---
title: 'Product Management templates: Assumptions Tracker'
teaser: A simple base to get you started with tracking your assumptions.
tags: templates,product management
author: Jared Turner
published_on: 2024-03-28
---

<aside class="info">
  Our ethos with <a href="https://thoughtbot.com/blog/tags/templates">templates</a> is to start simple. Every template will evolve depending on the team, industry, company size and more.<br><br>
  
  These are a tried-and-tested base that we reach for when starting a new project.
</aside>

Assumptions are dangerous (and they can make a [silly donkey out of you and me]). It's important to identify and explicitly list out all of the assumptions you are making.

You might start with an [assumption board exercise], but the next steps: prioritisation and validation tracking are just as important.

[View Assumptions Tracker template in Google Sheets]

Remember to `File > Make a copy`

<img style="max-height: 500px;" src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/sdn6f33qlbuthcgok58tp1d9rhoh_assumptions.png" alt="Assumption tracker template example in Google Sheets">

## Priotisation

Not all assumptions are equal. Some might have higher risk to your business, and some you will be less confident about. It's important to prioritise which assumptions you want to validate (or invalidate) first.

We recommend ranking based on

- **Risk**: The riskiness of the assumption to our business
- **Confidence**: The confidence level in the assumption. Important: High confidence has a lower score

<aside class="info">
  An alternative to ranking on risk and confidence is to simply vote. Everyone gets N votes and you add up all the votes for each.
</aside>

## Validation tracking

Now that you have a prioritised list of assumptions, the most important step is ahead of you: Validating or invalidating each assumption.

A light-weight tracker is built into the [second tab of the template]. You want to document how you will test each assumption as well as what outcome defines 'validated' or 'invalidated'.

<img style="max-height: 500px;" src="https://images.thoughtbot.com/phelpq4g3z8rxb7wdcs548nv2jy0_assumptions-validation-tracking.png" alt="Assumption validation tracker template example in Google Sheets">

[silly donkey out of you and me]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/when_you_assume,_you_make_an_ass_out_of_you_and_me
[assumption board exercise]: https://design.thoughtbot.com/sprint-guide/exercises/assumptions-board/
[View Assumptions Tracker template in Google Sheets]: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18Tz_YSqCK5oHsdga54HfNoa8bpTOfAP5HG2teDw_Zc4/edit#gid=1015018780
[second tab of the template]: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18Tz_YSqCK5oHsdga54HfNoa8bpTOfAP5HG2teDw_Zc4/edit#gid=1855023511