Name the decision
Start with the job the shortlist must do, the decision owner, the deadline, and the cost of a false positive.
The product
A sieve your team can explain
Capture the rules behind a good shortlist, apply them consistently, and keep the reasons attached to every result.
Eliminate before ranking
Compliance, geography, budget, evidence quality, and other non-negotiables stay explicit. A weighted score cannot smuggle a disqualified candidate back in.
Weight what matters
Score positive and negative signals with definitions, examples, and confidence. Change the weights without erasing the old round.
Keep the receipts
Every criterion can point to a source, note, owner, and freshness date. Unknown stays unknown instead of becoming zero.
Export reasons, not just rows
Share a shortlist with pass/fail gates, score composition, uncertainties, and review notes beside each candidate.
Private pilot
Test one real sieve.
We are selecting a small number of teams with recurring, evidence-heavy shortlist workflows.