{"number":"04","slug":"nine-phase-playbook","filename":"04-nine-phase-playbook.md","title":"Nine-Phase Audit Playbook","bytes":9029,"lines":244,"sha256":"8a6e44e7ee25f438022c4bec00699743588a1382fb9340b6fdc70a9a22d384d7","sections":28,"tables":0,"code_blocks":2,"href":"/v1/docs/nine-phase-playbook","outline":[{"anchor":"preflight","level":2,"title":"Preflight","line":3,"tables":[],"code":[]},{"anchor":"phase-1-technical-and-passive-osint-fingerprint","level":2,"title":"Phase 1 — Technical and passive OSINT fingerprint","line":13,"tables":[],"code":[]},{"anchor":"questions","level":3,"title":"Questions","line":15,"tables":[],"code":[]},{"anchor":"collection-lanes","level":3,"title":"Collection lanes","line":22,"tables":[],"code":[]},{"anchor":"required-controls","level":3,"title":"Required 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approval","line":218,"tables":[],"code":[]},{"anchor":"final-synthesis","level":2,"title":"Final synthesis","line":231,"tables":[],"code":[]}],"blocks":[{"type":"heading","level":1,"text":"Nine-Phase Audit Playbook","anchor":"nine-phase-audit-playbook","line":1},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Preflight","anchor":"preflight","line":3},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"Complete the scope contract.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Resolve the organization, executive, and region.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Identify applicable privacy, outreach, and source-use rules.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Set passive-only as the default authorization.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Choose audit mode and time box.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Create source, claim, calculation, opportunity, and contact ledgers.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Define the three decisions the audit must improve.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":5},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 1 — Technical and passive OSINT fingerprint","anchor":"phase-1-technical-and-passive-osint-fingerprint","line":13},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Questions","anchor":"questions","line":15},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"What official domains, subdomains, certificates, public services, repositories, documents, vendors, and technology signals are observable?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Which signals indicate complexity, aging, inconsistency, or missing controls without requiring active testing?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Which findings are verified facts, passive hints, or unknown?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"What business outcome could the technical condition affect?","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":17},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Collection lanes","anchor":"collection-lanes","line":22},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"official domains, DNS, RDAP/WHOIS and certificate transparency;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"passive technology fingerprinting and historical snapshots;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"public status, security, privacy, trust, API and developer pages;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"public repositories and dependency manifests;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"public documents and metadata, collected under source terms;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"authorized breach-notification/domain-monitoring sources;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"executive speeches, filings, posts, interviews, board and association biographies.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":24},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Required controls","anchor":"required-controls","line":32},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"No port scanning, directory brute force, authentication attempts, exploit checks, or payloads.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Do not infer MFA status.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Do not collect credential material.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Treat version fingerprints as unverified until corroborated.","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Separate target-owned assets from third-party/CDN/shared infrastructure.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":34},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Deliverables","anchor":"deliverables","line":40},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"asset and dependency map;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"technical-change timeline;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"evidence-safe risk register;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"business-mechanism hypotheses;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"private responsible-disclosure route for material security signals.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":42},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 2 — PR, brand sentiment, and reputation","anchor":"phase-2-pr-brand-sentiment-and-reputation","line":48},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Questions","anchor":"questions-2","line":50},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"What themes recur, where, and over what window?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Is the company responding? How quickly and consistently?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Which narratives are customer misunderstandings, service failures, contested claims, or information gaps?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Who owns share of voice by topic and outlet tier?","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":52},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Method","anchor":"method","line":57},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"declare sources, window, queries, languages, and sample denominator;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"collect platform-permitted records and RSS/news indexes;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"normalize entity, topic, stance target, sentiment, engagement, and response;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"deduplicate syndication and copied posts;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"human-code a stratified sample to test the classifier;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"compare target and competitors using identical rules;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"map narrative propagation using the fourteen change variables.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":59},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Deliverables","anchor":"deliverables-2","line":67},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"topic-by-source sentiment table;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"complaint/response matrix;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"earned-media and SOV benchmark;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"narrative risk/opportunity map;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"crisis-information gaps.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":69},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 3 — Marketing, advertising, and audience engagement","anchor":"phase-3-marketing-advertising-and-audience-engagement","line":75},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Questions","anchor":"questions-3","line":77},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"What current creatives, promises, proof, formats, offers, and calls to action are visible?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Where is high-intent demand not matched by a relevant page, ad, answer, or offer?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Where does the journey lose clarity, trust, performance, accessibility, or message match?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Which gaps are observable and which require internal analytics?","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":79},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Method","anchor":"method-2","line":84},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"inspect official ad-transparency libraries manually or through permitted interfaces;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"inventory target and competitor content over an equivalent window;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"group search demand into problems, comparisons, alternatives, costs, risk, implementation, and local intent;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"map each topic to journey stage and existing asset;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"test public pages for performance, accessibility, structured data, indexability, and broken flows without submitting forms;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"identify missing measurements that prevent CAC/conversion conclusions.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":86},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Deliverables","anchor":"deliverables-3","line":93},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"creative/message matrix;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"content velocity and topic-coverage matrix;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"demand-to-asset gap map;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"journey friction register;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"measurement plan.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":95},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 4 — Overlooked opportunities and blind spots","anchor":"phase-4-overlooked-opportunities-and-blind-spots","line":101},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Generate across:","line":103},{"type":"code","lang":"text","content":"Stakeholder × Job × Journey × Channel × Format × Offer × Geography × Time\n× Ownership × Feedback × Five change states","line":105,"id":"04.phase-4-overlooked-opportunities-and-blind-spots.c1"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Candidate families:","line":110},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"unused owned/earned/paid/partner channels;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"under-monetized audiences, content, data, proof, expertise, integrations, or locations;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"missing follow-up, activation, expansion, referral, or win-back loops;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"regional listings, associations, events, awards, trade media, and co-marketing;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"operational assets that can become a productized diagnostic or trust signal;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"a new unit of value that creates a C4 demand curve.