methodology.md

Bootstrapping

Bootstrap-PM isn't about phases or rigid playbooks.
It's repeatable, lightweight, and focused on outcomes.

Step 1 — Startup & Mid-Flight Takeover

• Establish what's been bought and sold (from the Envoy (Sales)).
• Assemble the team: Alchemist (PM), Castellan (Account Manager), Knights (SMEs).
• If mid-project: take inventory of what's been signed off by the Custodian (Customer KDM), what's pending, and what's disputed.

Step 2 — Defining Outcomes

• Lock down what makes the Customer Exec (the King (Executive Authority)) say “yes, we're satisfied.”
• Translate into KPIs with measurable evidence.
• Alchemist (PM) documents, Knights (SMEs) clarify feasibility, Custodian (Customer KDM) approves.

Step 3 — Kick-offs

• Run internal kickoff (Alchemist (PM) + Knights (SMEs) + Castellan (Account Manager)). Agree feasibility, effort, and plan.
• Run customer kickoff (Key Decision Maker (Custodian (Customer KDM)) + Customer Team (the Artisans (Customer SMEs))). Present plan, KPIs, and milestones.
• Run partner kickoff if Gatekeepers (3rd Parties & Blockers) are critical.

Step 4 — The Stakes

• Document stakes for every group: Custodian (Customer KDM), King (Executive Authority), Castellan (Account Manager), Artisans (Customer SMEs), Envoy (Sales), Knights (SMEs), Gatekeepers (3rd Parties & Blockers).
• Customer stake (King (Executive Authority)) is top priority.
• Develop a stake map: who wants what, and why.

Step 5 — Plan & Estimate

• Build the Delivery Plan (Alchemist (PM) + Knights (SMEs)). Outcomes as milestones.
• Build the Customer Plan (Alchemist (PM) + Custodian (Customer KDM) + Castellan (Account Manager)). Milestones only, includes their deliverables.
• Forecast effort: classify tasks as BAU / ambiguous / unknown.
• Knights (SMEs) provide estimates, Alchemist (PM) applies buffers (x1.5).
• Iron rule: no task without an estimate.

Step 6 — Execute & Track

• Knights (SMEs) do the work, Alchemist (PM) tracks it, Castellan (Account Manager) keeps continuity.
• Track effort vs. time — if % time >> % done, raise a flag to the Custodian (Customer KDM).
• Use light tools: burn charts, RAG status, kanban.
• Document blockers, escalate to Gatekeepers (3rd Parties & Blockers) via the Custodian (Customer KDM) if needed.
• Stay in lawyer/detective mode — Alchemist (PM) gathers evidence, runs pre-mortems.

Step 7 — Manage Change

• Ordinary changes: Alchemist (PM) logs, Knights (SMEs) clarify effort, Custodian (Customer KDM) approves.
• Retroactive changes: Alchemist (PM) documents, escalates medium/high to the Custodian (Customer KDM).
• No undocumented change goes unlogged.

Step 8 — Sign-offs

• Alchemist (PM) presents outcomes + KPI evidence.
• Custodian (Customer KDM) provides explicit sign-off (contract, email, ticket).
• Store in the Evidence folder under milestone.
• No sign-off = no closure.

If sign-off is refused:

• Alchemist (PM) investigates satisfaction gap.
• Knights (SMEs) patch if incomplete.
• Custodian (Customer KDM) decides if scope shift is acceptable.
• Castellan (Account Manager) manages relationship fallout.

Pivot or Close

• If scope, budget, or outcomes shift → loop back to Step 1.
• If outcomes signed off → milestone closed, project continues or ends.
• If abandoned → trigger last resort (formal closure + legal prep).

Rules

	Iron Bootstrap Rules
1	Outcomes are everything. Outcomes are pinned by deliverables. All tasks tie to a deliverable.
2	No task is undertaken without a measure of success and completion.
3	The project doesn't start until every task has been estimated.
4	Evidence or it didn't happen.
5	No empty folders. Empty folders = failure to commit or failure to deliver.
6	No change goes unlogged.
7	Sign-off is closure.
8	All bootstrap projects have an end.
9	Bootstrap expects things to go wrong and plans for those eventualities.