Test the bet before you fund it

Corporate ideas die in two ways. They are killed too early because they do not fit the current plan, or they are funded too early because a senior person likes the slide.

A product sprint separates those cases. Name the bet. List the assumptions that would make it false. Design the cheapest test that could change the room's mind.

The artefact can be a landing page, a concierge service or a rough prototype. It should not be a full business case. Evidence is the point.

Agree the kill criteria before the test, while everyone is still calm. That is how zombie projects stop surviving on optimism.