Starting Point: Tell Us Who You Are and What’s Urgent

• Who are you, your role, and the single most important outcome you're trying to achieve with this TAM work?
• Which best describes the trigger for this request—board presentation, PE diligence, product launch, geographic expansion, or other? Options: Board presentation, Private equity diligence, New product investment, Geographic / market entry, M&A / acquisition diligence, Strategic planning (internal), Other
• What is the timeline we must meet for a board-ready deliverable (date or timeframe)? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, Flexible / TBD
• Which of the following best describes the organization and product involved (pick all that apply)? Options: SaaS / subscription, Hardware + software, Professional services, Marketplace / platform, Enterprise software, SMB-focused product, Other
• Who on your team will be our primary day-to-day contact for decisions, data access, and interview coordination? Name and role please.

What Would Make Your Board Say ‘No’?

• If this TAM landed on the board table tomorrow, what single assumption would most likely trigger rejection or intense pushback?
• Do any board members or investors have explicit thresholds or red lines (e.g., required growth rate, addressable market size, margin assumptions)? If so, please list them.
• How much precision versus defensibility matters more—do you need narrow point estimates or transparent ranges and auditable assumptions? Options: Narrow point estimate (high precision), Defensible ranges with full audit trail, Board-ready narrative + sensitivity ranges, Unsure / need advice
• Have you previously presented a TAM to this same group? If yes, what critique or questions came up and how did it affect decisions? Options: Yes — rejected/major revisions, Yes — accepted with minor questions, No — first time, Don't know / not sure

Who Really Holds the Keys (And How Do They Decide)?

• Who are the decision-makers and influencers for approving this TAM (roles/titles), and who ultimately signs off on go/no-go decisions?
• What voting or approval thresholds exist (e.g., simple majority, CEO sign-off, investment committee unanimous)? Options: CEO or founder sign-off, C-suite majority, Investment committee majority, Board majority / supermajority, Deal team / lead partner sign-off, Other
• Which internal teams will be consulted or need to validate inputs (select all that apply)? Options: Strategy / corporate development, Finance, Sales leadership, Product / GTM, Legal / compliance, Regional leadership, Other
• How do these stakeholders usually evaluate credibility—what evidence convinces them (customer interviews, audited financials, third‑party data, board-ready memo)? Options: Primary buyer interviews, Vendor / channel checks, Public filings / industry data, Third-party syndicated reports, Case studies / references, Other

If We Delivered Perfection, What Would the Board See?

• Describe the deliverable that would feel 'board-ready'—what must it include to remove doubt?
• Which outputs matter most to you (choose up to three): a clear bottom-up build, top-down triangulation, interview transcripts, sensitivity analysis, or a crisp one-page memo? Options: Bottom-up model (detailed), Top-down triangulation, Interview summaries / excerpts, Sensitivity and scenario ranges, One-page board memo, Full data source pack (audit trail)
• What acceptance criteria would you use to sign off—specific metrics or softer signals (e.g., plausibility, auditability, stakeholder buy-in)? Please list the top 3.
• Would you require a licensing or reuse agreement for the model and sources, and if so, which terms are acceptable to you? Options: No license needed, Restricted use within organization, Reusable for investors with attribution, Strict non-disclosure / limited distribution, Unsure—need to discuss

Where Might We Be Tending to Overclaim?

• If you were playing devil’s advocate, which assumptions in your current thinking push the TAM higher than reality?
• Which geographies or segments are sometimes included in past estimates that you suspect are actually out-of-scope for this team? Options: Domestic only, EMEA, APAC, Latin America, Global (all regions), Specific segments only, Other
• Are there buyer segments or channels we should explicitly exclude (e.g., enterprise accounts with exclusive contracts, self-serve SMBs, government buyers)? Please explain.
• How should we treat aspirational responses in surveys versus observed purchase behavior—what level of discounting would you accept if customers say 'we would buy' but have no purchase history? Options: No discounting (use stated intent), Moderate discount (50–75% of intent), High discount (25–50% of intent), Require corroborating purchase evidence

Data Reality Check: What Can We Actually Access?

