Operations Reset Framework
Presales, Layered Ownership & Delivery Rhythm
Contributing to small and mid-size software teams close better, scope cleaner, and ship predictably. We cover presales (discovery → proposal → SOW), commercial clarity (pricing, deliverables, timelines, scope), and install layered ownership + a weekly release rhythm so delivery doesn't inherit scope surprises.
Executive Summary
When small and mid-size software teams grow, two things break: the way deals are scoped and the way work is delivered. Missing presales discipline (clear discovery, proposal completeness, SOW & pricing) creates scope drift; missing delivery structure creates schedule risk. This framework closes both gaps by adding a Presales & Solution Design layer plus layered ownership, Release Gate and practical documentation so client commitments remain accurate and delivery stays predictable.
Result: faster, cleaner wins, fewer post-kickoff changes, and predictable releases; without heavy process.
At a glance
- • Team size: 5–80 people
- • Works with your tools: Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Trello, Notion, Sheets
- • Focus: Presales completeness, delivery rhythm, QA/UAT gates, visibility
Presales & Solution Design
A short lifecycle that removes ambiguity before work begins.
What we run
- • Discovery workshops (stakeholders, constraints, success criteria)
- • Technical validation with engineering & design (feasibility & risks)
- • Proposal Pack & RFP/RFI response templates
- • Estimation & Pricing model + SOW draft with explicit deliverables, timelines and scope
- • Acceptance Criteria library and change-control rules
- • Formal presales → delivery handover checklist (gated approval)
Typical artifacts
- • Discovery Questionnaire & outputs
- • Proposal Pack (summary, scope, exclusions, assumptions)
- • SOW & Change Control template
- • Estimation workbook (time & cost buckets)
- • Presales Risk & Assumptions register
Outcome / Handover
The handover includes a signed SOW with pricing, a kickoff pack for delivery, acceptance criteria, and a gated approval that names the DRI for presales and the DRI for delivery — ensuring commercial promises are operationally achievable.
Team Layer Structure
A layered model that includes Presales so the right work gets scoped and handed off cleanly.
Presales & Solution Design
- • Discovery workshops & stakeholder mapping
- • Proposal drafting, pricing & estimation
- • SOW creation & acceptance criteria
- • Presales → Delivery handover checklist
Execution — PM, Dev & QA
- • Ticket hygiene and clear “definition of done”
- • QA pass rules & UAT readiness checklist
- • Handoff: Dev → QA → Client Review
Operations — PMO-lite
- • Weekly Release Gate (6 checks)
- • 10-minute daily triage lane
- • Milestone Scope Execution rules
Leadership — Visibility & Decisions
- • One Ops Dashboard (velocity, defects, risks, next release)
- • 20-minute weekly ops review
- • Decisions & owner captured in a lightweight log
Documentation Set
Lean and practical documents installed during the reset, including presales & commercial artifacts.
Foundation
- • Onboarding Pack
- • Scope Lock Rules
- • Milestone Scope Execution
- • On-Time Delivery Rules
Quality & Visibility
- • QA/UAT Pack
- • Handoff & RACI
- • Ops Dashboard
Presales & Commercial
- • Proposal Pack & RFP/RFI Response templates
- • Discovery Kit & Questionnaire
- • Estimation & Pricing Models (workbook)
- • SOW & Change Control templates
- • Acceptance Criteria library
- • Presales-to-Delivery Handover checklist
Phased Plan (How We Run It)
Presales & Scoping
- • Run targeted discovery workshops to capture stakeholders, constraints, and measurable success criteria.
- • Produce a solution outline and technical feasibility notes with engineering/design validation of riskiest assumptions.
- • Build the Proposal Pack and complete an Estimation workbook—time, team, and cost buckets—plus pricing options (fixed / T&M / milestone).
- • Draft the SOW: explicit deliverables, acceptance criteria, timelines, scope boundaries, exclusions, and change-control rules.
- • Record risks & assumptions and obtain presales approval (DRI named), then run a formal presales → delivery handover checklist.
Diagnose & Stabilize
- • Baseline the current flow (cycle times, QA pass rates, open blockers) and map handoffs to find frequent failure points.
- • Configure the Ops Dashboard with presales and delivery KPIs and share baseline targets with leadership.
- • Pilot the Release Gate on in-flight items to show immediate wins and close open deviations from the SOW.
- • Quick wins: fix ticket hygiene, clarify definitions of done, and reduce in-sprint scope creep.
Enforce & Coach
- • Apply the RACI, formal sign-offs, and Release Gate cadence across all teams; coach DRIs on ownership rules.
- • Introduce a 10-minute daily triage lane and standardize ticket acceptance & QA/UAT rules.
- • Provide hands-on coaching for PMs, QA, and product owners during first 2–3 releases through the gate.
- • Track presales-to-kickoff variance and close gaps by enforcing acceptance criteria and change-control steps.
Prove & Hand Over
- • Deliver 2–3 consistent, clean releases that meet acceptance criteria and show measurable KPI improvements versus baseline.
- • Finalize the playbook, all templates (Proposal, SOW, Estimation workbook), and the Ops Dashboard docs for the permanent owner.
