Example Output: Completed D3 Plan
This is what a completed Decision-Driven Delivery plan looks like. The D3 Kit produced this output for a fractional CFO who serves a 30-person marketing agency.
Decision Cadence Map: Apex Creative Group
Service Provider: Lauren Kessler, Fractional CFO Service: Monthly financial reporting, cash flow forecasting, profitability analysis Current Delivery Schedule: Monthly report delivered by the 15th, quarterly review call on the last Friday of each quarter
Quarterly Decision Cycle
| # | Decision | Typical Timing | Trigger | Who Decides | Information Needed | Your Work That Should Inform This |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contractor budget for next quarter | Last week of month before quarter starts | Pipeline review shows expected project load | CEO + Ops Director | Projected revenue vs. contractor costs, margin by project type | Profitability analysis by project type |
| 2 | Whether to hire or extend contractors | Mid-quarter when capacity hits | 2+ projects understaffed in same sprint | CEO + Ops Director | Contractor cost vs. FTE cost modeling, cash runway impact | Cash flow forecast with hiring scenarios |
| 3 | Client pricing adjustments | Before annual renewals (rolling, ~2/quarter) | Renewal date approaching, scope has drifted | CEO + Account Director | Client profitability data, scope drift documentation | Client-level P&L |
| 4 | Software/tool purchases | When current tool frustration peaks | Team complaints + contract renewal dates | Ops Director | Budget impact, ROI comparison, cash position | Monthly financial report (budget section) |
| 5 | Quarterly profit distribution | 3 weeks after quarter close | Books are closed, cash position clear | CEO + CPA | Net profit, tax reserves needed, cash runway after distribution | Quarterly financial summary |
| 6 | Strategic bets (new service lines, partnerships) | CEO's annual planning cycle, revisited mid-year | Market signals, client requests clustering | CEO | Revenue projections, investment required, breakeven timeline | Custom modeling (not in current scope) |
Decision Patterns
Clustered decisions: Decisions 1, 2, and 3 cluster mid-to-late quarter when capacity pressure meets pipeline reality. If Lauren's work landed in this window, she'd inform three decisions in one cycle.
Seasonal triggers: Q4 profit distribution is the highest-stakes annual decision. Renewal pricing conversations cluster in Q1 and Q3 based on when contracts were originally signed.
Informal decisions: Contractor budget gets decided in a Monday morning Slack thread between CEO and Ops Director, not in a formal meeting. Lauren's monthly report isn't in the thread.
Delivery Timing Audit: Apex Creative Group
Audit Date: March 2026 Current Delivery Model: Calendar-driven — monthly report by the 15th, quarterly call last Friday
Timing Analysis
| Decision | Decision Timing | Your Deliverable | Deliverable Timing | Arrives | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor budget | Last week before quarter | Monthly report | 15th of month | After | 10-15 days late |
| Hire vs. extend | Mid-quarter (variable) | Monthly report | 15th of month | After | Report shows last month, decision is about next month |
| Client pricing | Before renewal (rolling) | No dedicated deliverable | N/A | N/A | No work exists for this decision |
| Software purchases | Variable | Monthly report (budget section) | 15th | Sometimes before, sometimes after | Hit or miss — no intentional timing |
| Quarterly distribution | 3 weeks after Q close | Quarterly call | Last Friday of Q | Before (barely) | 2-3 days before, but distribution decision often made informally before the call |
| Strategic bets | Annual + mid-year | Not in scope | N/A | N/A | CEO makes these without financial modeling |
Score
Decisions where your work arrives BEFORE: 1 of 6 (quarterly distribution — barely) Decisions where your work arrives AFTER: 3 of 6 Decisions with NO deliverable: 2 of 6 Decision-Driven Delivery Score: 17%
What This Means
Lauren's work is excellent — clean reports, accurate forecasts, professional delivery. She already has the data and the expertise. The opportunity is in the timing.
