Time Core · Golden Opportunities · Module

Qualifying

Establishing quickly whether it is what it appears to be — on a shorter process than the standard one, since the standard one takes longer than the opportunity lasts.

The idea

How it works

The standard assessment process takes weeks and is right for ordinary opportunities. Applied to a temporary one it produces a correct answer after the moment has passed.

A short qualification asking three or four questions settles most of them. The full process is then run only on what survives.

Working with it

In practice

  1. 01

    Write the three questions in advance

    What would make this not worth doing? Answered in a day rather than researched for a month.

  2. 02

    Set a decision deadline

    Matched to how long the opportunity lasts rather than to the meeting cycle.

  3. 03

    Decide who can say yes

    A named person with a spending limit, so that a small opportunity does not require a board.

  4. 04

    Accept a worse-informed decision

    Deliberately. A good decision now beats a better one after the opportunity has gone.

One level in

The components of qualifying

A component is something that exists afterwards which did not exist before — a deliverable or a mechanism, not an intention.

  1. The questions

    The few things that would settle whether it is real.

    Learn
  2. The deadline

    When the decision has to be taken.

    Learn
  3. The authority

    Who can decide, and up to what commitment.

    Learn

A good decision now beats a better one after the opportunity has gone. Set the deadline from the window.