• Which internal data sources can you grant us access to (CRM, win/loss, usage metrics, pricing history, customer lists)? Select all that apply and note access constraints. Options: CRM / Salesforce, Sales pipeline data, Billing / invoicing, Product usage / telemetry, Customer contract data, No internal data available, Other
• What external sources do you already trust or want us to use (industry databases, trade associations, government stats, competitor filings)? List any preferred vendors.
• Will you provide introductions to buyers, channel partners, or customers for primary interviews? If yes, approximately how many can you reasonably make available? Options: None, 1–5, 6–15, 16–30, 30+
• Are there legal, compliance, or NDAs that restrict whom we can interview or which data we can publish? Options: No restrictions, Some NDA / confidentiality constraints, Regulated industry constraints (e.g., healthcare/finance), Not sure — need to check
• How comfortable are you with us conducting cold outreach to target buyers and channel partners where introductions are not available? Options: Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Prefer we only use introductions, Not comfortable

Methodology and Scope: How Granular Do You Need This To Be?

• What segmentation do you require—verticals, buyer size, deployment model, geography—and which of these are non‑negotiable? Options: By industry vertical, By buyer size / revenue band, By channel / distribution, By geography (country/region), By use case / capability, None required / keep high-level
• Is a bottom-up model built from buyer-level economics required, or is a top-down triangulation sufficient for your stakeholders? Options: Bottom-up required, Top-down acceptable, Both (preferred), Unsure — need recommendation
• What minimum sample size for buyer interviews would make this defensible to your board/investors (we typically target 30+ for robust bottom-up)? Options: 10–15, 16–29, 30–50, 50+
• Which deliverables are must-haves versus nice-to-haves (choose all must-haves)? Options: Detailed model with build-up, Board-ready one-page memo, Interview summaries and quotes, Full source & data pack, Presentation slide deck, Executive briefing session

Timeline, Reviews, and Sign-off Rhythm

• If we propose a draft model and memo, who needs to review and how many review cycles are realistic before final sign-off? Options: Single reviewer — 1 cycle, Small review group — 2 cycles, Cross-functional review — 3+ cycles, Board review required before finalization, Unsure / need to align
• What are the non-negotiable dates (board meeting, investment committee, data room deadline) that drive our schedule?
• How would you prefer to receive progress—weekly checkpoints, milestone reviews, or asynchronous updates in a shared workspace? Options: Weekly calls, Milestone reviews only, Asynchronous updates (e.g., shared workspace), Daily standups (rare), Other
• Who is authorized to accept scope changes or trade-offs if data gaps force adjustments to depth or timeline? Options: Primary contact only, CFO / Finance, Head of Strategy, Investment committee, Other

The Emotional Truth: What’s Keeping You Up At Night?

• When you think about presenting this TAM, what feeling comes up first—confidence, anxiety, indifference, skepticism, or something else? Options: Confidence, Anxiety, Skepticism, Relief (if done), Other
• What past experience (a failed model, a board pushback, an over-optimistic vendor) influences how cautious you are now?
• If the TAM came back smaller than you hoped, what would be the practical implications for your plan (delay funding, narrow target, change product strategy)? Options: Delay investment, Narrow go-to-market, Revisit pricing, Seek strategic partner, Proceed but lower expectations, Other
• What level of narrative versus numbers will persuade your stakeholders—are they moved more by crisp storylines or by detailed, auditable models? Options: Numbers + audit trail, Concise narrative with highlights, Both equally, Depends on stakeholder
• Who on the team would feel most relieved if this work succeeds—and who would remain skeptical? Name roles and why.

Deciding To Move Forward: Trade-offs and First Steps

• If we had to make one trade-off to meet the earliest possible deadline, which would you prefer: reduce segmentation granularity, accept fewer interviews, or cut back on secondary source breadth? Options: Reduce segmentation granularity, Accept fewer interviews, Cut secondary source breadth, Extend timeline instead
• What budget or resourcing constraints should we be aware of that might limit primary research or data purchases? Options: No constraints, Moderate constraints, Tight budget, Approval required from finance
• Who needs to be in the initial alignment meeting to commit to interviews, data access, and timeline?
• If we present a recommended plan (scope, timeline, minimum interviews, and deliverables) in a 30-minute kickoff, are you ready to commit to next steps at that meeting? Options: Yes — ready to commit, Maybe — need internal alignment, No — need more time
• What would be the single best thing we could do in the first two weeks to build confidence across stakeholders?

Quick Grounding — Why Now?

