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MEMOLA-Platforms skill

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This skill helps you assess platform viability and guide phased builds to avoid premature scaling and dead-end projects.

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---
name: MEMOLA-Platforms
slug: memola-platforms
description: Platform viability assessment and phased building methodology
category: strategy
complexity: complex
version: "1.0.0"
author: "MEMOLA"
parent_skill: "MEMOLA"
triggers:
  - "platform assessment"
  - "should we build a platform"
  - "platform viability"
  - "marketplace analysis"
  - "aggregator potential"
  - "platform vs service"
  - "directory opportunity"
tags:
  - platforms
  - marketplaces
  - aggregation
  - network-effects
  - phased-building
dependencies:
  skills: ["MEMOLA", "MEMOLA-Diagnosis"]
---

# MEMOLA-Platforms — Platform Viability Skill

A focused skill for assessing whether a platform should be built, and how to build it without premature scaling.

---

## 1. Purpose

MEMOLA-Platforms answers:

> **Should this be a platform? If so, how do we build it without dying?**

Platform prematurity is a known MEMOLA failure mode. This skill prevents it.

---

## 2. Platform Definition

A **platform** is infrastructure that enables value exchange between multiple parties, where the platform captures value through facilitation rather than direct service delivery.

### Platform vs Service

| Aspect | Service | Platform |
|--------|---------|----------|
| Value creation | You do the work | Others do the work through you |
| Scaling | Linear (more work = more people) | Non-linear (more users = more value) |
| Moat | Expertise/relationships | Network effects/data |
| Risk | Execution | Adoption |

### Platform Types

1. **Directories** — Organized information (lowest complexity)
2. **Marketplaces** — Transaction facilitation (medium complexity)
3. **Tools** — Workflow enablement (medium complexity)
4. **Ecosystems** — Multi-sided value networks (highest complexity)

---

## 3. Platform Viability Criteria

### Criterion 1: Problem Repetition

> **Does this problem repeat across multiple actors?**

Required evidence:
- Same problem observed in 5+ entities
- Problem is structural, not idiosyncratic
- Actors would pay to solve it

Score: 0 (unique problem) to 3 (universal problem)

### Criterion 2: Information Fragmentation

> **Is relevant information scattered and hard to aggregate?**

Required evidence:
- No single source of truth exists
- Aggregation creates value
- Information asymmetry causes friction

Score: 0 (information centralized) to 3 (severely fragmented)

### Criterion 3: Aggregation Leverage

> **Does bringing parties together create value neither could create alone?**

Required evidence:
- Clear network effect potential
- Value increases with participation
- Chicken-and-egg problem is solvable

Score: 0 (no network effect) to 3 (strong network effect)

### Criterion 4: Niche Definition

> **Is there a clearly defined initial user?**

Required evidence:
- Specific user persona identifiable
- User has budget and authority
- User is reachable through known channels

Score: 0 (vague user) to 3 (precisely defined)

### Criterion 5: MEMOLA Fit

> **Is this foundation terrain for a platform?**

Required evidence:
- Platform serves slow-decay sectors
- Trust/legitimacy matter in the space
- Platform can compound value over time

Score: 0 (camp terrain) to 3 (strong foundation)

---

## 4. Viability Scoring

### Calculate Total Score

Sum all five criteria (max 15 points).

### Decision Thresholds

| Score | Viability | Recommendation |
|-------|-----------|----------------|
| 12 - 15 | High | Proceed to phased build |
| 9 - 11 | Medium | Proceed with reduced scope |
| 6 - 8 | Low | Consider service model instead |
| 0 - 5 | None | Do not build platform |

---

## 5. The Phased Building Method

### Why Phases Matter

Platform prematurity kills:
- Building technology before proving demand
- Scaling before achieving product-market fit
- Automating before understanding the manual process

MEMOLA builds platforms in **four irreversible phases**.

### Phase 1: Manual Platform (0-6 months)

**What**: Do the platform's job manually.

Activities:
- Aggregate information by hand
- Facilitate connections personally
- Process transactions manually
- Document every friction point

Success criteria:
- 10+ successful manual transactions
- Clear pattern of value creation
- Users willing to pay for manual service

**Do NOT proceed if**: Manual version doesn't create obvious value.

### Phase 2: Assisted Platform (6-18 months)

**What**: Add tools that help YOU, not users.

Activities:
- Build internal tools for efficiency
- Create databases and tracking systems
- Develop templates and processes
- Begin light automation of repetitive tasks

Success criteria:
- 3x efficiency improvement
- 50+ active users/transactions
- Unit economics work at current scale

**Do NOT proceed if**: Efficiency gains don't materialize.

### Phase 3: Self-Service Platform (18-36 months)

**What**: Let users do what you've been doing for them.

Activities:
- Build user-facing interfaces
- Create self-service workflows
- Implement automated matching/transactions
- Develop trust/verification systems

Success criteria:
- 70%+ transactions happen without intervention
- Retention rates stable
- Marginal cost approaches zero

**Do NOT proceed if**: Users prefer the human-assisted version.

### Phase 4: Ecosystem Platform (36+ months)

**What**: Enable others to build on your platform.

Activities:
- Open APIs for third parties
- Create developer/partner programs
- Build marketplace for add-ons
- Establish platform governance

Success criteria:
- Third-party value creation exceeds your own
- Platform is defensible moat
- Network effects are measurable

---

## 6. Platform Assessment Workflow

### Step 1: Opportunity Identification

Document:
- What problem are we solving?
- Who has this problem?
- How are they solving it now?
- Why would a platform be better?

