PMF Stage Definition
Purpose
Official PMF maturity stage definitions for PMFKit v1. Used by the engine (Report 1 discovery verdict), UI, and public narrative. Stages align with DRL (Distribution Readiness Level) and recommendation (Continue / Pause / Kill).
Stages (v1)
Engine and UI use five named stages (type CmoReportStage in lib/report/cmo-first-report-types.ts):
| Stage | Description | Typical DRL |
|---|---|---|
| Idea Validation | Validating problem and solution; pre-product or very early. | 0 |
| Early Traction | Early adopters; not yet repeatable distribution. | 1 |
| Product-Market Fit | Strong fit signals; repeatable, scalable channels emerging. | 2 |
| Scaling | Scaling distribution and operations. | 2–3 |
| Growth | Multiple proven channels; scaling growth. | 3 |
Numeric Mapping (0–5)
For external or future use, stages can be mapped to a 0–5 scale:
| Index | Stage | DRL range |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Idea Validation | 0 |
| 1 | Early Traction | 1 |
| 2 | Product-Market Fit | 2 |
| 3 | Scaling | 2–3 |
| 4 | Growth | 3 |
| 5 | (Reserved) | — |
Code today uses the named stages only; numeric 0–5 is documented here for CMO/founder-facing language and future use.
DRL (Distribution Readiness Level)
- DRL 0: Undefined / pre-distribution.
- DRL 1: Early-adopter channels only.
- DRL 2: Repeatable, scalable channels emerging.
- DRL 3: Multiple proven channels.
DRL is computed deterministically in lib/scoring/drl.ts and attached to Report 1 as drlBreakdown. Stage is assigned by the synthesis step from component analyses and DRL context.
Recommendation
- Continue: Proceed; focus on next milestone.
- Pause: Pause or narrow scope; resolve blockers or unknowns first.
- Kill: Consider stopping or pivoting; evidence suggests poor fit or execution risk.
Owned by CMO path (Report 1 discoveryVerdict.verdict.recommendation).
UI and Public Narrative
- Homepage and report copy must use the same stage names and recommendation values as the engine.
- CMO owns: PMF Stage Definition Doc (this doc), standardized recommendation structure, public-facing language framework, founder ICP clarity, and alignment with BRAND.md.