The CEO and Ops Director make contractor, hiring, and pricing decisions in Slack threads and Monday morning conversations. Lauren's monthly report arrives after those conversations. Three shifts in delivery timing would put her work on the table before every major call — and change how Apex experiences her from reporter to the advisor they can't decide without.
Highest-Impact Gap
The decision that matters most: Client pricing adjustments at renewal Your work that should inform it: Client-level P&L showing true profitability Current gap: No deliverable exists for this decision What shifts here: Lauren already has the data — actual margin by client, scope drift documentation, cost-to-serve reality. A 45-minute profitability briefing delivered 10 days before each renewal puts that data in the CEO's hands before the pricing conversation. Lauren goes from "person who sends monthly reports" to "the advisor I talk to before I reprice a client."
Decision-Driven Delivery Plan: Apex Creative Group
Built: March 2026 Current Model: Calendar-driven (monthly by the 15th, quarterly call last Friday) Target Model: Decision-driven (anchored to Apex's contractor, pricing, and distribution cycle)
The Three Shifts
Shift 1: Client Renewal Briefing (NEW)
Decision: Client pricing adjustments at renewal Current timing: No deliverable exists New timing: 10 business days before each client renewal date What changes: Lauren builds a one-page client profitability briefing — actual margin, scope drift since last renewal, cost-to-serve trend. Takes 45 minutes per client using existing data. 2-3 renewals per quarter = 2-3 hours of new work. Effort to shift: Medium (new deliverable, but data already exists) Client communication needed: Yes — "I'd like to start sending you a profitability briefing before each client renewal so you have real numbers for the pricing conversation."
Shift 2: Pre-Quarter Capacity Brief
Decision: Contractor budget for next quarter Current timing: Monthly report lands on the 15th, 10-15 days after the decision New timing: Last Monday of the month before the new quarter starts What changes: Pull forward one section of the monthly report — projected revenue vs. contractor cost by project type — and deliver it as a standalone 1-page brief 2 weeks early. The full monthly report still lands on the 15th. Effort to shift: Low (restructure existing work, not new work) Client communication needed: No — just start sending it. "Wanted to get you the capacity numbers before you lock the contractor budget."
Shift 3: Quarterly Distribution Memo
Decision: Quarterly profit distribution Current timing: Quarterly call on last Friday (2-3 days before the decision, but decision is often made informally before the call) New timing: Send a 1-page distribution memo the Monday after books close — 2 weeks before the formal call What changes: Separate the distribution-relevant data from the full quarterly review. Net profit, tax reserve recommendation, cash runway scenarios. Let the CEO think about it for two weeks before the call. Effort to shift: Low (subset of existing quarterly prep, delivered earlier) Client communication needed: No — frame it as "getting you the distribution numbers early so you have time to think about it before our call."
Restructured Delivery Calendar
| Week | What You Deliver | Decision It Precedes | Landing Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Monday before Q start | Pre-Quarter Capacity Brief | Contractor budget allocation | 5-7 days before |
| Monday after Q close | Distribution Memo | Quarterly profit distribution | 14 days before |
| 10 days before renewal | Client Renewal Briefing | Pricing adjustment | 10 days before |
| 15th of each month | Monthly Financial Report | General reference (no specific decision) | Ongoing |
| Last Friday of Q | Quarterly Review Call | Strategic discussion (informed by earlier memos) | Ongoing |
The Anchor
Your anchor deliverable: Client Renewal Briefing Why this changes everything: When Lauren's profitability briefing arrives 10 days before the renewal, the CEO has real numbers before the pricing conversation. Lauren shaped the decision. She didn't report on it — she informed it. One deliverable, delivered at the right moment, shifts the entire relationship.
First Move
This week: Pull up the next client renewal date on Apex's calendar. Build the first Client Renewal Briefing using existing data. Send it to the CEO with this note: "Your renewal with [client] is coming up on [date]. Here's what their actual profitability looks like — thought it might be useful before the pricing conversation."