Free tool. Kill criteria template: stop rules you can actually check.
Write down, before a stage starts, the numbers that would end a project. The tool turns each rule into one sentence and flags the ones nobody could measure.
What are kill criteria?
Kill criteria are conditions, written before a stage starts and with a deadline, under which a project should stop. Each one names a metric, a threshold, a time limit and the person or role who decides what happens when it is triggered.
How to write a kill criterion
A good kill criterion can be checked by someone who was not in the room.
Pick one metric
Something you can count: purchase commitments, active customers, monthly revenue, cost per customer. One metric per criterion.
Set the threshold and the deadline
The number that would end the project and by when, counted from a clear event: the start of the experiment, the pilot or the launch.
Add a guard if needed
A second condition that also triggers the rule, such as a cost ceiling, so a project cannot pass on volume alone.
Name who decides and what happens
A role, not a name: close, pause with a retrospective, or redirect. The decision is recorded with its date and reason.
Write your kill criteria
This tool needs JavaScript. The method and a worked example are below.
Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent.
Worked example
Stop rules for an insurer’s new line in Exploration and Pilot. Fictional figures.
Illustrative data — Fictional company, ideas and figures, shown for illustration only.| Stage | Kill criterion | Decides |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration | Close if, within 90 days of the experiment starting, purchase commitments are fewer than 10, or if cost per commitment is above €150. | Innovation committee |
| Exploration | Close if, when the experiment ends, no distribution channel works with real customers. | Innovation committee |
| Exploration | Pause with a retrospective if, at any point in Exploration, stage spend goes above 100% of the approved budget without a new approval. | Innovation committee |
| Pilot | Redirect if, within 90 days of the pilot starting, active contracts are fewer than 25. | Business sponsor |
FAQ
What is a kill criterion?
A condition, written before a stage starts and with a deadline, under which a project should stop. It names a metric, a threshold, a time limit and who decides.
How is a kill criterion different from a KPI?
A KPI tracks how well something is going. A kill criterion fixes in advance the level at which you stop, so the decision does not depend on how attached the team has become.
How many kill criteria should a stage have?
Usually two to four: one on demand or revenue, one on cost or budget, and one on time. More than that and nobody checks them.
Does a triggered criterion mean the project must close?
No. It means a person must decide: close, pause with a retrospective, or record why it does not apply. The point is that the decision is made and written down.
Is what I type stored anywhere?
No. The tool runs in your browser and keeps your entries only in this browser’s storage, which you can clear at any time. Nothing is sent to FounderFold.
What FounderFold adds
- Each kill criterion watches its metric and shows it as OK, under watch or triggered.
- Agents propose kill criteria for each stage from the type of business and organization, and your team adjusts them.
- When one triggers, a person decides and the decision is recorded with its date and reason.
This tool keeps nothing: what you write stays in your browser.