The Walkaway Number · Chapter 16 · Let the gates set the date
The Walkaway Checklist
Organize departure evidence into four tracks. Critical gates outrank completion counts.
Output: A dated four-track readiness file, five critical-gate decisions, deliberate waiver records, and a controlled departure-window route.
Time: Forty-five minutes for setup, then rerun before notice
The 180-Day Transition Sequence
- Six months out: Build one indexed decision file.
- Five months out: Close financial and benefits evidence.
- Four months out: Complete legal and tax review.
- Three months out: Build and test the handoff.
- Two months out: Rehearse household cash and the weekly design.
- Final month: Rerun every critical gate with current facts.
A failed critical gate moves the date. Don't reinterpret the checklist to protect an announcement already made.
Boundary
No unsigned revenue or generic completion percentage closes a critical gate. Some legal, coverage, and funding failures aren't sensible waiver candidates.
Completion Test
Every critical gate is complete or has a deliberate waiver naming the risk, reason, owner, mitigation, advice, and review date. Every remaining item has dated evidence or an owner and next date.
Monday Move
Open the file with the five failures that could move the date. The calendar follows the gate, not the announcement.
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