Input
Gather the proposed start, supplier slot/terms, deposit and balance, confirmed versus proposed funding, permission evidence and preparation time. Work from actual records; an expected decision is not its outcome. The output is a conditional start statement with a margin table, not a generic proposal checklist.
Steps
- State the proposed start and minimum preparation interval.
- Identify the latest supplied order/deposit condition for the supplier slot.
- Calculate deposit, remaining payment and confirmed-funding gap.
- Trace independent permission and funding decisions to their actual owners.
- Compare each stated date with delivery and start, preserving uncertainty.
- Record exceptions and a conditional fallback without assuming proportional supply.
- Send the evidence to the actual decision owner and record a proposed check date before commitment.
Fictional Worked Case
Seed distribution is proposed for May 4, 2027. Supplier delivery April 24 is held only if order and a 40% deposit on 9,000 USD arrive by April 10. Confirmed funding is 6,500; a committee considers the other 2,500 on April 15. A permit decision is stated for April 21, not guaranteed. Delivery is needed at least five days before start; the next supplier slot is May 15.
Deposit is 0.40 x 9,000 =3,600 USD. Existing 6,500 covers that amount, leaving 2,900 against the delivery balance 5,400: a 2,500 gap. A later committee decision does not automatically lose the slot: actual written authority and terms must establish whether the full 9,000 commitment may be made before that funding is confirmed.
Output: Margin Table and Conditional Statement
| Dependency | Supplied timing | Margin or unresolved question |
|---|---|---|
| Order/deposit | Apr 10 condition for Apr 24 slot | Committee decision Apr 15 is later; authority to commit before it is NOT SUPPLIED |
| Funding decision | Apr 15 to Apr 24 | Nine calendar days, if approved; transfer/availability timing not established |
| Permission | Apr 21 to May 4 | Thirteen days if the actual permit arrives and permits the work |
| Delivery/preparation | Apr 24 to May 4 | Ten days versus five-day minimum; future delivery not guaranteed |
| Next slot | May 15 plus five days | No earlier than May 20 on this single constraint, sixteen days after May 4; other conditions still apply |
Suggested planning statement: May 4 remains proposed, subject to the project director's authorized commitment decision, actual funding/payment arrangements, supplier confirmation and permission. As an editorial checkpoint, ask that director to review the unresolved commitment question by April 9, before the supplied April 10 condition; that request is not an invented contractual deadline or assurance of a decision.
Three Exceptions
- If the committee declines,6,500 /9,000 x 100 =72.22% rounded is only a cost ratio. It does not prove 72.22% of the goods can be bought. Obtain a fresh quote and authorized scope decision for any reduced quantity.
- If permission slips or is refused, keep the date conditional and seek actual direction; thirteen days of arithmetic is not permission.
- If the supplier slot is lost under actual terms, investigate the next slot and all other constraints; May 20 is not automatically a feasible or approved start.
Human Boundary and Sources
The project director chooses whether to retain a conditional date, investigate reduced scope or move it within actual authority. Use the dependency record to retain the evidence.
CC 26 (September 16, 2026), CC 8 (November 27, 2024), decision guidance (November 2, 2020) and CC 20 (February 3, 2026) inform dependency, commitment and fundraising planning in England and Wales. NCVO full-cost recovery (December 1, 2022,UK) informs naming underfunding. None supplies the fictional dates, ratios, prices or permissions. Checked November 1, 2026.