go-no-go/docs/general.md

Baker Tilly Go/No Go Checklist - Service Line Comparison

Overview

This document compares the Go/No Go checklists across all 5 Baker Tilly service lines to inform the application design.

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Scoring System (Consistent Across All)

Color	Points	Decision
🟢 Green	10+ Points	GO
🟡 Yellow	5-9 Points	Speak to SL or SSL leadership
🔴 Red	1-5 Points	NO GO

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Question Format by Service Line

Service Line	Format	Scoring Mechanism
Tax	Open-ended questions	Unclear - no explicit Yes/No
Legal	Open-ended questions	Unclear - no explicit Yes/No
Audit	Hybrid (Open + Yes/No)	Yes = 1 point, No = 0 points
Outsourced Solutions	Yes/No questions	Yes = 1 point, No = 0 points
Digital Solutions	Yes/No questions	Yes = 1 point, No = 0 points

Design Implication: The application needs to support both open-ended questions AND Yes/No scoring questions.

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Section Comparison Matrix

Section	Tax	Legal	Audit	Outsourced	Digital
1. Opportunity Details	✅ 7Q	✅ 8Q	✅ 5Q	✅ 6Q	✅ 4Q
Client Background & History	✅ 3Q	✅ 3Q	✅ 4Q (Y/N)	✅ 2Q (Y/N)	✅ 2Q (Y/N)
Financial Information	✅ 2Q	✅ 2Q	✅ 2Q (Y/N)	❌	❌
Regulatory Compliance	✅ 3Q	✅ 2Q	✅ 3Q (Y/N)	✅ 3Q (Y/N)	✅ 2Q (Y/N)
Risk Assessment	✅ 2Q	✅ 3Q	✅ 3Q (Y/N)	✅ 5Q (Y/N)	✅ 5Q (Y/N)
Resource Allocation	✅ 4Q	✅ 5Q	✅ 2Q (Y/N)	✅ 2Q (Y/N)	✅ 2Q (Y/N)
Stakeholder Engagement	✅ 2Q	✅ 2Q	❌	❌	❌
Technology & Innovation	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅ 1Q (Y/N)
Reporting Requirements	❌	❌	✅ 1Q (Y/N)	❌	❌
Fee Quote	❌	✅ 1Q	❌	❌	❌
Additional Comments	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

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Unique Sections by Service Line

Tax

• No unique sections (standard template)

Legal

• Fee Quote - "Has the client provided sufficient information to enable a fee quote?"
• Most comprehensive checklist (22+ questions)

Audit

• Reporting Requirements - Understanding reporting rules and stakeholder expectations
• IESBA Independence - Specific question about BTI member firm independence
• Previous audit reports consideration

Outsourced Solutions

• No unique sections
• Most streamlined Yes/No format

Digital Solutions

• Technology & Innovation Fit - Technology expertise and partnership assessment
• Cross-border data transfer considerations

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Common Questions Across All Service Lines

These questions appear (with slight variations) in ALL checklists:

1. Type of opportunity - What sort of [service] opportunity is it?
2. Locations - How many locations involved?
3. Baker Tilly coverage - Do we have BTI firms in all locations?
4. Client HQ - Where is the client headquartered?
5. Competition - Who are the competitors?
6. Client business/industry - What is the client's business?
7. Regulatory compliance - Does client comply with regulations?
8. Pending legal issues - Any legal/regulatory issues that could impact?
9. Conflict check - Has a conflict check been completed?
10. Resources required - What resources are needed (personnel, time, budget)?

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Question Count Summary

Service Line	Open Questions	Yes/No Questions	Total
Tax	~17	0	~17
Legal	~22	0	~22
Audit	5	~12	~17
Outsourced Solutions	6	12	18
Digital Solutions	4	12	16

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Design Recommendations for Application

1. Question Types to Support

• Open text - For opportunity details and explanatory fields
• Yes/No/Not Applicable - For scored questions
• Conditional details - "[if yes/no insert details]" fields

2. Scoring Logic

• Yes/No questions: Yes = 1 point, No = 0 points
• Not Applicable: Needs clarification (0 points? excluded from total?)
• Open questions: May need separate evaluation or no scoring

3. Service Line Configuration

• Each service line needs its own question set
• Common sections can share base questions
• Unique sections need service-line-specific implementation

4. Threshold Handling

• Score < 5: Automatic NO GO
• Score 5-9: Escalation required (flag for SL/SSL leadership)
• Score 10+: GO (but may still need approval workflow)

5. Data Collection

• Basic info (Client Name, Contact, Lead Firm) - common header
• Section-by-section question flow
• Additional comments section at end
• PDF/report generation capability

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Inconsistencies to Address

1. Section numbering - Some checklists have duplicate section numbers (two "Section 1"s)
2. Question phrasing - Some questions are phrased positively, others negatively
3. Scoring for Tax/Legal - No clear Yes/No mechanism; needs clarification from stakeholders
4. "Not Applicable" handling - Not defined in scoring methodology

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Next Steps

1. Clarify scoring mechanism for Tax and Legal service lines
2. Define "Not Applicable" scoring treatment
3. Confirm if all questions are mandatory
4. Determine if negative questions (e.g., "There are NO key risks...") should reverse score
5. Design conditional logic for detail fields
6. Plan AI validation approach for open text responses