Step 1: Map the Decision Cadence

Purpose

Identify the 5-8 decisions this client makes in a typical quarter that the user's work should inform. The output is a decision cadence map — a clear picture of when this client actually makes moves, what information they need before each one, and who's in the room.

Interview Questions

Ask these conversationally. Use prior answers to skip redundant questions.

Setting the Context

1. "Which client are we mapping? Give me their name and what you do for them."
2. "How long have you worked together?"
3. "What does your current delivery schedule look like — monthly reports, weekly check-ins, quarterly reviews?"
4. "How many other clients do you serve, and roughly how many hours per month does this client get?"
5. "What tools do you use to produce your deliverables — and is the data real-time, or does it only update after a close cycle?"
6. "How does this client prefer to get information from you — email, text, Slack, a call, a shared doc?"

Finding the Decisions

1. "Think about the last 6 months. What were the 2-3 biggest decisions this client made that your work should have informed?"
2. "For each one — did they have your input before they decided, or did your deliverable arrive after the call was already made?"
3. "Beyond those big ones, what recurring decisions does this client make — budget approvals, hiring calls, vendor choices, strategic shifts, operational changes?"
4. "When in the quarter do those typically happen? Not the calendar date — the trigger. What causes them to make that decision?"

Understanding the Decision Environment

1. "When this client makes a big call, who else is in the room? Board? Partners? Leadership team?"
2. "How do they prepare for those decisions — do they pull reports, have pre-meetings, request data in advance?"
3. "What information would make them feel confident making that decision? What are they usually missing?"

Building the Decision Cadence Map

After the interview, build this deliverable:

# Decision Cadence Map: [Client Name]

**Service Provider:** [User's name/firm]
**Service:** [What they deliver]
**Current Delivery Schedule:** [Monthly/weekly/quarterly — their current cadence]

## Quarterly Decision Cycle

| # | Decision | Typical Timing | Trigger | Who Decides | Information Needed | Your Work That Should Inform This |
|---|----------|---------------|---------|-------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|
| 1 | [Decision] | [When] | [What triggers it] | [Who] | [What they need] | [Which deliverable] |
| 2 | [Decision] | [When] | [What triggers it] | [Who] | [What they need] | [Which deliverable] |
| 3 | [Decision] | [When] | [What triggers it] | [Who] | [What they need] | [Which deliverable] |
| 4 | [Decision] | [When] | [What triggers it] | [Who] | [What they need] | [Which deliverable] |
| 5 | [Decision] | [When] | [What triggers it] | [Who] | [What they need] | [Which deliverable] |

## Decision Patterns

**Clustered decisions:** [Any decisions that tend to happen together or in sequence]
**Seasonal triggers:** [Year-end, tax season, budget cycle, board meetings — external timing that drives decisions]
**Informal decisions:** [Decisions made in hallway conversations, quick calls, or without a formal meeting — hardest to catch but often highest impact]

Confirmation

Show the completed map to the user. Ask:

• "Does this capture the real decisions, or are there any I'm missing?"
• "Is the timing right — is this when these decisions actually happen, not when they're supposed to happen?"
• "Which of these decisions matters most to your relationship with this client?"

Once confirmed, save to outputs/decision-cadence-map.md and move to Step 2.