Module 4 of 12 · Quick Reference
The Ownership Playbook
Three cards for the handoff and the first client conversation.
Module 4 throughline — The project becomes yours when you can explain what was promised, what was assumed, what is at risk, and what the client will actually judge as success.Card 1 · the upstream gate
The Go / No-Go Gate
Before a project is ever yours, it must clear the Go / No-Go — the gate every opportunity passes through during Pursuit, upstream of Contracting and your Handoff. It’s led by the Principal in Charge in concert with Business Development. You don’t own the call, but you may take part — and you inherit its result. Keep this card for when you’re asked to weigh in.
The scoring chart, the way Grace runs it. Below is the firm’s tool, filled in as a worked example — the simulated Oakhaven pursuit. The left column maps each row to the three factors above.
| Relevant Factors | Factoring Scoring Scale | Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEGATIVE (0–1 POINTS) |
NEUTRAL (2 POINTS) |
POSITIVE (3 POINTS) |
|||
| Factor 1 Relationship strength |
Are we known by the Owner / Decision-Maker? | Unknown to this Owner / Decision-Maker (0) | Known, but not fully cultivated | Well-developed working relationship | 2 |
| Factor 2 Preparedness |
Is this the first we’ve heard of it? Was it on our “Top 10” List? | Didn’t know until the RFQ/RFP came out; unprepared (0) | Known or on Top 10 List, but no pre-sale meeting | On Top 10 List; capture plan completed | 3 |
| Factor 3 Qualifications & timing |
Do we meet the RFQ qualifications for portfolio and team? | Capable (1) | Can meet or exceed every requirement | Technically superior — our sweet spot | 3 |
| Does marketing have adequate time for a tailored submission? | One week or less to due date (0) | Two weeks or less to due date | Over 2 weeks to due date | 3 | |
| Total score | 11 | ||||
The Pursuit-stage process. The gate kicks off a sequence — led by the PIC and BD. Here’s the order it runs in, and where you may plug in.
- 1Complete the Go/No-Go document. This must be done before Marketing starts any proposal work. If the RFQ includes a sample contract, it’s reviewed as part of this step.
- 2Log the pursuit in the CRM (Monday.com). Every potential pursuit is entered and discussed at BD meetings.
- 3Request a project number. The project is set up non-billable until a signed agreement is in hand.
- 4Hand off to the Pursuit Manager. BD builds the proposal — separators for the cover letter, internal and consultant team, showcase projects, tailored narratives, schedule, and fee.
- 5PM touchpoints. Where asked: give an honest delivery read, help compose fee and schedule (Project Budgeting Spreadsheet), and request proposals from consultants.
Who leads it
- Principal in Charge — typically the final call.
- Business Development — Pursuit Manager and BD leadership facilitate and score.
- Practice Leader — weighs in; for borderline or larger calls, the Chief Practice Officer too.
Your role as PM
- Be aware the gate happened — and what it decided.
- If invited, give an honest read on staffing, schedule, and win probability.
- Inherit the result — the assumptions set here resurface in your Handoff Brief.
Source: Grace Pursuit roadmap (Milo) & the Go/No-Go Decision Scoring Chart. The chart above reproduces the firm’s tool; the example scoring is illustrative.
Card 2 · the output
The Handoff Ownership Brief
Complete this at handoff. If you can fill all six fields in your own words, you own the project. If you can’t, you have your next conversation.
What was promised
Scope and deliverables you’re now on the hook for.
From: prime agreement, proposal.
What was assumed
Fee basis, staffing, and scope assumptions behind the price.
From: fee buildup, pursuit team.
What was priced
The fee, and where the margin sits.
From: BST, fee basis.
What the client values most
Priorities carried out of pursuit, in their words.
From: pursuit team, discovery.
What’s unclear or at risk
Gaps and exposures you can already see.
From: your read of fields 1–4.
What must be resolved first
The short list to close before planning.
From: fields 4 and 5.
A handoff is complete when you can explain what was sold, why it was sold that way, what assumptions the fee depends on, what the client expects, where the risk sits, and what must be clarified before planning advances.
Card 3 · the inventory
Handoff Familiarity Checklist
What to take over — and how it transfers. Half is written and you pull it; half lives in people’s heads and you capture it before they move on.
Pull it — documented
- Signed agreement — scope, fee, terms.
- Proposal / pursuit file — what was sold and how.
- Fee basis & staffing assumptions — what the price depends on.
- Schedule & milestone commitments — the dates you now own.
Capture it — in their heads
- Verbal promises made in pursuit, never written down.
- The client’s real priorities and definition of success.
- Where the margin sits — the fee’s soft spots.
- Relationships & context — who matters and why.
Where each piece lives:
Card 4 · into the room
The Discovery Question Set
The contract — what you must deliver.
What the client will actually call success. Discovery finds the distance between them.
“A year after these doors open, what has to be true for the people who use this space — and how will you know?”
Probe: what does this make possible that wasn’t before?
“Who lives, works, heals, learns, or gathers here every day — and what do they need that they’d never put in a brief?”
Probe: whose experience must this get right above all?
“Where would ‘good enough’ be a failure — the few things we must protect at all costs?”
Probe: if we could guarantee only three outcomes, which three?
“When scope, schedule, and budget collide, which do you most want us to protect?”
Probe: where would you welcome ideas to save cost or time?
“Beyond you, who has to believe this succeeded — and what will they judge it on?”
Probe: where are those stakeholders not yet aligned?
“How, and how often, do you want to hear from us — and what does a great update look like?”
Probe: what makes you trust an update from a design team?
How to use it, the Grace way:
- 1Listen more than you ask. These are openers. Ask, then be quiet and let the client fill the space.
- 2Curiosity over presumption. Even an “obvious” priority can be wrong. Test it, don’t assume it.
- 3Discovery is ongoing. Priorities shift — revisit these as the project evolves.
- 4Close the loop into the plan. A priority you surface but never act on is wasted. Every answer should show up in Planning.
Module 4 · Taking Ownership
Take the baton, fill the brief, find the finish line — then carry what you learned into the plan.