Show Core42 the responsibility matrix filled in, not blanked - a first cut we are flexible on beats arriving with an empty working sheet

Situation

In the Core42 implementation-review pre-call on 2026-08-18, Michael Shinn was uneasy about showing his RACI/responsibility diagram because it assumed a much larger scope than Core42 might want, and offered to blank the boxes so the conversation could fill them in. Adam Jackson agreed and asked for the letters removed so CIQ would go in with no expectation. Peter challenged that directly and argued for leaving the chart filled in, framed as a first cut with an explicit statement that CIQ is flexible and not married to any of it. Adam conceded. On the following morning call the control matrix was in fact presented as a draft rather than as a blank working sheet.

Reasoning

Peter judged that an empty matrix reads as CIQ not knowing, while a populated one reads as CIQ having done this before and being open to correction. He said arriving expecting a working meeting where the customer fills in the chart is a worse presentation than arriving with a first cut. He accepted every de-fanging change that reduced the appearance of grabbing scope - pulling the Atomic branding, pulling the logos, stamping it draft, softening we can take it all - because none of those cost him the thing he wanted, which was visible evidence of competence. What he refused to give up was the content itself.

Additional Context

The room was working out how to handle a new CISO-side counterpart who had begun asking about commercialisation rather than only security sign-off, which Peter read as him looking for CIQ to take work off his plate. Peter also asked for the logos to be corrected or removed rather than shown wrong, and cut the review off himself once it hit diminishing returns on wording.

Observed Evidence

Michael Shinn: I could also just make all those little boxes blank. In other words, at the point of the conversation is for us to figure that out. Adam Jackson: if you remove the letters and have those boxes blank, then that means that we have gone in with no expectation. Peter: I would leave that chart filled in ... showing that we have a first cut is a much better presentation. Adam: Okay, fair enough. I am open to that. Peter separately: I think whatever you can do to defang it, or put a big draft over it. And: we are as we either want to remove the fuzzball and Ascender Pro icons and Pro Hardened, or we want to get the right ones in.

Matching Patterns

Confidence Breakdown

Reasoning Depth Analysis