Chapter 11: Templates — Copy-Paste Research Tools

"A framework you have to reconstruct from memory every time you need it isn't a framework. It's a nice idea you had once."

Why This Chapter Exists

Every chapter in this handbook has introduced at least one structured template — the Problem Statement (Chapter 1), the Dork Session Log (Chapter 2), the Reddit Research Log (Chapter 3), and so on through Chapter 10's Master Validation Scorecard. This chapter collects all of them in one place so you have a single reference to copy from during active research, instead of flipping back through ten chapters to find the right table.

Nothing here is new theory. This is your working binder.

Discovery-Stage Templates

The Friction Log (Chapter 1)

The Problem Statement (Chapter 1)

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Who experiences this problem?

What are they trying to accomplish?

What currently stands in their way?

How do they cope with it today?

What is the cost of this problem?

What evidence do you have that this is real?

What tier is this problem? (1-5)

What would have to be true for someone to pay to solve this?

Search-Channel Templates

Dork Session Log (Chapter 2)

Reddit Research Log (Chapter 3)

Recurring Question Log (Chapter 3)

Hacker News Research Log (Chapter 4)

Who Is Hiring Log (Chapter 4)

GitHub Issues Research Log (Chapter 5)

Competitive & Industry Templates

Competitor Teardown (Chapter 6)

COMPETITOR TEARDOWN

Company name:
Founded / funding stage:
Target customer (be specific):

PRICING
   Entry price:
   Enterprise price (if disclosed):
   Pricing model:

FEATURE SET
   Core features:
   Notable gaps:
   Recently shipped features:

CUSTOMER SENTIMENT
   Average review rating:
   Most common complaint theme:
   Most common praise theme:
   "Switched from" mentions:

GO-TO-MARKET
   Primary acquisition channel:
   Sales motion:

STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS
   What segment do they serve poorly?
   What would it cost them to fix that weakness?
   Why haven't they fixed it already?

Competitor Comparison Matrix (Chapter 6)

Review Analysis Log (Chapter 6)

Industry Playbook (Chapter 7)

INDUSTRY PLAYBOOK: [Industry Name]

1. WORKFLOW MAP

2. PAIN INVENTORY

3. EXISTING TOOLS LANDSCAPE

4. BUDGET AND BUYING PROCESS

5. REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE CONTEXT

6. WHERE THIS INDUSTRY CONGREGATES ONLINE

7. INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC VOCABULARY

8. SEED QUERY LIBRARY

9. MVP HYPOTHESIS

Automation & Interview Templates

Automation Readiness Scorecard (Chapter 8)

Interview Sheet (Chapter 9)

INTERVIEW SHEET

Interviewee:
Date:
Interview Type: Problem / Solution / Pricing
Source Channel:

WORKFLOW WALKTHROUGH NOTES:
   -

PAIN POINTS SURFACED:
   Pain 1: ____________  Category: ____________  Tier: ___

FIVE WHYS DRILL:
   Why 1:
   Why 2:
   Why 3:
   Why 4:
   Why 5 (root cause):

WORKAROUNDS MENTIONED:
   -

COST QUANTIFICATION:
   Time: ___ hrs/week    Money: $___    Risk/opportunity: ___

CONTRADICTS MY HYPOTHESIS?
   -

REFERRALS OBTAINED:
   -

Interview Analysis Log (Chapter 9)

Interview Recruitment Message (Chapter 9)

Subject: Quick question about [specific workflow], not selling anything

Hi [Name],

I saw your [post/comment/thread] about [specific topic] and wanted
to reach out — I'm researching how [role] handle [general area] and
would love to hear about your experience if you have 15-20 minutes.

This isn't a sales call — I'm not launching anything yet, just trying
to understand the problem space properly before I do.

Would you be open to a quick call this week or next?

Thanks,
[Your name]

Validation & Planning Templates

Master Validation Scorecard (Chapter 10)

Market Attractiveness Score (Chapter 10)

Founder Fit Score (Chapter 10)

Competitor Tracker (ongoing)

Weekly Founder Research Review

WEEK OF: ___________

Candidate opportunities actively tracked: ___

This week's research sessions completed:
   [ ] Google Dorks sweep (Ch. 2)
   [ ] Reddit session (Ch. 3)
   [ ] Hacker News session (Ch. 4)
   [ ] GitHub Issues session (Ch. 5)
   [ ] Competitor teardown/update (Ch. 6)
   [ ] Interviews conducted: ___ (Problem / Solution / Pricing)

Strongest new finding this week:

Weakest-scoring dimension needing attention (Ch. 10 De-Risking Tree):

Next week's priority:

Launch Planning Checklist

- [ ] Gate 1-5 all cleared (Ch. 10) with logged evidence for each
- [ ] MVP scope written, including human-in-the-loop design if
      applicable (Ch. 8)
- [ ] Beachhead segment explicitly defined (Ch. 6)
- [ ] At least 1-3 design partners identified from your interview
      pool (Ch. 9), ideally with a pricing commitment
- [ ] Distribution channel identified and tested
- [ ] Competitor monitoring set up (Competitor Tracker above)

Common Mistakes When Using Templates

Mistake 1: Treating a Template as a One-Time Form

Most of these are living logs, not one-off worksheets — the Dork Session Log, Reddit Research Log, and Competitor Tracker are all meant to be added to continuously, not filled out once.

Mistake 2: Skipping Fields That Feel Obvious

The "why" fields (Structural Weakness, Five Whys, root cause) are the ones people skip first under time pressure — and they're the fields that produce the actual insight. A partially filled template is worth less than it looks.

Mistake 3: Not Centralizing Templates in One Place

Keep all of these in a single connected workspace (a spreadsheet workbook or a linked notes system) so a finding in one log can be cross-referenced against another — this is how you catch patterns like "this complaint showed up in both Reddit and GitHub Issues."

Chapter 11 Checklist

Before moving to the Startup Idea Database in the final chapter, confirm you have:

• Set up a working copy of the Master Validation Scorecard
• Started a Competitor Tracker for your top 2-3 competitors
• Adopted the Weekly Founder Research Review as an ongoing cadence
• Confirmed a Launch Planning Checklist is ready for any opportunity that clears all five Validation Stage Gates

→ Next: 12-Startup-Idea-Database.md — Structured Opportunity Logging

→ See also: 10-Validation.md — The Scoring Frameworks These Templates Implement | 09-Customer-Interviews.md — Full Interview Script Design