| Stage | Evidence required to progress |
|---|---|
| Learner prototype | Reproducible synthetic results; honest forward splits; zero/stockout handling; correct profit arithmetic; unsupported-action fallback |
| Internal shadow recommendations | Real posted-price/exposure/cost reconciliation; policy and support checks; no price application; operator review of failures |
| Small approved experiment | Identification plan; complete assignment and applied-price logs; adequate independent units; prespecified guardrails and matured rewards |
| Limited production | Experiment supports the chosen business objective; interval calibration and failure paths pass; rollback and application revalidation exercised |
| Broader or adaptive policy | New markets/products have support; longer-term/category effects assessed; exploration budget and delayed-feedback handling are operational |
You are ready to explain the project when you can answer: what evidence identifies the price effect, which candidate prices are supported, why the selected price improves the stated objective, and what the service does when any of those conditions fails.
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