Why a “Sanity Strip” Beats a 30-Page Discovery
Proposals slip because teams price wishful thinking instead of real constraints. This quick, binary checklist forces clarity on the ten items that most often nuke delivery: fuzzy goals, missing environments, vague IP, no rollback, pretend SLAs, and unpriced change. It is deliberately yes/no to flush ambiguity early. If you get two or more “No” answers, you don’t have enough signal to price responsibly. Pause, clarify, then proceed.
The 10 Checks (and what a “Yes” actually means)
1) Specific problem & measurable outcome?
Yes = The business problem is narrowly defined with a measurable target and timeframe.
What to look for: “Reduce failed checkouts by 30% in 90 days” beats “improve e-commerce.”
Risk if No: Endless scope drift and a debate about “done.”
2) Non-goals listed?
Yes = There’s an explicit out-of-scope list.
What to look for: A short “Non-Goals” section naming features, teams, or markets excluded.
Risk if No: Surprise asks that wreck estimates and trust.
3) Data ownership + export path defined?
Yes = Ownership is explicit, with an exit/export mechanism and format.
What to look for: Who owns raw data, derived data, model artifacts; how exports/backups are delivered.
Risk if No: Disputes, blocked decommissioning, compliance issues.
4) Environments/regenerability described
Yes = Clean machine → setup → tests green is documented.
What to look for: IaC or repeatable scripts; seed data; smoke tests.
Risk if No: “Works on my laptop” becomes “doesn’t work anywhere.”
5) Security minimums in place
Yes = Baseline controls are defined: access, secrets, device identity, key rotation.
What to look for: IAM model, secret storage, device provisioning, rotation cadence.
Risk if No: Audit failures and expensive rework after go-live.
6) Rollback expectations clear
Yes = Flags/canary release plus a warm previous version.
What to look for: Runtime kill-switch, rollout stages, tested rollback path.
Risk if No: Outage roulette and long MTTR.
7) Real SLAs with teeth
Yes = Ack/mitigation/RCA timers are realistic and tied to remedies for SLO breaches.
What to look for: Measured SLOs, achievable response windows, fair penalties.
Risk if No: Paper SLAs no one respects.
8) Pilot/kill-switch clause
Yes = A 2-sprint paid pilot with a clear off-ramp.
What to look for: Defined success criteria and a “stop without blame” switch.
Risk if No: Sunk-cost projects you can’t exit cleanly.
9) IP/licensing clarity (incl. models/libraries)
Yes = Rights are defined for code, content, models, and third-party licenses.
What to look for: License names, allowed use, distribution terms; AI model rights spelled out.
Risk if No: Legal friction mid-build or at handover.
10) Change process priced
Yes = Clear options: move date, swap scope, or phase-2 pricing.
What to look for: A small change-control menu with example prices/impact.
Risk if No: Unbounded “just this one more thing.”
How to Use the Excel Checklist
- Open “Checklist” and answer Yes/No for each line. Add links or notes as evidence.
- Check “Summary.” The sheet counts “No” answers and suggests a decision:
- 0 No: Proceed.
- 1 No: Proceed with conditions.
- ≥2 No: Pause/Rescope.
- Assign owners to close each “No” with a due date and a concrete artifact (doc link, config repo, clause draft).
- Re-run in 24–48 hours after clarifications. Don’t price until the auto-decision reads green or yellow.
Download the Excel:
Example Decision Flow
- You mark “No” on Rollback and IP/licensing.
- Sales pauses pricing; Delivery drafts a rollback plan; Legal adds an IP appendix.
- Recheck flips both to “Yes.” The sheet shows “Proceed.” Now you price with eyes open.
Implementation Tips
- Add the checklist to your proposal intake form so Sales doesn’t skip it.
- Tie “No” items to tracked tasks in your PM tool with owners and dates.
- Keep answers verifiable. “We think they own the data” isn’t an answer. Link the clause.
Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid
- Ambiguous “maybe” answers. The sheet is binary for a reason.
- Pricing while red. Two “No’s” means pause. Not “be brave.”
- Parking the sheet after signature. Re-run it at pilot exit and before handover.
FAQ
Isn’t this just gatekeeping?
It’s risk disclosure. You can still take the deal; you just price it accurately.
Can we add more checks?
Yes. Keep the top-10 stable and add a second tab for domain-specific items.
What if the client refuses clarity?
That’s an answer. Move to a paid discovery or decline politely.
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