- • Run a formal handover session with leadership and sign off on operational responsibilities and ongoing metrics cadence.
- • Optionally extend light oversight for coaching after handover to ensure habits stick (1–2 hours/week recommended).
Case Studies & Operational Impact
Cherry Byte (Presales and Release Ops Rhythm)
• What I installed: Resource layers setup and integration, Milestone-based Release Gate, QA/UAT sign-offs, 3-lane board (Dev → QA → Client Review), dashboard.
• Presales: Standardized proposal and SOW package specifying pricing, deliverables, timelines, and scope; reduced presales cycle time by 35% and improved win confidence by 22%.
• Impact: Missed windows –40%; QA→deploy 5 days → 2 day; model reused across 5+ projects.
Sumato Solutions (Business & Ops)
• What I installed: 5-layer organizational setup, roles and responsibilities, Presales ops, leads engagement and onboarding rules, milestone checkpoints, Release Gate, QA/UAT processes, Ops Dashboard, documentation pack.
• Presales: Introduced a proposal pack + estimation workbook and a presales-to-delivery signoff; improved SOW sign-off speed by 40% and reduced scope ambiguity at kickoff by 30%.
• Impact: Predictability +35%; change requests –25%; leadership gained one-screen clarity.
ITech22 LLC (Startup Setup, Ops, and Partnerships)
• What I installed: Initial setup, branding, operations, team scaling, international partnerships.
• Presales: Built a discovery kit and SOW template used for partner deals — reduced negotiation cycles by 28% and clarified deliverables pre-kickoff.
• Impact: Successful setup, brand visibility, 5 international vendor partnerships established (cloud, OEM, distributor).
Deliverables You Keep
- Ops Reset Playbook (PDF/Doc)
- Onboarding Pack
- Scope Lock & Milestone Scope Execution templates
- Release Gate (six checks) + comms & rollback templates
- Proposal Pack & RFP/RFI response templates
- SOW & Change Control templates
- QA/UAT Pack (pass/fail matrix, readiness questions, sign-off)
- RACI & Handoff checklist
- Ops Dashboard (Sheet/Notion) with baseline & targets
- Weekly Ops Review script (20-minute format)
- Estimation & Pricing models (workbook)
- Presales-to-Delivery Handover checklist
- Acceptance Criteria library
Engagement Model
- • Mode: Hybrid; short working sessions with your leads (mid-layered resources).
- • Aftercare: Light oversight (1–2 hours/week) while habits cement.
Presales → Delivery (step-by-step)
- Step 1 (Discovery): Stakeholder interviews, discovery workshops, capture acceptance criteria and constraints; produce discovery outputs and risk/assumption register.
- Step 2 (Solution & Estimate): Technical validation, create estimation workbook, draft Proposal Pack and SOW (pricing, scope, timelines, exclusions).
- Step 3 (Signoff & Handover): Finalize SOW, secure approvals, assemble kickoff pack and presales-to-delivery handover checklist naming DRIs and owners.
- Step 4 (Delivery Kickoff & Pilot Gate): Delivery kickoff, baseline metrics on Ops Dashboard, pilot the Release Gate and run the first clean release through the new rhythm.
Note: Steps compress for smaller scopes (1–2 steps) and expand for enterprise RFPs with more stakeholders.
FAQ
Will this slow us down?
The gates are six quick checks; teams report shipping faster with fewer surprises because scope clarity reduces rework and firefighting.
Do we need new tools?
No. We use your current tools (Jira, Linear, ClickUp, Trello, Notion, Sheets). The work is about rules and lightweight templates, not tooling rollouts.
What if we’re mid-project?
We stabilize in-flight work first using a triage lane and Release Gate for the next milestone, then apply the full playbook to subsequent milestones.
Client comms?
Included: release notes template, a standard client update cadence, and a presales-to-delivery comms plan so stakeholders know what to expect at each milestone.
How handover prevents rework?
A formal handover forces presales to capture acceptance criteria, technical constraints, and excluded items, and names the DRI for delivery. When delivery has an explicit SOW, clear acceptance criteria, and a risk register, the team avoids costly rework caused by ambiguous commitments and undocumented assumptions.
How do layers align with our team?
People are mapped into presales, execution, operations, leadership layers without changing reporting lines; each role keeps day-to-day work but gains clear handoff responsibilities and DRIs.
How are results measured?
Live metrics in the Ops Dashboard include delivery metrics (release timeliness, QA pass rate, rework %) and presales KPIs:
proposal / presales cycle time, SOW acceptance rate, win rate, % scope changes post-handover, and forecast accuracy.
Tip: add baseline values during Phase A so the dashboard tracks improvement from day 1.
How we should price?
We recommend a pragmatic mix: present a primary option (fixed-price for well-scoped work) plus an alternative (T&M with capped milestones) and a premium delivery option for accelerated timelines. Pricing uses the Estimation workbook (effort × rate × contingency) and shows clear scope boundaries and exclusions to avoid surprises.
What goes into an SOW?
A solid SOW contains: project objectives, explicit deliverables, acceptance criteria, timeline/milestones, responsibilities (DRIs), pricing and payment terms, scope exclusions, change-control process, risks & assumptions, and signoff fields for both parties.