Exit & Handoff: Documentation Delivery

Overview

The Exit phase answers the question: What happens after the strategy?

This phase compiles all five pillar outputs into actionable documentation that enables engineering teams to scope, build, and deploy without re-discovery. It's the bridge between consulting and implementation.

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Why the Exit Phase Matters

The Problem We're Solving

After five pillars of strategic work, organizations have comprehensive insights about AI adoption. But without proper documentation handoff, critical knowledge gets lost in translation between consulting and engineering teams.

Common handoff failures:

• Engineering teams spend weeks re-discovering what the consulting team learned
• Strategic intent gets diluted through verbal handoffs
• Critical constraints and edge cases don't make it into specifications
• No clear success criteria for implementation

What Success Looks Like

By the end of the Exit phase, the client organization has:

• Executive Summary ready for board presentation and investment authorization
• Product Requirements Document that engineering can use to start architecture design immediately
• Implementation Roadmap with phased delivery milestones
• Complete Documentation Package indexing all pillar outputs
• Formal transition meeting between OAIO and implementation teams

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Outputs and Handoffs

Exit Deliverables

Deliverable	Purpose	Example
Executive Summary	Board-ready investment authorization	View Example
Product Requirements Document (PRD)	Engineering specification for implementation	View Example
Implementation Roadmap	Phased delivery plan with dependencies	View Example
Documentation Package	Master index of all OAIO deliverables	View Example

Deliverable Details

Executive Summary

• Strategic Context: Why AI adoption matters, shadow AI risks, five-pillar approach
• Agent Portfolio: Prioritized agents with ROI projections
• Governance Framework: Permission boundaries, human oversight, risk mitigation
• Financial Projections: 12-month cost forecast, expected returns, budget controls
• Approval Block: Signature lines for executive authorization
• Audience: C-suite, Board of Directors

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

• Functional Requirements: What the agent must do
• Data Sources: Required inputs with access specifications
• Integration Points: APIs, webhooks, system connections
• Success Criteria: Measurable performance thresholds
• Constraints: Governance boundaries from Pillar 3
• User Experience: Interaction patterns from Pillar 4
• Audience: Engineering leads, solution architects

Implementation Roadmap

• Foundation (2-4 weeks): Infrastructure, security baseline, CI/CD
• Agent MVPs (4-8 weeks each): Individual agent development and testing
• Integration (2-4 weeks): Cross-agent workflows, system connections
• Hardening (2-4 weeks): Scale testing, monitoring, FinOps dashboards
• Includes dependency mapping, resource requirements, risk markers, success gates

Documentation Package

• Pillar 1: Agent Portfolio, Executive Guardrails Brief, Propagation Plan
• Pillar 2: Agent Data Maps, Tagged Data Inventory, Data Owners Register, Access Models
• Pillar 3: Permission Specifications, Escalation Procedures, Governance Playbook
• Pillar 4: Interaction Specifications, Adoption Metrics Framework, Change Management Plan
• Pillar 5: Economic Thesis, Financial Controls, Cost Monitoring Dashboard Spec
• Exit: Executive Summary, PRD, Implementation Roadmap

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Exit Phase Activities

Activity 1: Document Compilation (Days 1-3)

Gather all pillar outputs into a single organized package:

1. Collect deliverables from each pillar workshop
2. Verify completeness against deliverable checklist
3. Resolve gaps - schedule follow-up sessions if documents are incomplete
4. Standardize format - ensure consistent styling and terminology
5. Cross-reference - link related documents across pillars

Activity 2: Executive Summary Drafting (Days 2-4)

Create the board-ready summary document:

1. Synthesize strategic narrative from Pillar 1 outputs
2. Compile agent portfolio with ROI projections from Pillar 5
3. Summarize governance framework from Pillar 3
4. Extract financial projections from Pillar 5
5. Create approval block for executive signatures

Activity 3: PRD Development (Days 3-6)

Translate strategic intent into engineering specifications:

1. Agent-by-agent requirements - functional specs from all pillars
2. Data source specifications - from Pillar 2 data maps
3. Integration requirements - from Pillar 4 interaction specs
4. Constraint documentation - from Pillar 3 permission specs
5. Success criteria - measurable thresholds for each agent

Activity 4: Roadmap Creation (Days 5-7)

Build the phased delivery plan:

1. Phase sequencing - order agents by dependency and priority
2. Duration estimation - based on complexity and team capacity
3. Dependency mapping - identify blockers and prerequisites
4. Resource planning - team composition per phase
5. Risk identification - mark potential delays and mitigations

Activity 5: Transition Meeting (Days 7-10)

Formal handoff to implementation team:

1. Document walkthrough - every deliverable reviewed
2. Q&A session - clarify constraints and edge cases
3. Risk transfer - documented risks and mitigation strategies
4. Success alignment - agreement on implementation success criteria
5. Escalation paths - who to contact for clarifications

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Workshop Agenda: Exit Session

Exit Session Agenda (4 hours)

Time	Activity	Participants
0:00-0:30	Executive Summary review	OAIO team, Executive Sponsor
0:30-1:30	PRD walkthrough (per agent)	OAIO team, Engineering Lead
1:30-2:00	Implementation Roadmap review	OAIO team, Project Manager
2:00-2:15	Break	All
2:15-3:00	Q&A and clarification	All stakeholders
3:00-3:30	Risk review and escalation paths	OAIO team, Implementation Lead
3:30-4:00	Formal handoff and signatures	All stakeholders

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Facilitation Tips

Effective Document Compilation

What works:

• Use standardized templates across all pillars
• Maintain a central document repository throughout engagement
• Version control all deliverables
• Include raw workshop outputs as appendices

What to avoid:

• Waiting until Exit to organize documents
• Relying on verbal handoffs for critical details
• Assuming implementation teams have context from pillar workshops

Successful Transition Meetings

What works:

• Include implementation team members in final pillar workshops
• Provide documentation package in advance of transition meeting
• Record the transition meeting for future reference
• Establish ongoing communication channel post-handoff

What to avoid:

• Rushing the transition meeting
• Excluding engineering voices from requirement review
• Assuming questions can be answered "later"

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Success Metrics

Metric	Target	Measurement
Document completeness	100%	All pillar deliverables present
Executive sign-off	Yes	Signature on Executive Summary
Engineering readiness	Under 1 week	Time from handoff to architecture design start
Re-discovery time	Under 20%	Percentage of OAIO insights requiring re-validation
Implementation alignment	90%+	Engineering assessment of PRD clarity

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Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Incomplete Pillar Deliverables

Solution: Build document review into each pillar close-out, not just Exit phase. Use a deliverable tracker throughout the engagement.

Challenge: Engineering Team Not Available

Solution: Schedule transition meeting early in the engagement. Include engineering observers in later pillar workshops.

Challenge: Executive Availability for Sign-off

Solution: Keep Executive Sponsor updated throughout engagement. Schedule Executive Summary review as a separate session before formal transition.

Challenge: Scope Creep in PRD

Solution: PRD should reflect only what was validated in the five pillars. New requirements identified during Exit become Phase 2 backlog items.

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