Research Scope Reality Check for Boutique Custom Studies

A post-sale scoping system for boutique B2B research firms that turns vague client asks into explicit, testable delivery commitments before fieldwork begins. Instead of policing sales language, it is used during kickoff and study design to pressure-test what is actually answerable, what evidence will be required, what turnaround is feasible, and which conclusions would be out of bounds without stronger inputs. AE applies its adversarial grading loop and failure taxonomy to the scope doc, methodology plan, and interim claims, flagging premise-conclusion severing, concession laundering, cosmetic confidence, and temporal blind spots before the team burns margin. The output is a client-safe scope memo with bounded claims, dependency flags, kill criteria, and escalation triggers. Resolution is much cleaner than proposal conversion: did the required inputs arrive, did the team deliver the scoped outputs on time, were caveats triggered, and did final conclusions stay within pre-registered evidence bounds. This uses AE as a reality-grading engine for delivery discipline, not as a sales brake.

The best case is that boutique research firms already sell bespoke studies under uncertainty, and AE can become a premium post-sale scoping checkpoint that measurably reduces margin burn and overclaim risk.

Engine verdict: GATHER_MORE_SIGNAL (WORTH_SKIMMING). Real delivery pain, but too many unproven adoption and authority assumptions to justify software before paid live-study pilots.