How does the Ship-or-Kill scoring methodology work?
The tool evaluates your project across five weighted dimensions: Traction (35%) measures paying customers, revenue, active users, and growth rate. Economics (20%) assesses cost structure, revenue trajectory, and path to profitability. Momentum (15%) evaluates growth trend direction and consistency. Efficiency (15%) examines output relative to time invested, penalizing sunk-cost patterns. Market (15%) evaluates competitive landscape, differentiation, and distribution channel strength. Each dimension scores 0-100 independently, then a weighted composite score determines the verdict: SHIP (70-100) means signals support scaling, ITERATE (40-69) means focused experiments are needed, KILL (0-39) means evidence does not support continued investment.
Why is traction weighted at 35% while everything else is lower?
Traction is weighted highest because it is the most reliable indicator of product-market fit, which research from CB Insights, Y Combinator, and First Round Capital consistently identifies as the primary determinant of startup success. No amount of elegant architecture, clever marketing, or efficient development compensates for building something people do not want to pay for. A single paying customer provides more signal than months of building because it proves someone values your product enough to exchange money for it. The scoring reflects this reality: a project with strong traction but weak economics can fix pricing, but a project with great economics and zero traction may have a fundamental product-market fit problem.
What does an ITERATE verdict actually mean in practice?
ITERATE (score 40-69) means there are some positive signals but the evidence is not strong enough to justify going all-in with significant time, money, or career risk. Practically, this means: set a 30-day checkpoint with specific, measurable goals (e.g., reach 10 paying customers, achieve 5% weekly growth, validate a distribution channel). Run 2-3 focused experiments targeting your weakest scoring dimension. Limit time investment to 10-15 hours per week rather than full-time commitment. The most common ITERATE pattern is a product that has free users or interest but has not converted that interest into paying customers, which requires pricing experiments, direct user conversations, and distribution testing before a SHIP-or-KILL decision.
When should I KILL a project even if I believe in the idea?
The most common kill signals are: zero paying customers after 3+ months of availability (the market has spoken), negative or flat growth for 6+ consecutive weeks after launch (no organic momentum), cost to acquire customers exceeds their lifetime value with no clear path to improvement, and the project requires more hours per week than you can sustain. The hardest kills are projects where you have invested significant time and emotional energy. Research on sunk cost fallacy by Kahneman and Tversky shows that humans systematically overweight past investment when making future-oriented decisions. The KILL verdict is designed to surface this pattern objectively. If you find yourself arguing against the score, ask whether you would start this project today knowing what you know now.
Does this framework work for non-SaaS products?
Yes. The scoring framework applies to any product, side project, or business initiative where you can measure customers, revenue, costs, and growth. This includes digital products (courses, templates, tools), mobile apps, physical products, service businesses, and content businesses. The inputs are universal: how many people pay you, how much revenue you generate, how much it costs to operate, how fast you are growing, and how you acquire customers. For non-SaaS products, interpret MRR as average monthly revenue and adjust customer acquisition context accordingly. The framework is deliberately model-agnostic because the fundamentals of traction, economics, and market position apply to any commercial venture.
How should I interpret the per-dimension breakdown?
The dimension breakdown reveals where your project is strong and where it is constrained. Focus on your weakest dimension first because it is your bottleneck. Common patterns: high traction with low economics means you have demand but your pricing or cost structure needs work. High economics with low traction means your model works on paper but you have not found product-market fit or distribution. High efficiency with low market means you are building well but in a crowded space without differentiation. The recommended next steps are always prioritized based on which dimension drags the composite score down most, because improving a score from 20 to 50 in one dimension has more impact than improving from 70 to 80 in another.
What if I disagree with the verdict?
The score is directional, not prescriptive. If you have strong contextual information the tool cannot capture (insider knowledge, pending enterprise contracts, a distribution partnership about to launch), that context legitimately matters. However, the most common reason founders disagree with a low score is that the numbers are uncomfortable, which is exactly the pattern the tool is designed to surface. Ask yourself: if a friend showed you these exact numbers for their project, would you advise them to continue? External perspective often reveals what internal attachment obscures. If after honest reflection you still disagree, document the specific thesis for why the score is wrong and set a 30-day checkpoint to test it with measurable goals.
How often should I re-evaluate my ship-or-kill score?
Re-evaluate monthly during active building, after any significant milestone (first paying customer, first $1K MRR, launch on Product Hunt or Hacker News), and at the end of any focused experiment period. Tracking your score over time is more valuable than any single evaluation because the trend reveals trajectory: a score that improves from 35 to 55 over 3 months shows the right direction even if the current verdict is still ITERATE. A score that stays flat at 45 for 3 months despite active effort is a stronger kill signal than a single reading of 39.
Is this tool free and private?
Yes. All calculations run entirely in your browser. No data is sent anywhere. No signup or account required.
Is this professional business advice?
No. The Ship-or-Kill framework provides a structured, quantitative assessment based on the inputs you provide. It does not capture qualitative factors like team dynamics, market timing, or domain expertise that legitimately influence product decisions. Use the score as one input alongside your own judgment, customer conversations, and trusted advisor feedback.
