# Playbook brief

One page per strategy idea you are researching. Fill every blank in the "Locked before testing" block, date it, and do not change it while the test runs. A changed blank is a new brief with a new date and a fresh count.

A brief is a research document. It is not a setup sheet until it has climbed the evidence ladder on your own market (see the playbook method guide).

```text
PLAYBOOK BRIEF — {name} — version {n} — locked on {date}

IDEA (one line):     {what is claimed}
WHY IT MIGHT WORK:    {the public reasoning, and who is on the other side}
WHY IT MIGHT NOT:     {costs, crowding, regime}
MARKET / SESSION / BARS: {instrument} · {session and time zone} · {timeframe}

LOCKED BEFORE TESTING
Context rules (yes/no):  1) {…} 2) {…} 3) {…}
Trigger (yes/no):     {…}
Entry:          {where, order type}
Stop:           {rule}
Target:          {rule}
Time exit:        {rule}
When not to trade:    1) {…} 2) {…}
Cost per trade assumed:  {commission + spread or slippage, in money and in R}
Sample before I look:   {at least 30 trades}
Periods to cover:     {dates, including a stretch that should not suit the idea}

FALSIFIERS (written before testing)
I drop this brief if:   1) {result and sample} 2) {…} 3) {…}

WHAT THE BEAR ATTACKS:  {the two weakest points}
EVIDENCE LADDER:     rung {1 idea / 2 rules / 3 sample / 4 walk-forward / 5 small size} since {date}
```

## Test log columns

Log every qualifying day, taken or not. The Evidence Checker reads these rows.

```csv
trade_id,date,brief_version,qualified,took_trade,direction,entry,stop,exit,result_r,cost_r,exit_reason,rules_followed,notes
```

## Rules for a brief
1. Blanks are filled before any results are seen. Settings chosen after looking are in-sample, and the count starts again.
2. One version under test at a time.
3. Costs are subtracted on every row.
4. Days that qualified and were not taken are rows too.
5. A brief moves to your rules file as a setup sheet only after rung 4, and it is traded at rung 5 size first.