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Sage
Artifact framework

BEARINGS.

BEARINGS is the 8-letter artifact framework that lives inside SAGE's Situation and Assess phases. Each letter names a cluster of related thinking; together they produce the BRD and the FD that gates A and B approve. BEARINGS does not extend into Generate or Embed — delivery phases have their own artifacts (blueprints, sprint outputs, hypercare logs).

The eight letters

  1. B

    Baseline

    Frame the problem and find its root causes.

    Phase: S Situation

    Worksheets: WS01 Situation Statement · WS02 Root Cause Analysis

  2. E

    Engagement

    Identify stakeholders and engagement expectations.

    Phase: A Assess (pre-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS03 Stakeholder Analysis

  3. A

    Aims

    Define the objective and success criteria.

    Phase: A Assess (pre-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS04 Business Objective

  4. R

    Routes

    Compare solution options — including do-nothing.

    Phase: A Assess (pre-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS05 Solution Trade-off Table

  5. I

    Instrument

    Score the options against weighted criteria.

    Phase: A Assess (pre-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS06 Decision Matrix

  6. N

    Navigation

    Sequence the delivery — strategy slices, not deliverables.

    Phase: A Assess (post-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS07 Strategy Table

  7. G

    Governance

    Assign accountability and decide who decides.

    Phase: A Assess (post-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS08 Accountability · WS09 Decision Hierarchy

  8. S

    Signals

    Measure whether the program actually works.

    Phase: A Assess (post-Gate A)

    Worksheets: WS10 Evaluation Plan

Why BEARINGS

Most planning frameworks either give you worksheet templates without a sequence, or give you a sequence without worksheets. BEARINGS gives you both: eight tightly-scoped clusters that each produce one or two worksheets, ordered so each cluster builds on what came before. By the time you've filled out all eight, you have a BRD, an FD, and a defensible plan.

  • S Situation — where B Baseline lives
  • A Assess — where E/A/R/I/N/G/S live
  • Worksheets — the 10 worksheets BEARINGS organizes
  • Gates — what separates the BEARINGS clusters