Glossary of Behavioral Strategy Terms
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Core fits at a glance
- Problem Market Fit: the target population actively seeks solutions to a clearly defined problem.
- Behavior Market Fit: the target population can and will perform the target behavior in realistic contexts.
- Solution Market Fit: the solution measurably enables the validated target behavior by reducing friction and increasing payoff.
- Product Market Fit: the validated target behavior sustains at scale under real market conditions with viable unit economics. In public-sector contexts, the same gate is Program Market Fit, with sustainable operations and funding.
Core metrics: Δ-B, TTFB, behavior retention at decision-relevant intervals, and bPMF. The Measurement Standards define each one, plus the Chain Risk Score used in adoption-chain mapping.
Foundational Models
Behavioral State Model
The Behavioral State Model is a practitioner diagnostic model with six Personal Components: Personality, Perception, Emotions, Abilities, Social Status/Situation, and Motivations. It also includes two Context Components: the Social Environment and Physical Environment. The Behavioral State Model is a practitioner model, not a validated psychometric instrument or a universal prediction equation.
Its eight diagnostic components include:
- Personal Components: Personality, Perception, Emotions, Abilities, Social Status/Situation, and Motivations
- Context Components: Social Environment and Physical Environment
The original BSM materials use Identity as a historical technical alias for the Personal Components. It names the person side of the model and is broader than self-concept or an aspirational identity. The Personal Components operate on different timescales rather than sharing one fixed level of stability.
Key Principle: Use a low component rating to identify a diagnostic hypothesis or next test. It does not determine behavior likelihood.
Behavior Fit Assessment
The Behavior Fit Assessment is a practitioner decision tool for comparing candidate behaviors across Dispositional Fit, Capability Fit, and Context Fit. It is not a validated measurement instrument. Treat the minimum dimension as a bottleneck and prioritization heuristic; it is not a deterministic probability of behavior.
A score of 6 out of 10 on each Behavior Fit Assessment dimension is a starting threshold that must be calibrated by domain, population, context, stakes, and observed behavior.
The Four-Fit hierarchy
Four-Fit is the ordered validation hierarchy of Problem Market Fit, Behavior Market Fit, Solution Market Fit, and Product Market Fit. It proposes sequential validation to guide investment decisions. It is a practitioner decision aid, not an empirically validated law of success.
1. Problem Market Fit
Definition: Problem Market Fit is achieved when a clearly defined problem is recognized as significant and urgent by a specific user group who actively seeks a solution.
Validation Criteria:
- Evidence of active solution-seeking behavior
- Willingness to pay (time, money, or effort)
- Current workarounds or makeshift solutions exist
Common Mistake: Assuming a problem exists without validating user demand.
2. Behavior Market Fit
Definition: Behavior Market Fit is the validated condition in which the target population can and will perform the target behavior in realistic contexts.
Validation Criteria:
- Provisional Dispositional, Capability, and Context Fit ratings with supporting evidence
- A starting screen calibrated for the domain, population, context, stakes, and observed behavior
- Real-context observation showing that the target population can and will perform the behavior
Common Mistake: Selecting behaviors based on assumptions rather than observation.
3. Solution Market Fit
Definition: Solution Market Fit is achieved when a solution measurably enables the validated target behavior by reducing friction and increasing payoff.
Validation Criteria:
- Completion clears a pre-registered threshold for the named domain, population, and stakes
- Time to first behavior is compared with a pre-registered domain benchmark
- Observed behavior and friction evidence show that the solution enables the behavior
Common Mistake: Building features before validating they enable target behaviors.
4. Product Market Fit
Definition: Product Market Fit is achieved when the validated target behavior sustains at scale under real market conditions with viable unit economics. In public-sector contexts, the same gate is Program Market Fit: sustained behavior across the eligible population with sustainable operations and funding.
Validation Criteria:
- Retention of the target behavior at domain-specific, decision-relevant intervals, with repeat criteria, denominators, cohorting, and observation windows specified. D30 and D180 are examples, not universal checkpoints
- bPMF across consecutive cohorts, calibrated to the domain and stakes. bPMF alone does not establish Product Market Fit
- Viable unit economics, or for programs, sustainable operations and funding
- Stability across contexts is established through observed behavior, explicit cohorts, and diagnostic evidence rather than a universal BSM cutoff
Common Mistake: Celebrating initial adoption without measuring behavior sustainability.
Operational Concepts
Behavioral Selection
Definition: Behavioral Selection is the process of generating, comparing, and selecting candidate behaviors that can drive the desired outcome.
Process:
- Generate a list of candidate behaviors that could achieve the outcome
- Screen candidates with the Behavior Fit Assessment (Dispositional Fit, Capability Fit, Context Fit)
- Use the minimum rating to identify candidate bottlenecks and prioritize candidates with the clearest outcome path
- Establish Behavior Market Fit through field observation and realistic prototyping
Common Mistake: Choosing complex behaviors when simpler ones would suffice.
Quick Reference: Term Relationships
Using This Glossary
Each term page includes:
- Detailed definition and context
- Practical examples and case studies
- Common misconceptions
- Measurement approaches
- Relationship to other concepts
These terms form the foundational vocabulary for implementing Behavioral Strategy effectively.