verification tools mark true and false, none distinguish "unfound" from "contradicted". Contract platforms track obligations that are already active, none inventory the dormant clauses nobody ever exercised. So on every idea, ask early: what is the negative artifact here, and does anyone deliver it? That question alone finds the gap in most markets. ## Workflow ### Phase 0 — State the idea in one sentence Before any research, write the idea as: for [specific person], when [trigger moment], this [does what], so that [outcome]. If the sentence needs an "and also", the idea is two ideas. Split them and audit separately. ### Phase 1 — Evidence sweep Gather facts before forming opinions. Never audit from priors: named competitors, prices, and demand numbers change fast, and an audit built on remembered market