• Tell me briefly what triggered this TAM request right now (board ask, M&A, expansion, investor diligence, other). Options: Board presentation / investment approval, Private equity / buy-side diligence, Geographic expansion decision, New product launch / roadmap, Fundraising / investor question, Other
• What decision or document does this TAM need to support (e.g., slide, investment memo, deal model)? Options: Board slide deck, Investment memo / IM, Business case / CapEx ask, Go-to-market plan, M&A target assessment, Other
• Who is the primary decision-maker or audience for the numbers we produce? Options: Head of Strategy / CSO, Corporate Development / M&A lead, PE/VC deal team, Product leader / VP Product, CEO / CFO, Other
• How concerned are you that the TAM will be challenged for being overly optimistic or insufficiently auditable? Options: Very concerned — likely to be challenged, Somewhat concerned, Neutral, Not concerned
• If you could get one thing from this work that would immediately reduce your stress about the board/investor review, what would that be?

Who Do You Really Mean When You Say “Addressable”?

• When you say ‘addressable market,’ who exactly are we counting — the economic buyer, the end user, channel partners, or something else? Options: Economic buyers (procurement/finance), End users / practitioners, Channel partners / resellers, Systems integrators / consultants, All of the above, Other
• Which customer segments must be included because they are essential to your go-to-market or investment thesis? Options: Enterprise (1,000+ employees), Large Mid-market (250–999), Mid-market (100–249), SMB (<100), Public sector / government, Consumers / end-users, Channel partners / VARs, Other
• Which buyer characteristics matter most when deciding if a customer is in-scope (e.g., budget owner, tech stack, procurement cycle, regulatory requirement)? Options: Budget owner / payer type, Existing tech stack / integrations, Procurement cycle length, Regulatory compliance needs, Revenue / size thresholds, Channel dependency, Other
• Give one concrete example of a company or account that you absolutely want included, and one you think should definitely be excluded — why for each?
• How much overlap between product use-cases and segments are you willing to accept in the TAM (i.e., do we deduplicate aggressively or allow some multi-use counting)? Options: Aggressive deduplication — count each $ once, Moderate deduplication — allow some overlap, Minimal deduplication — count use-case instances, Unsure / want recommendation

Where Will You Compete — and Where Won’t You?

• If we had to be blunt: are there specific countries, regions, or markets you want us to exclude regardless of theoretical demand? Options: United States, Canada, Europe (EU+UK), LATAM, APAC (ex-China), China, Middle East & Africa, Global — include all
• What practical constraints should rule a geography out (regulation, language, distribution, currency, sanctions)? Options: Regulatory barriers, Localization / language effort, No distributor network, Currency / payment obstacles, Sanctions or trade restrictions, None of the above, Other
• Which go-to-market routes must be modeled separately because they change addressability materially (direct sales, channel, online self-serve, OEM)? Options: Direct enterprise sales, Channel / resellers, Online self-serve / freemium, OEM / embedded sales, Partnerships / MSPs, Other
• How do you want us to treat multi-national customers — count by HQ country, by billing/legal entity, or by deployment footprint? Options: By HQ location, By billing/legal entity, By deployment footprint / where solution used, Hybrid — will provide rules, Unsure
• Are there market-entry assumptions we should assume (e.g., instant channel access, multi-year ramp, pilot-only penetration)? If yes, describe the realistic ramp or access limits.

What Would the Board Call Out as a Deal-Breaker?

• If the board were to press you on one number or assumption, which would you expect them to focus on (growth rate, market size, adoption rate, pricing, competitor share)? Options: Market growth rate, Total $ addressable, Adoption / conversion rate, Average contract value / pricing, Competitor share assumptions, Other
• What minimum growth or market metrics does the leadership team need to see for this investment to proceed (e.g., >15% CAGR, $X TAM)? Options: >25% CAGR, 15–25% CAGR, 10–15% CAGR, CAGR not primary — need $ TAM threshold, No preset threshold / need recommendation
• How much sensitivity or range does the board expect — a single point estimate, low/likely/high, or probabilistic intervals? Options: Point estimate only, Low / base / high scenario, Probabilistic intervals (confidence bands), Prefer narrative with scenario ranges
• What level of audit trail would satisfy scrutiny — full interview transcripts and source docs, redacted summaries, or a citation list? Options: Full, unredacted transcripts & data, Redacted interview summaries + source list, Citation list + key source excerpts, High-level methods only (no raw data)
• Have you seen previous TAMs rejected or questioned? Tell us one example of feedback you received and how it felt.

