  Prioritization of machine learning projects requires estimates of both the
potential ROI of the business case and the technical difficulty of building a
model with the required characteristics. In this work we present a technique
for estimating the minimum required performance characteristics of a predictive
model given a set of information about how it will be used. This technique will
result in robust, objective comparisons between potential projects. The
resulting estimates will allow data scientists and managers to evaluate whether
a proposed machine learning project is likely to succeed before any modelling
needs to be done.
  The technique has been implemented into the open source application MinViME
(Minimum Viable Model Estimator) which can be installed via the PyPI python
package management system, or downloaded directly from the GitHub repository.
Available at https://github.com/john-hawkins/MinViME
