The Evaluation Criteria Framework is the structured set of qualitative and quantitative criteria BRI Associates uses to evaluate a strategy hypothesis at each stage gate — the core of how BRI assesses a new business or product opportunity. The criteria are organized by the Desirability–Feasibility–Viability (DFV) lens and mapped to the six dimensions of the BRI Strategy Framework, so an opportunity is judged on whether customers want it, whether the organization can deliver it, and whether it is economically sound — not on enthusiasm or a single financial number.
Rather than a fixed checklist, the framework draws on dozens of evaluation criteria derived from BRI Associates' decades of practitioner experience, customized and prioritized for each client, with the relevant quantity growing across stages — as model fidelity rises and as the investment at stake increases. Early stages apply a smaller, coarser set to confirm an opportunity is worth pursuing; later stages apply more criteria, at higher rigor, to support a larger commitment. The effect is that every project in a portfolio is evaluated on a comparable basis at each Continue / Pivot / Pause / Stop decision.
The framework is operationalized in Growth Forge® Software as the Strategy Evaluation tool, configurable per portfolio so an organization can tailor the criteria, weightings, and evidence standards to its own context. For the full treatment of how evaluation runs across the pipeline, see the Innovation Methodology pillar at /supporting/methodology. Related Terminology Index entries: DFV; Strategy Hypothesis; Stage Gate; Evidence Level; Fidelity.