Assumptions We Mustn’t Make — Guardrails Against Inflated TAMs

• Which common assumptions would you like us to explicitly ban from the model (select all that apply or add your own)? Options: Treating expressed interest as spend, Counting every potential user as a buyer, Assuming 100% market penetration for use-cases, Including adjacent product categories loosely, Assuming immediate parity with incumbents, Other
• Are there specific internal narratives or commercial objectives we should avoid reflecting in assumptions (e.g., optimistic pricing, cross-sell rates)?
• How should we treat pricing and willingness-to-pay — use list prices, realized invoice prices, or estimated blended ARR? Options: List / published prices, Realized invoice / contracted prices, Estimated blended ARR / average deal, Range of pricing scenarios
• If a tempting but unsupported assumption appears (e.g., high conversion from pilot), who on your team should approve its inclusion? Options: Head of Strategy / Sponsor, CFO / Finance lead, Product leader, Legal / Compliance, We will not allow unsupported assumptions
• Describe one assumption you’ve seen in past analyses that you absolutely do not want repeated here, and why it misled decision-makers.

How Much Evidence Feels Convincing — Data, Interviews & Granularity

• What minimum primary research sample size would you consider defensible for the bottom-up model? Options: <10 interviews, 10–29 interviews, 30–49 interviews, 50–99 interviews, 100+ interviews
• Which secondary sources do you trust most for triangulation (select all that apply)? Options: Customer invoices / billing data, Public company filings, Trade association data, Syndicated market reports, Channel partner sales reports, Web / search / usage analytics, Other
• How granular must segment definitions be (industry verticals, use-case, buyer persona, revenue bands, NAICS/ISIC codes)? Options: High granularity — industry + use-case + revenue bands, Medium — industry + revenue bands, Low — broad vertical buckets, Custom — we'll provide the segmentation schema
• Which KPI or data point would you consider the single most persuasive piece of primary evidence (e.g., % of buyers with budget, average spend per year, contract length)? Options: % of buyers with active budget, Average annual spend per customer, Contract / renewal lengths, Current spend on incumbent solutions, Purchase triggers / events
• Are there specific databases or lists you already own (customers, MQLs, partner lists) that we should use for sampling? Options: We have customer billing data, We have marketing / MQL lists, We have channel partner lists, We have no usable lists, Other

Operational Constraints — Timing, Budget, and Legal Limits

• What is the hard deadline for deliverables (board date, investment committee, LOI timeline)? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, Flexible / no hard deadline
• Do you have budget constraints or expectations for the scope of research we should match? Options: Constrained — low budget, Moderate budget, Flexible — prioritize thoroughness, Need us to propose options
• Are there confidentiality or NDAs limiting which interviewees we can contact or which sources we can publish? Options: Yes — strict NDA, Limited NDAs / redaction required, No restrictions, Unsure — need legal check
• Will you require licensing or reuse limits on the deliverables (e.g., internal use only, investor distribution allowed)? Options: Internal use only, Investor / board distribution allowed, Public release allowed, Require custom licensing terms, Unsure
• Who on your team will be the day-to-day point of contact for scheduling interviews and approving assumptions?

What Evidence Will Make You Believe the Model?

• If you had to pick three deliverables that would make the TAM defensible to investors, what would they be (e.g., bottom-up build, interview transcripts, sensitivity analysis)? Options: Bottom-up build with cell-level assumptions, Top-down triangulation and reconciliations, Interview transcripts and summaries, Detailed source list and citations, Low / base / high scenarios and sensitivities, Board-ready memo and one-pager
• How transparent do we need to be about interview recruitment and incentives to satisfy reviewers? Options: Full transparency on recruitment & incentives, High-level disclosure (numbers & quotas), Minimal disclosure preferred
• Would having anonymized customer quotes tied to specific assumptions increase your confidence? If so, how many quotes feel persuasive? Options: Yes — 10+ quotes, Yes — 5–9 quotes, Yes — 1–4 quotes, No — not necessary
• Is there an external party (auditor, internal finance, external advisor) who will review our methods — and if so, who are they? Options: Internal Finance, External advisor / consultant, Deal counsel / legal, No third-party reviewer, Unsure
• What's the one ‘show-stopper’ piece of evidence—if we can’t provide it, the board will likely reject the TAM?

