Signal
Brief
A Signal Brief is a fixed-price research service from Theory Intelligence that answers one business question in ten business days. It draws on typically six to eight verified sources, which may be people we interview, records we check or data we test, depending on the question, and delivers a signed two-page answer with a confidence level and a provenance appendix. It costs USD 7,500 to 12,000.
- One question, agreed in writing before work starts
- Typically 6 to 8 verified sources: people, records and data in the mix the question needs
- Every person identity and role verified; every document opened and read; every figure traced
- Two-page signed answer with a confidence level and what would change it
- Provenance appendix for every source
- Written AI use disclosure
- 45-minute working session
- 10 business days from kick-off
- USD 7,500 to 12,000, fixed
What you receive
A two-page answer that settles the question, states the confidence behind the answer and names what would change it, signed by the researcher who did the work. Behind it, a provenance appendix listing every source: for each person, role, organisation type, verification method and date, with verbatim quotations; for each document, the citation and the passage relied on; for each dataset, its origin and method. A 45-minute working session to challenge the findings. Delivery in ten business days from kick-off.
When to use it
Before a board or investment committee meeting where one factual question is still open. Before signing with a vendor, a partner, a supplier or a distributor whose record you have not independently checked. When a rule, a rumour or a competitor's move needs a verified read this month rather than a project next quarter. When an internal debate has stalled and nobody in the room has fresh evidence. When you want an independent check on a larger piece of work someone else has produced. If the question can be written in one sentence, it is probably a Signal Brief.
Price
USD 7,500 to 12,000. Fixed before we start, invoiced 50 percent on order and 50 percent on delivery. Prices exclude tax. Where the price lands within the range depends on how hard the evidence is to get.
Compared with the alternatives
An expert network gives you access to calls. A Signal Brief gives you verified evidence of every kind, analysis and a signed answer at a fixed total that is usually below the cost of the calls alone. Read the comparison.
Step by step
Day 0: frame
A 30-minute call to turn your decision into one question. We write it down, agree what evidence would change your mind, and say which kinds of evidence the question needs. Fixed price confirmed.
Days 1 to 3: find and verify
We identify the people who know, the records that exist and the data that can be checked. People are verified before any conversation; roles or names are shared with you before we begin.
Days 3 to 8: gather
The lead researcher runs every interview, recorded with consent and transcribed. Documents are opened and read. Data is traced to its origin. Anything that cannot be verified is set aside.
Days 8 to 10: analyse, write, sign
Evidence weighed, conflicts named, answer written with its confidence level and its provenance appendix. The researcher signs. You receive the brief on day ten and we book the working session.
Questions about the Signal Brief
What is a Signal Brief?
A Signal Brief is a fixed-price research service from Theory Intelligence: one business question, typically six to eight verified sources drawn from people, records and data, and a signed two-page answer with a provenance appendix, delivered in ten business days for USD 7,500 to 12,000.
Does a Signal Brief always involve interviews?
No. The question decides the evidence. A question about what customers think is answered mainly from verified interviews. A question about a counterparty's record or a rule's likely path is answered mainly from documents and data, with interviews to fill the gaps. We tell you the mix on day zero.
How is a Signal Brief different from buying expert calls?
Expert network calls cost several hundred to over a thousand dollars each and leave recruitment, verification, interviewing and synthesis to you. The Signal Brief includes all of that, plus the document and data work and a signed answer, for a fixed total.
Can the question change during the work?
Small refinements, yes. A different question is a different brief. We would rather tell you on day two that the question is wrong than deliver an answer to the wrong one on day ten.
What if the evidence cannot be found?
We tell you before the gathering phase and either adjust the approach with you or cancel at no charge. We do not substitute unverified sources, and we do not fill gaps with AI-generated material.
Start a Signal Brief
Write to info@theoryintel.com with the question and the decision it feeds. You will have a fixed price and a start date within one business day.
Start a brief