Learn · Path · Product manager / technical buyer
Model selection for product use cases
Four readings + three exercises + one pre-seeded workflow. Walks use-case framing, pricing references, lifecycle gates, and benchmark limits so the team can align on a defensible review — ending with a use-case shortlist, a pricing-reference note, a lifecycle risk note, and the evidence brief.
Use this path inside a kit
The matching workflow kit bundles this path with the lab playbooks, evaluation prompt sets, and Markdown templates the role needs, and exports the whole thing as a single work document.
Audience
Product manager / technical buyer
Difficulty
intermediate
Estimated time
46 min · 8 steps
What you walk away with
What you will learn
- How a use-case framing changes which verified fields the team weights.
- How to read a pricing row as a reference, not a live quote.
- What deprecation timelines mean for your integration plan.
- Why no benchmark score appears in the catalogue.
What you will build
- A use-case shortlist the team can review together.
- A pricing-reference note that names provider, unit, and retrievedAt.
- A lifecycle risk note that flags retirement dates.
- A Markdown evidence brief for product or internal review.
Evidence artifacts
- Use-case shortlist URL
- Pricing-reference note
- Lifecycle risk note
- Markdown evidence brief
Tools used
Learn hub →
Concept lessons that explain each verified field.
Selection workspace →
Filter the catalogue by use case, lifecycle, verification.
Comparison builder →
Render verified fields side by side for 2–4 models.
Decision brief builder →
Export a Markdown or JSON evidence brief.
Citation registry →
Every primary-source URL the catalogue references.
Prerequisites
- You can name the use case and the constraints (latency, cost ceiling, compliance) the team is optimising for.
Timeline
8 steps
Open each step in the order shown. The route on every step is the canonical workspace or lesson — no parallel UI.
- lesson5 min
How to choose an AI model
Align the team on the decision workflow before debating models.
- lesson5 min
AI model pricing references explained
Treat catalogue pricing as a sourced reference, not a live quote.
- lesson5 min
Model lifecycle: active, deprecated, retired
Make lifecycle a gate on integration timelines, not a footnote.
- lesson5 min
Why benchmark scores can mislead
Understand why the catalogue does not publish benchmark scores.
- exercise6 min
Review a pricing reference safely
End with a provider/unit/retrievedAt note that finance can sanity-check.
- exercise5 min
Inspect lifecycle before integration
End with a lifecycle risk note for the integration plan.
- exercise10 min
Create a decision evidence brief
End with the evidence brief that pairs with your testing plan.
- workflow5 min
Open the governance-review shortlist
Pull the catalogue's verification + lifecycle filters so the brief inherits a defensible scope.
Start next
Step 1 of 8: How to choose an AI model
Align the team on the decision workflow before debating models.
What this path does not promise
- A recommended model for any product.
- A price ranking across providers.
- Vendor endorsement or affiliate links.
How to use this path
- Open each route in the order shown. The path is a sequenced reading + practice plan, nothing more.
- Keep the artifacts you produce — the shortlist URL, comparison URL, Markdown brief, freshness checklist, or test plan.
- There is no login surface, no progress state, and no completion certificate.
- External workload-specific testing remains your team's responsibility — the catalogue surfaces evidence, not verdicts.
No progress, no accounts, no certificates
- No accounts — the catalogue does not have a login surface.
- No progress tracking — the catalogue does not store which pages you have visited.
- No certificates — the catalogue does not issue completion credentials, badges, or scores.
- Completion is the artifact you produce: a shortlist URL, a comparison URL, a Markdown brief, a freshness checklist, or a written test plan.