Deciding on Scope — What We Should Model and What We Should Skip

• Which model outputs do you need exactly (TAM / SAM / SOM, revenue curves, adoption curves, unit economics)? Options: TAM / SAM / SOM breakdown, Annual revenue curves (5–10 years), Adoption / penetration curves, Unit economics and ARR modeling, Customer cohort and churn scenarios, Other
• Do you require separate models by segment (industry, company size, buyer persona) or a single consolidated view? Options: Separate models by industry + size, Separate by use-case only, Consolidated view with segment tabs, Hybrid — recommend based on data
• Are there low-priority segments or data slices you want us to exclude to save time or cost? Options: Micro-SMBs (<10 employees), Countries with <1% expected revenue, Niche verticals with limited spend, None — include all plausible segments, Other
• For each required deliverable, what level of polish is expected (raw model, executive-ready slides, board memo)? Options: Raw model + methods, Executive slides + summary memo, Board-ready memo + appendices, All of the above
• If time becomes constrained, which output would you prioritize (model accuracy, audit trail, or persuasive storytelling)? Options: Model accuracy & traceability, Audit trail & source documentation, Executive storytelling / slides, Equal priority

Final Approvals, Decision Rights & Next Steps

• Who will have final sign-off on scope, assumptions, and the deliverable (name and role)?
• What is your preferred cadence for check-ins and draft reviews during the work (weekly, twice-weekly, milestone checkpoints)? Options: Weekly syncs, Twice-weekly check-ins, Milestone-only reviews, As-needed / flexible
• At the end of this conversation, what would you like our immediate next step to be (proposal with options, scoped SOW, kickoff meeting)? Options: Detailed proposal with options, Scoped SOW and timeline, Kickoff meeting with stakeholders, Sample of previous deliverable
• Who else should we involve on your side to avoid rework (finance, legal, product, channel leads)? Options: Finance / FP&A, Legal / Compliance, Product management, Sales / GTM leader, Channel / partner lead, Other
• One last practical question: what would make you feel this discovery conversation was a valuable use of your time?

Quick Setup: Who Are We Really Helping?

• Tell us your role and the immediate trigger that put this TAM on the board agenda (one sentence)
• What is the date of the board/investor deadline we must hit? Options: Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, 3–4 weeks, 5–8 weeks, No firm deadline yet
• Which outcome matters most to your leadership at that meeting? Options: A defensible headline TAM number, Segmentation to justify go-to-market, Evidence for growth >15% CAGR, Validation of pricing/willingness to pay, Acquisition target sizing, Other
• Who on the leadership or deal team will be the primary reviewer (name and role) and who has final sign-off?
• How nervous are you that the TAM will be challenged and why? Options: Very nervous — high scrutiny expected, Somewhat nervous — select questions likely, Not very nervous — internal alignment strong, Unsure

Why This Market, and Why Now?

• If the TAM number presented at the board is later proven overstated, what is the worst organizational consequence you fear?
• What growth or market share thresholds does the investment thesis require (e.g., >15% CAGR, $X revenue by year Y)?
• What prior market estimates or internal models are you trying to replace or defend, and what specifically didn’t work about them?
• Which competing narratives about this market exist internally or among investors that we should know up front? Options: Market is much larger than shown, Market is niche and stable, Fast growth but concentrated incumbents, Geography limits growth, Other
• How precise does the board expect the headline TAM to be (e.g., rounded to nearest $10M, $100M, or percent range)? Options: Point estimate required, Rounded to nearest $10M, Rounded to nearest $100M, Acceptable as a sensitivity range only, Unsure

Who Can You Actually Reach?

• Which target segments in your current plan are realistic addressable customers versus aspirational prospects? Options: Enterprise buyers, Mid-market, SMBs, Channel partners/resellers, End consumers, Other
• Are there legal, regulatory, or channel constraints that would prevent serving parts of the nominal market? Options: Yes—regulatory, Yes—channel restrictions, Yes—contractual/partner exclusivity, No major constraints, Unknown
• Which geographies should be included, excluded, or treated separately (list and why)?
• What segmentation granularity do you actually need: simple (few buckets), industry-vertical focused, or micro-segmentation by buyer persona? Options: High-level buckets (3–5), Industry verticals (5–15), Persona and use-case micro-segmentation, Hybrid — recommend approach
• Which assumptions do you consider off-limits for inclusion in the TAM (i.e., disallowed assumptions we must avoid)?

