Getting Started

Find Your Path Through CIMO

The CIMO Framework has different entry points depending on your role and goals. Choose your pathway below to get started.

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Production

Battle-tested, empirically validated

Quick Navigation

→ I'm an ML Engineer → I'm a Researcher → I'm a Decision Maker → I'm Confused About Evaluation

I'm an ML Engineer

I need to evaluate LLM systems, ship reliable models, and get valid confidence intervals.

Step 1: Understand the Problem

Start by understanding why naive evaluation fails under optimization pressure.

→ Read: The Surrogate Paradox (15 min)→ Read: The CIMO Framework Overview (10 min)

Step 2: Install and Run CJE

Get CJE running on your data in 5 minutes. No PhD required.

# Install CJE

pip install cje-eval

→ Installation Guide → Quick Start Recipes

Step 3: Understand Your Results

Learn what the diagnostics mean and when to trust your estimates.

→ Read: The Arena Benchmark (Technical)→ Read: Coverage-Limited Efficiency

Step 4: Go Deeper (Optional)

Understand the theoretical foundations when you need them.

→ CIMO Glossary → Design-by-Projection Theory

I'm a Researcher

I want to understand the theory, validate the claims, and potentially extend the framework.

Start: Theoretical Foundations

Begin with the core theory and assumptions that ground the framework.

→ CIMO Glossary & Assumptions → The Surrogate Paradox

Deep Dive: Pillar A (CJE)

The statistical machinery: calibration, off-policy evaluation, and uncertainty quantification.

→ Design-by-Projection → Oracle-Uncertainty-Awareness → Coverage-Limited Efficiency

Deep Dive: Pillar C (Y*-Alignment)

The geometry of optimization: manifolds, mediation, and the Goodhart Limit.

→ Geometry of Goodhart's Law → Y*-Aligned Systems (Technical)

Empirical Validation & Governance

Examine the Arena benchmark and understand validation scope (model oracles vs human labels).

Validation Scope

Arena validates the statistical machinery (S→Y) using GPT-5 as oracle. Validating the Bridge (A0: Y→Y*) requires domain-specific human/business data.

→ Arena Benchmark (Technical)→ Bridge Validation Protocol

Replicate & Extend

Run the benchmark yourself and contribute improvements.

→ Replication Tutorial → GitHub Repository

I'm a Decision Maker

I need to understand the ROI, risks, and resource requirements before committing.

Start: The Business Case

Understand the cost-benefit analysis and risk mitigation value.

→ Read: The Business Case for Causal Evaluation

The Problem: Why Current Approaches Fail

Understand the concrete failure modes that CJE prevents.

→ Programmable Proxies (Conceptual)→ The CIMO Framework Overview

Implementation Path

See what adoption looks like and resource requirements.

→ CJE Overview → Contact for Pilot Discussion

I'm Confused About Evaluation

I don't know what I don't know. Help me understand the landscape.

Start Here: The Core Problem

Begin with the fundamental issue: why metrics become unreliable under optimization.

→ Programmable Proxies (15 min, Conceptual)

Then: The CIMO Solution

Understand the three-pillar framework that addresses these failures.

→ The CIMO Framework (20 min)

Get Clarity: The Glossary

Learn the core concepts and notation. Return here whenever confused.

→ CIMO Glossary

Choose Your Next Step

Based on your role, jump to the appropriate pathway above.

→ ML Engineer Path → Researcher Path → Executive Path