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":112},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Rank three levers for the executive brief, but preserve the full option register.","line":119},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 5 — Microeconomic and unit-economic analysis","anchor":"phase-5-microeconomic-and-unit-economic-analysis","line":121},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Unit definition","anchor":"unit-definition","line":123},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Name the unit before calculating: lead, qualified opportunity, new customer, active account, order, project, seat, transaction, service ticket, location, or retained customer.","line":125},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Questions","anchor":"questions-4","line":127},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"What price and packaging are public? What is genuinely comparable?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Where might willingness-to-pay differ by segment or use case?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Which manual or vendor-dependent steps raise marginal cost?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Where might acquisition, activation, churn, support, or expansion leak contribution margin?","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"What capacity constraint makes the next unit more expensive or slower?","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":129},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Required outputs","anchor":"required-outputs","line":135},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"unit-economics tree;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"public pricing comparison with scope/feature normalization;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"operational-friction hypotheses;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"LTV/CAC model template with missing inputs;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"low/base/high scenario ranges.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":137},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Private-company economics usually remain hypotheses until the target supplies volume, margin, conversion, churn, and labor data.","line":143},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 6 — Competitor benchmark and gap analysis","anchor":"phase-6-competitor-benchmark-and-gap-analysis","line":145},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"select up to three comparable organizations with reasons, using fewer when comparability fails;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"freeze a common window, geography, customer, and offer class;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"compare facts separately from proxies;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"normalize features, price units, content counts, outlets, reviews, and delivery claims;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"identify target advantage, parity, disadvantage, and unknown;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"find whitespace—not just missing features.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":147},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Required dimensions:","line":154},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"technology and delivery;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"offer, packaging, price and proof;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"discovery/content/ad presence;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"media SOV and narrative ownership;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"customer experience and response;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"operating/economic proxies;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"strategic trajectory across five LAKA change states.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":156},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 7 — Macro and industry mapping","anchor":"phase-7-macro-and-industry-mapping","line":164},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For each driver record:","line":166},{"type":"code","lang":"text","content":"Driver → exposure path → affected unit → direction → magnitude range\n→ lag → leading indicator → management lever → source","line":168,"id":"04.phase-7-macro-and-industry-mapping.c1"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Driver families:","line":173},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"interest rates and credit;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"inflation, wages, productivity and labor availability;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"currency, trade, shipping, input costs and supply concentration;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"regulation, privacy, accessibility, security, sector rules and deadlines;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"demographic, geographic, technology and demand shifts;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"platform/API/policy dependencies;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"climate/energy exposure where material.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":175},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Use primary statistical and regulatory sources. Do not turn national averages into company-specific impact without an exposure mechanism.","line":183},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 8 — Financial impact and dollar metrics","anchor":"phase-8-financial-impact-and-dollar-metrics","line":185},{"type":"paragraph","text":"For every proposed number:","line":187},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"identify observed/reported/measured/benchmark/assumed inputs;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"state formula and unit;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"calculate low/base/high;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"apply attribution and realization factors;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"state time-to-value, one-time cost, recurring cost, and risk;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"test overlap with other gaps to prevent double counting;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"show sensitivity and break-even;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"label scenario vs target-reported fact.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":189},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The matrix includes `not estimable` when appropriate. It is better than a fabricated dollar value.","line":198},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Phase 9 — Executive pitch and CRM output","anchor":"phase-9-executive-pitch-and-crm-output","line":200},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Pitch selection","anchor":"pitch-selection","line":202},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Choose findings that score high on:","line":204},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"evidence strength;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"relevance to the executive's public business remit;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"economic mechanism clarity;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"service fit;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"novelty without creepiness;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"reversible next step;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"low legal/reputation risk.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":206},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"CRM record","anchor":"crm-record","line":214},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Use published business contact details or pattern-only/unknown status. Resolve identities, deduplicate companies and people, sanitize CSV cells, and preserve provenance and lawful-use basis.","line":216},{"type":"heading","level":3,"text":"Human approval","anchor":"human-approval","line":218},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Before outbound use, a reviewer confirms:","line":220},{"type":"list","ordered":false,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"correct company and person;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"current title;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"finding and source accuracy;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"no sensitive security or personal detail;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"no misleading subject line or certainty;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"applicable consent/identification/unsubscribe requirements;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"suppression and opt-out lists;","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"appropriate send volume and channel.","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":222},{"type":"heading","level":2,"text":"Final synthesis","anchor":"final-synthesis","line":231},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The report contains seven user-facing sections:","line":233},{"type":"list","ordered":true,"checklist":false,"items":[{"text":"Executive briefing and OSINT digest","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Marketing, PR and overlooked opportunities","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Micro- and macroeconomic diagnostic","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Competitor benchmark","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"Financial impact matrix","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"C-suite outreach blueprint","depth":0,"checked":null},{"text":"CRM import table","depth":0,"checked":null}],"line":235},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Appendices contain the evidence ledger, calculations, tool/source registry, full alternatives, limitations, and research backlog.","line":243}]}