01 · Strategic options
WHAT TO CHECK
Two proposals that differ only in spend, speed or channel are often one option. A distinct option changes the playing field, value mechanism or commitment system.
Each option must name what it will not fund, serve or build if selected. This exclusion makes the opportunity cost discussable before commitment.
A defensible option has expected evidence and a stopping threshold. Without both, the decision can survive after the assumptions that supported it have disappeared.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Use the question “How can several credible choices be produced without comparing mere budget or schedule variants?” as a contract: name the owner, deadline, scope and alternatives before collecting more material. An option states where to play, how to win, what it commits, what it excludes and the evidence required to continue. Record what is deliberately outside scope, who can challenge the framing and what consequence follows from postponement. This prevents an attractive framework, actor list or market story from silently replacing the decision that the analysis is meant to support.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
For every material statement, retain the original source, publication date, observation period, method, unit and relevant population. Distinguish observed facts, calculated estimates, interview judgements and assumptions. Connect the register to the promised output: A short portfolio of distinct, comparable options with exit rules. Missing or contradictory evidence remains visible with a responsible owner and a collection action; it is never converted into certainty merely to complete the page.
VALIDATION DOSSIER
Define the rules before applying the analysis: inclusion criteria, identifiers, comparison set, calculation or coding convention, treatment of missing values and version date. Reproduce the same convention across every option or actor. Use the page checks as acceptance tests, beginning with “Build three to five options on the same scope and horizon, including an active status quo.” A conclusion is usable only when another practitioner can reconstruct how the inputs became the displayed result and identify where judgement entered.
LIMIT
