Resources
From a brief to a usable handoff
Use this process overview to connect each stage of origination to an input, a decision and an output. The sequence gives a team a shared way to inspect the work without assuming that every relationship moves at the same pace.
Section 01
Build the path in six stages
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Step 01
Write the decision brief
Input: the client’s objective, intended market and current constraints. Decide which characteristics are required, which are preferences and which should exclude a business. Output: a brief with a clear research boundary and a named route for resolving uncertain cases. Include the eventual receiving decision so that qualification is designed with its purpose in view.
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Step 02
Map and inspect the market
Input: the brief and research sources appropriate to it. Identify businesses, record relevant facts and separate supported conclusions from open questions. Output: research records that explain why each business is included. Review a selection with the client before extending the search, especially where the business model or ownership structure is difficult to classify.
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Step 03
Prepare the approach
Input: an approved selection rationale and the context needed for relevant outreach. Decide who should be approached, what subject to explore and how the approach fits existing relationships. Output: a clear reason for contact, coordinated ownership and instructions for handling different responses. Do not turn a research hypothesis into a claim about the recipient’s intentions.
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Step 04
Develop the conversation
Input: the response and the original research context. Clarify what the business has actually expressed, whether the person is relevant to the subject and what further discussion would be useful. Output: a factual conversation record, including open questions and any instructions about future contact. A meeting or reply is an event; its substance determines the appropriate next step.
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Step 05
Prepare the client handoff
Input: the fit rationale, conversation record and agreed qualification requirements. Decide whether the context is sufficient for the receiving team to consider the next step. Output: a concise handoff with evidence, uncertainties, ownership and the requested decision. The client conducts its own lending or acquisition assessment and directs any appointed advisers.
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Step 06
Review the disposition
Input: acceptance, requests for clarification, rejection reasons and outstanding decisions. Decide what the feedback implies for targeting, conversation development or the handoff itself. Output: an updated record and any agreed process change. Carry useful feedback upstream so that the same missing context does not recur in the next batch of work.
Section 02
Work can return to an earlier stage
A handoff may expose an unanswered question that needs another conversation. A conversation may reveal that a business belongs in a different segment. Treat these movements as updates to understanding rather than forcing every record through a one-way funnel. Preserve the reason for the change and give the next action a responsible owner.
A pause is also a valid disposition. If timing is unclear or the business has asked not to continue, reflect that accurately. The operating record should distinguish active work, unresolved information and relationships with no current action. That distinction helps the team allocate attention without overstating the pipeline.
Section 03
Use the overview in a team review
- Select one record and identify the input, decision and output at each completed stage.
- Mark every place where the next person had to reconstruct missing context or infer ownership.
- Choose the stage definition or handoff requirement that would resolve the most consequential ambiguity.
- Record the change and inspect a subsequent work item to see whether the new instruction is usable.
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