whynot-control/BETA_SIGNAL_INTAKE.md

Beta Signal Intake

Purpose

This playbook defines how a whynot idea moves from prototype intake through beta, signal review, and promotion decision.

Flow

1. Intake and Triage

• Capture loose ideas in inbox/.
• Use PROTOTYPE_PIPELINE.md Stage 0 and Stage 1 to decide whether to park, reject, merge, or create a prototype card.
• If the idea deserves structured work, create a prototype card from templates/prototype-card.md in prototypes/.

2. Prototype Readiness

A prototype is ready for beta planning when it has:

• a named audience;
• a learning question;
• a smallest useful test;
• an expected signal;
• a plausible promotion target if the signal is positive.

3. Beta Planning

• Use BETA_MODEL.md to choose the beta type and confirm entry criteria.
• Create a beta plan from templates/beta-plan.md in betas/.
• Keep the beta small, explicit, and reversible.

4. Signal Capture

• Record feedback and market evidence in signals/.
• Use MARKET_SIGNAL.md and templates/signal-record.md.
• Preserve null, weak, and contradictory signals rather than rewriting history.

5. Promotion Decision

• Review prototype state, beta notes, and signal strength together.
• Draft a decision from templates/promotion-decision.md.
• Record the final promotion or non-promotion outcome in DECISIONS.md.

Required Artifacts

Stage	Required artifact	Location
Intake	raw note or captured idea	inbox/
Prototype	prototype card	prototypes/
Beta	beta plan	betas/
Signal	signal record	signals/
Decision	promotion decision record	DECISIONS.md and optionally a filled copy of templates/promotion-decision.md

Seeded Agent Tasks

• agent-tasks/triage-prototype-intake.md
• agent-tasks/prepare-beta-plan.md
• agent-tasks/review-signals-and-draft-decision.md

Use these when the repo needs a repeatable agent prompt instead of ad hoc instructions.