Answer
Can a Spec end in a no?
Yes. Go, no-go and recommend-against are all valid outcomes of a Workflow Spec. A no-go that saves a company from building the wrong thing is a successful Spec.
Three valid outcomes
A Workflow Spec ends in one of three answers:
- Go. Build the tool, with a fixed Build proposal attached.
- No-go. Do not build, at least not now.
- Recommend-against. Building this tool would be the wrong move.
All three are results the Spec is designed to reach. None of them is a failure.
Why a no is worth paying for
The Spec measures the baseline, maps how the work actually moves and writes the business case. Sometimes that shows the fix costs more than the problem. Sometimes the data the tool would need does not exist yet, or the broken part is not the one everyone assumed. Finding that out for the price of a Spec is cheaper than finding it out after a Build.
That is also why the Spec is paid and not free. A free estimate is written to win the next piece of work. A paid Spec is written to be useful to you either way, and because its fee is not credited against a Build, we have no reason to push you toward one.
What you keep
Whatever the answer, you keep the workflow map, the baseline measurement and the business case. More on the ladder is on how we work.
Questions people ask
Do we still pay for the Spec if the answer is no?
Yes. The Spec is 15,000 dollars fixed, paid at signing, and priced to be worth its fee even when the answer is not to build.
What do we keep if the answer is no?
The Spec deliverables, including the workflow map, the baseline measurement and the business case. You keep them whether or not you build.
Is the Spec fee credited against a Build?
No. The Spec stands on its own.