How Will This Stand Up to Scrutiny?

• What would feel like an unacceptable answer after investors or the board probe our methodology?
• Which of these deliverables must be board-ready at sign-off? Options: Executive TAM memo, Fully auditable Excel build-up, Interview logs and transcripts, Sensitivity and scenario pages, Slide deck summary, All of the above
• How transparent must the model be (e.g., share raw interview notes vs. redacted summaries)? Options: Full raw notes, Redacted notes + summary, Only aggregated quotes, No interview content shared
• Do you require legal/licensing terms or IP clauses for the deliverables (e.g., limited-use license, confidentiality addendum)? Options: Standard NDA only, Deliverable license + NDA, Vendor IP transfer required, No special terms, Unsure—need counsel
• What acceptance criteria will you use to sign off on the final work (be specific: metrics, formats, approvals)?

Primary Research: Who We Talk To And How

• If you had to prioritize three buyer profiles that would most shatter or validate your assumptions, which would they be?
• What is the minimum number of buyer interviews you will accept for a defensible bottom-up model? Options: 10, 20, 30, 50, Other — specify
• Can you and your team provide warm intros to target buyers or channel partners? If so, how many contacts can you introduce? Options: None — we need vendor to recruit, 1–5 intros, 6–20 intros, 20+ intros
• What incentives (if any) are acceptable for buyer participation? Options: Monetary honorarium, Gift card, Benchmark report access, No incentives, Other
• Are there confidentiality or deal-sensitivity constraints that should shape interview scripts or attribution? Options: High sensitivity — anonymize everything, Medium — allow attributed quotes with permission, Low — attributed interviews ok, Unknown
• What interview formats do you prefer (phone, video, in-person, survey) and any must-have questions we should include? Options: Phone, Video (Zoom), In-person, Structured survey, Mixed methods — recommend

Secondary Sources & Data Confidence

• Which secondary data sources do you already trust or own that we should prioritize? Options: Internal CRM/ARR data, Syndicated databases (e.g., IDC, Gartner), Public filings & 10-Ks, Trade association reports, Proprietary vendor datasets, None
• Is there any dataset you are unwilling to rely on or pay for? Options: Syndicated vendors, Third-party scraped data, Small-sample surveys, Proprietary competitor data, No restrictions, Other
• Where do you believe our biggest secondary-data gaps will be (units, pricing, buyer intent, channel share)? Options: Units sold / install base, Pricing / ARPU, Buyer intent / willingness to pay, Regional market sizes, Channel/distributor metrics, Other
• How important is triangulation across multiple sources vs. a single authoritative source? Options: Triangulation essential, Single trusted source acceptable, Depends on metric, Unsure
• Are you prepared to purchase proprietary datasets if they materially improve confidence? Options: Yes—budget approved, Yes—need approval, No—prefer to avoid purchase, Unsure

Timeline, Milestones, and What We’ll Do When Things Slip

• If the TAM is delayed past your deadline, what is the single organizational risk you worry about most?
• Which milestone cadence works best for your team during research (weekly check-ins, biweekly deep reviews, ad-hoc)? Options: Weekly syncs, Biweekly reviews, Milestone-only updates, As-needed/ad-hoc
• Who must be involved in mid-project checkpoints (names/roles), and who is optional?
• What is an acceptable contingency plan if buyer response rates are low (extend timeline, increase incentives, broaden sample)? Options: Extend timeline, Increase incentives, Broaden sample, Switch to more surveys, Other
• How fast do you expect draft findings after data collection closes? Options: Within 72 hours, Within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, Longer — depends on scope

What Would Make This Work a Win — or a Nightmare?

