Turning assumptions into measurable checks

Assumptions represent what the team believes to be true but cannot yet confirm. They often fill gaps during early planning when not all data is available. While assumptions can guide direction, leaving them untested creates hidden risks that may surface later in development.

Common examples include assuming that users will prefer one workflow over another or that a third-party integration will perform as expected. When such ideas are recorded in the specification, they should be phrased as testable statements rather than vague beliefs. For instance, instead of writing “users will find onboarding intuitive,” the assumption could read “80 percent of new users will complete onboarding within two minutes during usability testing.”

Documenting assumptions in this form allows them to be tracked and validated as part of ongoing research or technical proof. Once validated, they can move into confirmed requirements; if disproven, they help refine the product direction instead of undermining it later.