Choose factors from the market
Factors should describe what the sector offers and what buyers arbitrate. A list built only from internal features produces a self-centred picture.
- Buying criterion
- Alternative
- Cost or effort
- Experience
06 · Value curve
Value curve: compare what offers actually prioritise
WHAT TO CHECK
A comparative curve exposing convergence, divergence and hypotheses to test.
- 01Derive factors from buyer criteria and alternatives.
- 02Define one common scale and document every assigned level.
- 03Test reduce, eliminate, raise and create choices with separate evidence.
Make the scale auditable
Every level needs a definition and source. A one-to-five scale is ordinal: a two-point difference does not prove twice as much value.
- Level definition
- Source
- Date
- Uncertainty
Turn divergence into a test
A different curve is only a positioning hypothesis. Test it with non-customers, switching costs and the capabilities needed to deliver the promised curve.
- Expected benefit
- Target non-customer
- Cost
- Next test
VALIDATION DOSSIER
State the decision contract
Use the question “Which factors do offers invest in, and which differences remain visible to buyers?” as a contract: name the owner, deadline, scope and alternatives before collecting more material. A strategy canvas compares competitive factors, offer levels and value curves while keeping the limits of relative scores visible. Record what is deliberately outside scope, who can challenge the framing and what consequence follows from postponement. This prevents an attractive framework, actor list or market story from silently replacing the decision that the analysis is meant to support.
- Owner and deadline
- Comparable alternatives
- Explicit boundary
- Cost of delay
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Build an inspectable evidence register
For every material statement, retain the original source, publication date, observation period, method, unit and relevant population. Distinguish observed facts, calculated estimates, interview judgements and assumptions. Connect the register to the promised output: A comparative curve exposing convergence, divergence and hypotheses to test. Missing or contradictory evidence remains visible with a responsible owner and a collection action; it is never converted into certainty merely to complete the page.
- Primary source
- Method and unit
- Confidence
- Evidence gap
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Apply one operating convention
Define the rules before applying the analysis: inclusion criteria, identifiers, comparison set, calculation or coding convention, treatment of missing values and version date. Reproduce the same convention across every option or actor. Use the page checks as acceptance tests, beginning with “Derive factors from buyer criteria and alternatives.” A conclusion is usable only when another practitioner can reconstruct how the inputs became the displayed result and identify where judgement entered.
- Stable definitions
- Common comparison
- Versioned inputs
- Reproducible transformation
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Test uncertainty and rival interpretations
Challenge the preferred interpretation with at least one plausible alternative, contradictory observation and sensitivity test. Separate association from prediction and never infer intent, power or causality from a position, score or visual proximity alone. The standing limit remains: A value curve represents relative levels; it does not measure preference, willingness to pay or market size. State which uncertainty is most likely to reverse the conclusion and what additional observation would discriminate between the competing explanations.
- Alternative explanation
- Counterevidence
- Sensitivity
- Decision-changing uncertainty
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Record the action and reopening rule
Turn the analysis into a dated decision record rather than a static page. Preserve the selected option, rejected alternatives, objections, accepted risks and first reversible action. Name the signal, numerical or qualitative threshold, review owner and review date that will confirm, adapt, pause or reopen the decision. Link every later update to its author and reason so that the history remains understandable when evidence or market conditions change.
- Decision trace
- First reversible step
- Review threshold
- Named owner
LIMIT
A value curve represents relative levels; it does not measure preference, willingness to pay or market size.
- Blue Ocean Strategy, Strategy Canvas (opens in a new tab)Official source for the strategy canvas and value-curve method.
- UK Government, The AQuA Book (opens in a new tab)Official guidance for recording evidence, uncertainty and permitted conclusions.