FIVE STAGES.
NO MYSTERY.
Each stage has an entry condition, a specific artefact at the end, and a documented way it can fail. You should be able to tell at any point which stage you are in and what would have to be true to leave it.
TYPICAL SHAPE
Discover → Define — 2 to 5 weeks
Build → Deploy — 8 to 18 weeks
Evolve — quarterly, ongoing
Stop points after every stage
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HOW THIS STAGE FAILS
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WHO IS INVOLVED
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WHAT EXISTS AT THE END
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TO LEAVE THIS STAGE
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THE WHOLE ARC
Every stage ends in a decision you are allowed to make.
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WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Three things, without which none of this works.
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START AT
STAGE ONE.
Discover is a fixed-fee engagement with no obligation to continue. You keep the findings either way — including the recommendation not to build something, if that is where the evidence lands.