research-document

Confidence Standard

Confidence Standard

Status: Canonical
Version: 1.0.0

Confidence describes evidential support, not lifecycle maturity or work completion.

Label Optional estimate Meaning
very-low 0.00-0.19 Speculative; little reliable support
low 0.20-0.39 Limited support or major unresolved contradictions
medium 0.40-0.69 Meaningful support with material uncertainty
high 0.70-0.89 Strong, diverse support; bounded residual uncertainty
very-high 0.90-1.00 Exceptional support within a clearly stated scope

Numeric estimates are optional judgments unless a documented method gives them statistical meaning. Every accepted artifact with confidence should state the rationale. Confidence may rise or fall without changing lifecycle state.