---
title: Validation Gate
description: How /product:validate-assumptions determines whether it is safe to proceed
seo:
  image: /ogp.png
---
Immediately after Phase 1 (Vision/Scope — the stage where you decide *what to build*) completes,
the `/product:validate-assumptions` command runs. This is where the
**Go/No-Go decision** — whether it is safe to move forward — is made. The result is written
to the `gates` field of `work/pipeline-progress.json`.
The decision rule is straightforward.

- **No-Go (cannot proceed)**: The assumption with the highest collapse impact — the one whose failure would cause the most damage to the business — has not yet been validated, and neither the validation method nor the kill threshold has been defined.
- **Go (safe to proceed)**: Every other case. Even if unvalidated assumptions remain, a Go is issued as long as a plan exists for how to validate them.

:::warning[Go is not proof of profitability]
**A Go decision does not mean the business has been proven profitable.** In practice, metrics such as average revenue per account (ARPA), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and churn rate all received a Go while still marked as TBD assumptions. This is intentional. Go means exactly one thing: a validation plan is in place, so it is acceptable to advance to the next phase.
:::

This mechanism prevents the stall of waiting for a perfect business plan before moving forward,
while still enforcing the minimum requirement that the highest-risk assumption must have a defined validation approach before proceeding.