• What single finding from this research would cause you to pause or cancel the initiative, and why?
• What would a board-ready package need to include to feel unassailable to you? Options: Clear executive memo, Auditable build-up model, Interview evidence and quotes, Sensitivity analysis, Competitive benchmarking, All of the above
• Which tone and level of certainty do you prefer in final recommendations (conservative, optimistic, ranges with scenarios)? Options: Conservative, Balanced with scenarios, Optimistic, Range-only (best/worst)
• After delivery, what handover support would make you comfortable running with the outputs (model explanation session, one-week office hours, co-presenting to board)? Options: Model walkthrough session, One-week support window, Co-present board session, Full handover document only, Other
• How would you like us to flag residual risks or unanswered questions in the final deliverable? Options: Dedicated risks section, Inline footnotes, Appendix with unresolved items, Regular post-delivery updates

• Model Build Kickoff (Internal)
• Draft Model Walkthrough (Client Review)
• Assumptions & Sensitivity Workshop (Collaborative)
• Draft Deliverables Review & Final Edits (Client Decision Meeting)
• Internal Finalization & QC Handoff

• Ensure the client understands the audit trail and can defend the TAM under board/investor scrutiny.
• Ensure stakeholders validate the one-sentence current state and the consequence framing.
• Secure explicit approval or redlines on the major model assumptions and sensitivity ranges.
• Identify prioritized evidence tasks required to move the drafts to board-ready status.
• Client to mark any disputed assumptions and provide any internal data that can resolve gaps.
• Analytics team to update the bottom-up and top-down models based on client feedback and produce scenario outputs.
• Prepare a one-page evidence map linking every critical assumption to source material and interview quotes.
• Recap Outstanding / Disputed Assumptions
• Agree the top-impact assumptions and lock the numerical sensitivity ranges that will appear in the board memo.
• Ensure every agreed assumption has an owner and a path to validation (evidence or acceptance criteria).
• Produce a decision log and update the model scenarios for final drafting.
• Update models with the agreed sensitivity ranges and generate scenario outputs for inclusion in the memo.
• Conduct targeted follow-up interviews or data pulls for the top 3 disputed assumptions.
• Prepare a formal decision log entry for each assumption to include in the audit appendix.
• Opening: One-sentence Future State
• Obtain client confirmation that draft deliverables meet the defined future-state proof and acceptance criteria.
• Agree the final edits, publishing timeline, and sign-off / licensing steps for delivery.
• Introductions & Objectives
• Incorporate agreed final edits into the memo and model, and produce the board-ready deliverable package.
• Prepare a short sign-off form outlining deliverables, acceptance criteria, and license terms for client signature.
• Deliver a version-controlled zip with models, source documentation, interview notes, and the audit appendix.
• QC Checklist Review
• Confirm the deliverable package is auditable, internally consistent, and meets the board-ready acceptance criteria.
• Finalize packaging and access controls to prevent post-delivery version drift and ensure clear ownership.
• Schedule and prepare materials for the Mutual Commit meeting with the client.
• Produce the final deliverable package (models, memo, audit appendix) and lock version in repository.
• Create a README that maps every critical assumption to its source and decision log entry.
• Circulate Mutual Commit slide and acceptance checklist to client and internal stakeholders ahead of the sign-off meeting.
• Create a single, explicit current-state sentence and a documented list of evidence supporting it.
• Establish which assumptions materially affect the TAM and assign owners for each model component.
• Agree internal timeline and required outputs for the Draft Model Review with the client.
• Produce a one-page data inventory mapping inputs to model fields and flag gaps.
• Build initial bottom-up model shell with placeholders for missing inputs.
• Draft the one-sentence Current State and Future State statements for client review.
• Schedule the Draft Model Walkthrough with the client and circulate pre-read materials.
• Opening: Current State Recap (one-sentence)
• Current State Summary (one-sentence)
• Prioritize by Impact
• Consequence Summary
• Audit Trail Verification
• Board-Ready TAM Memo Walkthrough
• Bottom-up Model Walkthrough
• Model & Appendix Review
• Sensitivity & Scenario Consistency Check
• Consequence Framing
• Live Scenario Modeling
• Future State & Deliverable Definition
• Define Acceptance Criteria & Ranges
• Interview Summaries & Representative Quotes
• Top-down Reconciliation & Triangulation
• Deliverable Packaging & Access Controls
• Assign Evidence Tasks & Deadlines
• Modeling Approach & Division of Work
• Sensitivity Ranges & Key Levers
• Licensing, Use Cases & Distribution Constraints
• Prepare Mutual Commit Materials & Timeline
• Data Gaps & Mitigation Plan
• Document Decisions
• Audit Trail & Evidence Mapping
• Final Feedback, Acceptance Criteria Check, & Sign-off Plan