04 / ENGAGEMENT — 14–20 WEEKS
Four phases,
four gates
No phase starts until the previous one has cleared its gate. We would rather extend a phase than carry an unresolved assumption into the next one.
01SEQUENCEP1 → P4
P1 — WK 1–3ExposureWhat you depend on, who controls it, and how quickly it can be taken away.
- Dependency teardown to tier three
- Site autonomy measurement, on foot
- Existing document audit against scenario
- Interviews at board, crisis cell and shift level
GATEA written exposure position the board can disagree with in specifics rather than in general.
P2 — WK 4–8DesignCommand structure, thresholds, degraded-mode runbooks, delegated authority.
- One incident command model, group-wide
- Numeric escalation thresholds per function
- Degraded-mode runbooks per site and shift
- Delegation schedule drafted for signature
GATEDocuments that a duty manager can execute unaided, and a board resolution ready to sign.
P3 — WK 9–14TestWargame against a live adversary. Everything that fails is rewritten.
- Two-day executive wargame, control cell of three
- Live shift teams executing in degraded mode
- Timed failure record, attributed to document
- Cold debrief and agreed rewrite list
GATEEvery failure named, timed and attributed. No softening.
P4 — WK 15+EmbedDrills, paper copies on site, annual re-test, standing government channel.
- Quarterly drill calendar with independent scoring
- Paper distribution and revision control
- Standing liaison channel with state counterparties
- Annual re-test under changed scenario
GATERecall measured, not attendance. The plan stays current without us in the room.
02TERMS OF WORKT01 → T06
T01No public referenceWe do not name clients, use logos or publish case studies. The fact of the engagement is itself confidential.
T02Named teamThe people you meet at briefing are the people who do the work. No substitution without written agreement.
T03On siteThe majority of the work happens at your sites, on your shifts, including nights. Very little of it happens in a meeting room.
T04Paper firstEvery deliverable exists on paper, revision-controlled, before it exists anywhere else.
T05Cold debriefsFindings are delivered without softening, attributed to a document or a decision, in front of the people responsible.
T06Annual re-testPlans decay. We re-test under a changed scenario every twelve months, or we stop calling it a plan.
The plan iswritten beforeit is needed
Initial briefings are held under NDA, at your site or ours. Two hours. No deck.