In the Lean Startup methodology, which of the following best defines boundary conditions related to risk management?

Boundary conditions in Lean Startup are the specific limits and assumptions set around an experiment that keep the risk manageable by defining what is being tested and what is not. They outline the scope of a hypothesis, such as the target customer segment, the minimum feature set, or the time frame for validation, so that uncertainty is narrowed to a focused, testable range. By establishing these boundaries, a startup can allocate resources efficiently, monitor only the most critical variables, and quickly learn whether the core assumption holds. For example, a company might set a boundary that the first version of a product will only be offered to college students in a single city, allowing the team to evaluate demand without spreading effort too broadly. This focused approach turns broad uncertainty into a controlled experiment that reduces overall risk.