Conditions to proceedtemplate.
For when the room is emotionally weird, politically loaded, or hiding behind “risk” as a stop sign. Split what is genuinely fixed from what can move and what is only assumed, then write the conditions that would make yes responsible.
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Appendix B3Conditions to Proceed Map
Use when: the room is emotionally weird, politically loaded, or hiding behind 'risk' as a stop sign.
CONDITIONS TO PROCEED MAP (Own the Obstacles) Fixed (non-negotiable): [fixed constraints] Flexible (can move): [flexible items] Assumptions (challenge politely): [assumptions] Trade-offs we are consciously accepting: We accept […] in exchange for […]. We accept […] to protect […]. Read-back line: ’So the real constraint is X, not "it’s hard". If we honour X properly, we can move. Agreed?' (You are not looking for enthusiasm. You are looking for nods that carry responsibility.) Output line: Conditions to Proceed — for this to move responsibly, the following must be true: [conditions] — From Just F*cking Ship It · voltsmethod.com/learn
Draw it on a whiteboard if you can. If you cannot, write it here and read it back out loud. Half the room only believes reality once it has been said in an adult voice.
From Appendix B3, Just F*cking Ship It by Matthew Barrington-Packer
When to reach for it,
and how to fill it in.
Use it when
- Governance, legal or security concerns land as a full stop instead of a list of conditions.
- Everyone agrees there is a risk, and nobody will say what would make it acceptable.
- The same objection keeps coming back in different words.
How to fill it in
- List what is fixed: the true non-negotiables.
- List what is flexible: scope, sequencing, polish, pilot size.
- List the assumptions. Challenge them politely.
- Write the trades you accept, and what each one protects.
- Finish with one line: for this to move responsibly, the following must be true.
Where it usually goes wrong.
If every constraint is non-negotiable, nothing is. Push until something lands in the flexible column.
“Legal will never allow it” is an assumption until someone has actually asked legal.
Read it back out loud. Half the room only believes reality once it has been said in an adult voice.
Quick answers
What are conditions to proceed?
The specific things that must be true for work to move responsibly. They turn a vague “it’s risky” into a list the team can actually work on.
What is the difference between a constraint and an assumption?
A constraint is a confirmed limit you cannot change. An assumption is something believed to be true that has not been tested. Treating assumptions as constraints is how projects stall.
Who should be in the room?
Whoever owns the risk. If the person who can say yes is not there, you are mapping conditions for someone else’s meeting.
The rest of the toolkit.
A template fixes ambiguity.
The book fixes the room.
This is one of the tools from Just F*cking Ship It, the five-move VOLTS Method for getting stuck work shipped. Read it in an afternoon. Ship something by Friday.