### Step 2: Criteria Scoring

Score each of the five criteria (0-3).
Sum total. Check threshold.

### Step 3: Phase Determination

If viable, determine:
- Are we starting Phase 1? (New platform)
- Are we in Phase 1 ready for Phase 2? (Existing manual operation)
- Are we already in Phase 2/3? (Existing platform)

### Step 4: Phase-Specific Planning

For current phase:
- Define success criteria
- Set timeline
- Identify risks
- Plan resources

### Step 5: Exit Conditions

Define what would cause:
- Abandonment (platform fails)
- Pivot (platform becomes service)
- Hold (pause before next phase)
- Proceed (advance to next phase)

---

## 7. Output Format

```
PLATFORM ASSESSMENT: [Platform Name]
Date: [Date]

Opportunity:
- Problem: [Description]
- Affected parties: [List]
- Current solutions: [List]

Viability Scores:
1. Problem Repetition: [X/3]
2. Information Fragmentation: [X/3]
3. Aggregation Leverage: [X/3]
4. Niche Definition: [X/3]
5. MEMOLA Fit: [X/3]

Total: [X/15]
Viability: [High/Medium/Low/None]

Recommended Phase: [1/2/3/4 or "Do Not Build"]
Timeline: [X months]
Key Success Criteria: [List]

Exit Conditions:
- Abandon if: [Condition]
- Pivot if: [Condition]
- Proceed when: [Condition]

MEMOLA Role: [Build/Advise/Invest/Partner]
```

---

## 8. Common Platform Failure Modes

### Premature Technology

Building the app before proving the value manually.

*Prevention*: Complete Phase 1 before any code.

### Chicken-Egg Paralysis

Can't get supply without demand, can't get demand without supply.

*Prevention*: Pick one side to subsidize initially. Be the supply yourself.

### Feature Creep

Adding features instead of achieving core value.

*Prevention*: Phase gates require specific criteria, not feature lists.

### Trust Vacuum

Platform can't verify quality of participants.

*Prevention*: Manual curation in Phase 1-2. Trust systems in Phase 3.

### Leakage

Users meet on platform, transact off platform.

*Prevention*: Make platform add value to every transaction, not just first.

---

## 9. MEMOLA's Platform Role

MEMOLA can engage with platforms as:

### Builder
Own and operate the platform. Highest risk, highest reward.

### Advisor
Guide platform strategy without ownership. Lower risk, recurring revenue.

### Investor
Capital + strategic support. Requires portfolio approach.

### Partner
Provide specific capabilities (content, users, expertise) to platform.

Choose role based on:
- Capital availability
- Risk tolerance
- Operational capacity
- Strategic alignment

---

## 10. Integration with MEMOLA Core

This skill supports **Workflow 3: Platform Assessment** in MEMOLA v2.0.0.

Prerequisites:
- MEMOLA-Diagnosis passed (foundation terrain confirmed)
- Strategic Diagnosis completed (problem understood)

Outputs feed into:
- System Design (if building)
- Governance Check (ownership structure)
- Execution planning (phased roadmap)

---

End of MEMOLA-Platforms SKILL.md
Version 1.0.0 — January 2026

Overview

This skill evaluates whether an idea should become a platform and prescribes a phased, low-risk build path to avoid premature scaling. It combines five viability criteria with a clear scoring system and a four-phase execution framework that prioritizes manual validation before automation.

How this skill works

The skill inspects the opportunity across five criteria: problem repetition, information fragmentation, aggregation leverage, niche definition, and MEMOLA fit. It produces a 0–15 score, maps that score to a viability tier, and recommends which one of four irreversible build phases to run next, with concrete success and exit criteria for each phase.

When to use it

Evaluating whether a multi-party workflow should be turned into a platform.
Before committing engineering resources or raising platform-focused capital.
When facing chicken-and-egg adoption uncertainty for two-sided markets.
To design a staged go-to-market plan that avoids premature automation.
When assessing whether to pivot a service into a platform or vice versa.

Best practices

Validate demand manually first: run Phase 1 until you measure repeatable paid transactions.
Score all five criteria honestly and document evidence for each score.
Pick and dominate a narrow initial niche with a clearly reachable user persona.
Automate only when efficiency and unit economics are proven at scale.
Define explicit phase gates: success metrics, timeline, risks, and exit conditions.

Example use cases

Turn a fragmented vendor directory into a paid marketplace by proving value through manual matchmaking.
Assess whether internal tools could become an external workflow platform for adjacent customers.
Decide whether to scale an assisted-service product into user self-service without losing trust.
Plan a staged launch: manual curation → internal ops tooling → self-service UI → open ecosystem.
Evaluate investor or partner roles (build, advise, invest, partner) based on platform maturity.

FAQ

What minimum evidence is required to consider platform building?

At least five independent actors facing the same structural problem, clear aggregation value, and a reachable initial niche with budget.

When should we stop manual operations and build tooling?

Only after manual work shows repeatable value, unit economics at scale, and a measurable efficiency improvement (Phase 2 success criteria).