How to scope an engagement without wasting the first week

Most engagements lose their first week to scope. Not to testing, to email. What is in, what is out, who signs, whether the third-party platform counts, whether anyone told the hosting provider.

The fix is unglamorous. Before the call, write down the systems you would be most upset to lose, in your own words, without reference to a network diagram. Bring the name of one person who can say yes on the day.

Everything else we can work out on the call. Those two things we cannot work out for you, and without them the first week is admin.