| Problem framing | Clarifies users, context, and desired outcomes before ideation. | Moves to solutions without a clear problem definition. |
| Prioritization logic | Uses explicit criteria and communicates tradeoffs transparently. | Ranks initiatives with vague rationale or inconsistent criteria. |
| Metric fluency | Chooses actionable metrics tied to user and business outcomes. | Uses vanity metrics that do not map to decision quality. |
| Leadership narrative | Demonstrates alignment building and ownership across functions. | Focuses on tasks without showing leadership impact. |