C.17:4.2 - Use-Value: useful for which objective?

Use-Value, historically also called ValueGain, reports the bearer’s supported usefulness or contribution to one declared objective or acceptance criterion. An ordinary usefulness statement may use an ordinal Scale such as Fail | Partial | Pass; it does not need a counterfactual merely because the bearer is useful for the stated purpose.

When the result claims an improvement or gain, identify both the baseline and the comparison or counterfactual Method that makes the difference meaningful. One bounded measured construction is ValueGain = metric_after - metric_before under a fixed metric and window. An A/B comparison, back-test, or causal-inference Method may provide the comparison when it fits the claim. Cite the before and after measurements and the Work or other evidence on which they rely. A predicted gain identifies its model, error, baseline, and intended later update. Without a baseline and an appropriate comparison Method, say what usefulness is supported; do not report an observed gain.

Use-Value may be one member of a declared Q-set, but it is not the whole Q-set by default. If it stays outside Q, name its actual use as a side condition or tie-breaker. Do not silently promote Novelty, Surprise, DeltaDiversity_P, or Illumination into dominance.