pol-probe

A Proof of Life probe is a lightweight, disposable experiment designed to test a single falsifiable hypothesis and surface harsh truths about product risk before committing to heavy development. It allows teams to learn fast and kill the probe once the answer is found.

You can test a pricing hypothesis by defining a narrow scope, clear failure thresholds, and a disposal plan, then running a disposable probe like a narrative prototype or synthetic data simulation to validate the workflow bet within days.

Disposable prototypes for hypothesis testing include five Proof of Life probe types: feasibility checks, task-focused tests, narrative prototypes, synthetic data simulations, and vibe-coded probes, each matched to a specific risk question.

Use a disposable probe instead of full experiment design when you need targeted risk elimination for a single hypothesis without shipping production-quality software, such as validating risky automation workflows, avoiding weeks of engineering effort.

Yes, you can validate workflow automation bets by applying the Proof of Life framework to run narrow hypothesis testing, which helps you define learning artifacts and a disposal plan to kill the probe once you have your answer.

You need to document a falsifiable hypothesis, a narrow scope, clear success and failure thresholds, a timeline, a disposal plan, and learning artifacts using a template-driven checklist to ensure disciplined execution of your disposable probe.