Chapters · 4 of 8

About 14 min · Lesson and activity

Chapter 4 of 80 complete

Communicate Unknowns and Confidence

Make "not enough to say" visibly different from "no".

See the situation

Start with the situation below. Next, we will work through an example together before you try the activity.

Maya · Decision designer

The case

An unknown styled like a rejection

Unknown should say what evidence is missing and who can resolve it. Confidence alone does not name a repair.

Outcome returned: Unknown (correctly)
Displayed as: Grey chip reading "Unknown"
Same grey as: Not a prospect
Sellers learned: Grey means do not bother
Time to learn it: A fortnight

Your task

Choose what caused each unknown. Assign the person who can resolve it and the next review time.

Need a little guidance?

You’re done when: The user sees what is missing and what can resolve it instead of a dead-end “unknown” label.

Unknown describes the evidence, not the person or account.

Need a reminder? Reopen the worked example

Watch one example first

The CRM and a filing disagree about revenue; no source-priority rule resolves it. The result is unknown pending review, even if the model’s confidence is high.

Why this follows from the evidence

A useful unknown names the conflict, the sources, and a repair owner. Confidence does not decide which source has authority.

GTM Lab

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Case evidence

An unknown styled like a rejection

Outcome returned: Unknown (correctly)
Displayed as: Grey chip reading "Unknown"
Same grey as: Not a prospect
Sellers learned: Grey means do not bother
Time to learn it: A fortnight

The decision correctly returned unknown. The interface displayed it in the same grey, in the same position, as a rejection. Within a fortnight, sellers had learned what grey means.

Review workbench

Turn an unknown into an owned next step

Separate absent evidence from a failed lookup, then name who can resolve it and when it returns for review.

Two unknowns · different causesCompare each statement with its source. The labels show the state of this example.

Company is unidentified

Free email address; no company name to verify.

Source: Submitted form · required account evidence is absent

Not checked

Lookup did not return

Company source timed out before a value arrived.

Source: Company-data connector · technical response log

Not checked

Strong score, conflicting deciding sources

Model signal: strong · CRM value: below threshold · current filing: above threshold.

Source: Prepared example · two dated source records and a separate confidence signal

Not checked

The free-email record has no company identity. What caused the unknown?

The company lookup timed out. What caused the unknown?

Who can resolve the absent company identity?

What is the next action for this case?

When should this case return for review?

Keep signal strength separate from the disposition

The conflicting-source case has a strong score. What should happen while the deciding field is disputed?

Unknown ownership handoffRead in numbered order. Each handoff needs an owner and acceptance evidence.

1. Data owner
Request or verify the missing company evidence.
Accepts: No company identity is recorded.
Releases: A source and observation time are attached.
Not checked
2. No owner selected
Add a review time or triggering event.
Accepts: The source arrives or the lookup recovers.
Releases: Re-evaluate with the new evidence; do not rewrite the prior unknown.
Not checked

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Optional: inspect the chapter check choices

Work the case · 0 of 2 sections drafted

Make an unknown read as a request

Compare these alternatives one section at a time. Check a choice to see its consequence; the draft summary below keeps the proposed changes together.

Step 1 of 2

What makes an unknown different in kind from every other outcome?

A normal outcome says something about the record; an unknown says something about the evidenceIt happens far less often than the normal outcomesIt is temporary and will resolve once the data arrives

This is a proposed draft until the chapter check runs. Selecting a choice alone does not complete the chapter.

2c · Proposed

Review record draft

Review record draft · current draftCompare the original state with the proposed change. This preview does not change live records.

Review record draft · current draft
Item	Before	Proposed	Why
What makes an unknown different in kind from every other outcome?	No saved change in this exercise draft	Not drafted yet	Choose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
Nobody has measured whether confidence tracks correctness. How should it reach a reviewer?	No saved change in this exercise draft	Not drafted yet	Choose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.

What makes an unknown different in kind from every other outcome?: BeforeNo saved change in this exercise draft; ProposedNot drafted yet; WhyChoose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.
Nobody has measured whether confidence tracks correctness. How should it reach a reviewer?: BeforeNo saved change in this exercise draft; ProposedNot drafted yet; WhyChoose a proposal to see what it would add to the draft.

A choice appears here as a proposal, not as evidence that a live system changed.

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Chapter 4 of 80 complete