Step 1
Current means dated direct or supporting evidence is inside the review interval, has an owner, and has no contradiction or material change.
Public tool method · Version 1.0.0
Reality Audit
Use this method when you need to answer: Which strategic assumptions, evidence categories, and unspoken concerns must be tested before commitment? It turns the evidence you supply into a Assumption ledger by applying explicit, versioned decision rules. The result is not a benchmark or certification. It shows the strongest evidence, riskiest input, next action, owner, and review date so another reader can inspect and challenge the decision.
Last material review 2026-08-08 · Next review 2026-11-06
Question answered
Which strategic assumptions, evidence categories, and unspoken concerns must be tested before commitment?
Reality Audit contains three connected modes: an assumption ledger; a Story and Spreadsheet brief that separates facts, interpretations, forecasts, preferences, and human context; and a Dissent Protocol that maps missing voices and requires a response owner.
Step 2
Aging begins at 75% of the review interval.
Step 3
Exposed includes overdue, weak, undated, future-dated, unowned, or materially changed evidence.
Step 4
Expired includes contradiction, no evidence, or an overdue assumption still in use without an owner.
Step 5
Decision Brief keeps facts, interpretations, forecasts, preferences, and human context separate and flags missing countercases or reversal conditions.
Step 6
Dissent Protocol requires affected, expert, authority, and absent groups to be mapped and high-consequence concerns to receive a reason, owner, disposition, and date.
Assumptions and limits
- Pressure order is a work queue, not a benchmark or probability.
- Decision Brief does not verify evidence or certify a decision.
- Dissent Protocol private pre-work is not an anonymous reporting system, confidentiality guarantee, investigation, or formal HR, ethics, legal, or safety channel.
Usefulness hypothesis
Connected evidence, decision, and dissent artifacts help leadership retire stale beliefs and test a commitment before external reality does.
Primary metric: Pressure-queue export, mode artifact export/import, response-register completion, or facilitator-pack use
Worked example and modes
The same method, preserved entry intent.
- Statement
- Mid-market buyers choose us because implementation is faster than the alternatives.
- Decision Affected
- Whether to lead the next campaign with speed to value.
- Gap Type
- belief-truth
- Evidence Type
- direct-observation
- Evidence Age Days
- 12
- Review Interval Days
- 90
Distribution package
Use, embed, and share the instrument.
Blank CSV template90-second demonstrationThree share treatmentsPlain-language answer
Embed with canonical attribution
<iframe src="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/reality-audit/embed.html" title="Reality Audit" loading="lazy" width="100%" height="900"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://petrichorgrowth.com/tools/reality-audit">Reality Audit by Petrichor</a></p>Ownership and change control
Who keeps the result defensible?
Product
Petrichor product
Method
Petrichor strategy
Evidence
Petrichor research
Privacy
Petrichor operations
Security
Petrichor web platform
Distribution
Petrichor growth
Support
Petrichor client experience
A material method change requires a reason, impact note, fixture rerun, semantic-version increment, and public entry in the method change log.
Related decision methods
Continue through the evidence chain.
Relevancy Audit
Identify where positioning has drifted from present market priorities.
Revenue Story
Test whether the growth narrative matches the actual revenue mechanics.
Signal Triage
Decide which market signals require action, observation, or deliberate disregard.
Related plain-language answers
Relevancy Audit answerRevenue Story answerSignal Triage answer
Method questions
What another reader should know.
What does the Reality Audit method produce?
A versioned Assumption ledger with visible reasoning, evidence status, next action, ownership, and review date.
What inputs does Reality Audit require?
Only the structured decision evidence named by the instrument. Missing or estimated inputs remain visible in the result.
Does the method use AI or a cross-customer benchmark?
No. It applies deterministic rules to the user's inputs and does not compare one customer with another.
When is the method reviewed or changed?
The current method is reviewed at least every 90 days. Material changes require new fixtures, a version increment, and a public change note.
When should the artifact move into facilitated work?
When the unresolved decision requires team challenge, evidence reconciliation, dissent, ownership, and an organizational commitment.