Different DaySales to delivery | Leadership view | October 2026

Dates before details

Details before dates

Sales kept its speed. Tech now gets a short written handoff, says yes before any date is final, reviews every prototype before the client sees it, caps free rework, and has a clear finish line after the sale.

How a deal moves, old way vs new

Flip between Before and After to watch a deal travel. Click any step to compare what we did by hand with what the new process does better.

Where the old way brokeNew checkpointStepThe deal
Client
Sales
Tech

Tip: the left and right arrow keys step through the journey.

Who owns what

Every task is numbered in the order it happens. View it by person or step by step, and press Play to follow the deal.

The weekly rhythm

The same week, every week, so nothing due Tuesday lands on Monday.

Every day: one automatic email with the build sheet showing what is due today and tomorrow, who owns it, status, and priority.
Internal due datesEvery date on the sheet sits one day before the client date, so there is always a buffer.
Twice-weekly syncTuesday and Thursday, 30 minutes, to walk the sheet. Skip it if nothing needs discussing.
Meeting rulesAgenda, purpose, ends on time, and becomes an email if an email will do.
Short retroAfter each prototype: what worked, what did not, and what we change.

What success looks like on the calendar

An example of a good week, and of one deal moving from discovery to proposal in two weeks. Times and dates are illustrative.

Sales and clientTechSales and Tech togetherAutomatic

After close: the build process

From signed contract to client sign-off. Press Play or click a phase to see who does what, what the client provides, and when the phase is done.

In use todayProposedTo define together

A typical delivery on the calendar

About 3 months from signature to sign-off. Week numbers are illustrative.

How sign-off can land

Rules during the build Proposed

  1. Nothing new is built silently. New asks go on the sheet, get sized, and become a change request or part of the next SOW.
  2. Every weekly check-in shows working progress, plus what is next and what is blocked.
  3. Client-side blockers get a date. If data, access, or approvals are late, delivery dates move by the same amount.
  4. We test before the client does. Internal testing and a security review come before client testing, every time.
  5. Sign-off is written, against the acceptance list in the SOW.

What changed, side by side

Thirteen areas, one line each.

AreaBeforeAfter

Guardrails that protect the finish line

Ten rules everyone, including leadership, works within.

  1. No prototype without a completed scorecard.
  2. No final demo date until Tech accepts the Light FRD. If the handoff is late, the date moves.
  3. Tech gives the go or no-go on anything new or unusual.
  4. Scope is agreed up front. Changes need explicit agreement.
  5. Demo data by default. Client data only when needed.
  6. Internal review before every customer demo.
  7. Two free rounds is the internal maximum. Never offered to clients.
  8. Every exception names its cost: what work moves, and who agreed.
  9. The next call is booked live, and moved at least 2 days ahead if it must move.
  10. Nobody changes the process alone. Run it by hand, review after 4 weeks (around Nov 12 to 13), then automate the repetitive parts.

Still open before sign-off

The team's leaning is shown; none of these is final yet.

Who owns the priority rankingProposed: Lauri, Ben, and Anthony rank with numbers rather than low, medium, and high. Who breaks a tie is not yet agreed.
How urgent requests from leadership are routedThrough the sheet with what moves. Needs Kim, Lauri, and Lou to agree.
The two-round capConfirm the cap and what counts as a round. Fixing something we promised and missed should not count.
Full requirements document timingBefore signature (Ben) or after (draft v0.3). Proposed middle path: Tech-approved scope before signature, full build document after.
Build process after closeTesting, security review, and rollout steps are proposed on the After close tab and need team agreement.
Post-sale length and sign-off4 weekly check-ins or the full delivery, and what the sign-off document looks like.