Headline figures in Douglas Insights reports carry a confidence grade of High, Medium or Low. This note explains what the grades mean and how to use them.
What the grades measure
A grade reflects the strength of the evidence behind a figure, not its importance. A base-year market size supported by multiple independent sources and vendor disclosures is typically graded High. A ten-year forecast endpoint is typically graded Medium, because it depends on adoption assumptions that can move. Figures built on thin disclosure, such as some frontier-market lines, are graded Low and say so.
Method receipts
Next to each graded figure sits a short method note describing how the number was produced and what would change it. The intent is that a reader can audit the figure without buying the report, and a licence holder can trace it through the Excel model.
How buyers use the grades
Grades tell you where to spend scrutiny. High-graded figures can anchor a business case as published. Medium-graded figures deserve a sensitivity check, which the report’s scenario tools support. Low-graded figures should be treated as directional and validated against your own channel data before major commitments.