SIGNAL
Capture the initial request, concern, opportunity, or observation without prematurely defining a solution.
How it works
A visible path from demand to accountable outcomes.
LIA combines a seven-stage lifecycle with defined responsibilities, structured artifacts, readiness evaluation, and explicit governance routing.
Canonical lifecycle
Seven stages. No hidden handoffs.
CLARIFY
Separate the underlying need from assumptions and proposed solutions.
QUALIFY
Test whether the request has enough substance and readiness to evaluate responsibly.
ALIGN
Make the organizational conditions surrounding the request explicit.
DECIDE
Select the appropriate disposition based on value, readiness, risk, and organizational context.
GOVERN
Establish proportionate oversight and accountable passage into the selected path.
REALIZE
Connect the original signal and decision rationale to observed outcomes.
Defined roles
Clear responsibilities create better decisions.
LIA roles describe responsibilities that may map to existing organizational roles; they do not require these exact job titles.
Intake Sponsor
Champions the business need and provides sponsorship for the request or opportunity.
Intake Analyst
Structures the request, performs analysis, identifies gaps, and prepares decision-ready information.
Intake Facilitator
Facilitates discovery, alignment, and stakeholder conversations.
Governance Reviewer
Evaluates governance, controls, policy, readiness, and decision traceability.
Decision Authority
Owns the final disposition or governance decision.
Flow Steward
Ensures approved demand transitions appropriately and remains visible through realization.
Knowledge Worker
Provides specialized domain, business, technology, risk, product, architectural, or operational knowledge.
Artifacts
Structured artifacts make decisions visible and traceable.
Intake
Signal Record · Context Packet · Intake Canvas
Establishes the request, context, and problem framing.
Analysis
Value Signal Matrix · Readiness / Decision Qualification Scorecard · Stakeholder Map · Alignment Ledger
Makes value, readiness, stakeholders, and alignment gaps visible.
Decision
Decision Log · Decision Gate / Governance Recommendation
Documents the recommended path, rationale, and disposition.
Governance & Realization
Governance Charter · Policy Trace · Resolution Record · Value Realization Record
Carries accountability, controls, resolution, and outcomes forward.
Decision Scorecard
A readiness picture—not simply a priority score.
The scorecard supports structured discussion across dimensions such as clarity, strategic fit, business value, readiness, ownership, risk, stakeholder alignment, and capacity or timing fit.
Final scoring definitions and thresholds should be applied from the controlled LIA methodology materials rather than inferred from this public overview.
Governance routing
The goal is not to approve everything.
The goal is to route each request to the right decision path.
Fast-track
Clear need, high readiness, low friction
Standard intake
Balanced profile; proceeds through normal governance
Discovery required
Important gaps or uncertainty require additional analysis
Portfolio review
Strategic, financial, capacity, or dependency considerations require escalation
Defer
Valid request, but timing or conditions are not appropriate
Redirect
The request belongs with another function, product, portfolio, or governance path
Decline / Stop
Insufficient value, alignment, readiness, or viability to proceed