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Build an opportunity-specific validation and proof plan

Sequence demos, references, benchmarks, architecture reviews, security evidence, workshops, and pilots around the exact buyer beliefs and decisions that must be validated.

What you will have

A sequenced proof plan with stakeholder belief, proof method, evidence, owner, acceptance criterion, cost, dependency, decision milestone, and fallback.

Setup time
6-9 hours
Time saved
6-10 hours per opportunity
Estimated cost
$140 to $800 per month
Tools used
4 tools

Why this works

Proof changes a deal only when it addresses a specific stakeholder belief, uses credible evidence, and ends in an agreed decision. This workflow chooses the least costly sufficient proof method, sequences events around dependencies, and defines acceptance and fallback before the team spends customer or delivery resources.

Step-by-step workflow

Preview the workflow

The first 2 steps are open. Pro unlocks the remaining steps, copy-paste prompts, pro tips, tool-by-tool setup guidance, and implementation details.

1

Define proof governance and decision authority

45-60 min

Use Airtable and Dock to set proof types, asset permissions, customer-reference rules, pilot thresholds, decision owners, cost authority, and buyer-facing approval. Create or update the exact fields `proof_model_id`, `proof_type`, `permission_rule`, `reference_policy`, `pilot_threshold`, `cost_approver`, `buyer_approver`, `decision_owner`, `review_cadence`, retaining the native account, opportunity, contact, site, program, requirement, and source IDs instead of matching on display names alone. Apply the operating rule that every proof method has a cost, permission, owner, and decision rule, and write every proposed change to a dated change log rather than replacing the prior approved value. Validate the work by testing sample proof requests against governance, customer permission, and pilot thresholds; assign each warning or exception an owner, severity, due date, and evidence link, and hold records that fail the check. The completion gate is sales, solution, customer, and delivery leadership approving governance; document the rollback or fallback path if the source is unavailable, the connector fails, or the buyer disputes the record.

Output

An approved validation and proof operating contract.

AirtableDock
Pro tip

A proof plan should reduce uncertainty; it should not become a free delivery project or generic content library.

2

Create the versioned proof-plan Claude Project

45-60 min

Use Claude and Airtable to package instructions, belief taxonomy, proof-method rubric, evidence register, permissions, examples, tests, and changelog. Create or update the exact fields `project_version`, `instructions_file`, `field_dictionary`, `belief_taxonomy`, `proof_rubric`, `evidence_register`, `permission_matrix`, `test_cases`, `changelog`, retaining the native account, opportunity, contact, site, program, requirement, and source IDs instead of matching on display names alone. Apply the operating rule that the project includes required files, `vYYYY.MM` releases, owners, refresh rules, tests, and maintenance procedures, and write every proposed change to a dated change log rather than replacing the prior approved value. Validate the work by running historical opportunities through the rubric and reviewing whether proof choices were proportionate; assign each warning or exception an owner, severity, due date, and evidence link, and hold records that fail the check. The completion gate is the proof-plan owner approving the package; document the rollback or fallback path if the source is unavailable, the connector fails, or the buyer disputes the record. Run this template in Claude within the approved opportunity proof Claude Project after attaching the source records named for this step; store the returned JSON beside the source register before any downstream action. Maintain the Claude Project with `instructions.md`, `field-dictionary.json`, `source-register.csv`, `review-rubric.md`, `approved-examples.md`, and `changelog.md`; name releases `vYYYY.MM`, assign a primary and backup owner, refresh source exports before each operating review, and review permissions and maintenance quarterly.

Output

A maintained opportunity-proof workspace with repeatable decision rules.

ClaudeAirtable
Pro tip

Preserve examples where a pilot was rejected in favor of a lower-cost proof method.

Prompt template
ROLE
You are the governed sales-execution analyst supporting an account executive and sales engineer. You work inside the “Build an opportunity-specific validation and proof plan” operating system, where source traceability, stable CRM identifiers, buyer-safe language, and human authority are more important than producing a polished but unsupported answer.

OBJECTIVE
Complete workflow step 2, “Create the versioned proof-plan Claude Project,” and produce this operational outcome: A maintained opportunity-proof workspace with repeatable decision rules. Execute only this step; do not silently broaden the task, fabricate buyer facts, or make external changes.

INPUTS
1. APPROVED SOURCE RECORDS: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_source_records}}
2. FIELD DICTIONARY AND ALLOWED VALUES: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_field_dictionary}}
3. ACCOUNT, OPPORTUNITY, OR PROGRAM CONTEXT: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_deal_context}}
4. OPERATING RULES, PERMISSIONS, AND APPROVAL MATRIX: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_operating_rules}}
5. PRIOR APPROVED VERSION OR CURRENT STATE: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_prior_state}}
6. DEADLINES, OWNERS, AND REVIEW CADENCE: {{create_the_versioned_proof_plan_claude_project_approval_context}}

WORK TO PERFORM
1. Perform the exact job described by “Create the versioned proof-plan Claude Project” using the supplied IDs and field names.
2. Separate observed facts, direct buyer statements, operator-entered decisions, calculations, and model inferences.
3. Preserve account_id, opportunity_id, contact_id, site_id, program_id, requirement_id, source_id, owner, and effective_date whenever supplied; do not merge records merely because names look similar.
4. Populate the requested fields, identify missing values, and flag contradictions, stale evidence, duplicate entities, unsupported claims, permission issues, and dependencies.
5. Return records that can be copied into the declared system of record without renaming identifiers, flattening one-to-many relationships, or overwriting an approved value.
6. Provide a compact change summary, exception queue, approval request, and next-action list with owner and due date.
7. Apply the step-specific instructions: package instructions, belief taxonomy, proof-method rubric, evidence register, permissions, examples, tests, and changelog.

OUTPUT SCHEMA
Return valid JSON only with this exact top-level structure:
{
  "workflow_slug": "opportunity-validation-proof-plan",
  "step_number": 2,
  "step_title": "Create the versioned proof-plan Claude Project",
  "run_status": "pass|warning|hold|fail",
  "source_register": [{"source_id":"string","source_type":"string","captured_at":"ISO-8601|null","authoritative":true,"notes":"string|null"}],
  "records": [{
    "project_version": "value|null",
    "instructions_file": "value|null",
    "field_dictionary": "value|null",
    "belief_taxonomy": "value|null",
    "proof_rubric": "value|null",
    "evidence_register": "value|null",
    "permission_matrix": "value|null",
    "test_cases": "value|null",
    "changelog": "value|null",
    "evidence_source_ids": ["string"],
    "confidence": "high|medium|low",
    "review_status": "approved|needs-review|held"
  }],
  "exceptions": [{"record_id":"string|null","exception_type":"string","severity":"low|medium|high|critical","evidence":"string","owner":"string","required_action":"string"}],
  "changes_from_prior_state": [{"record_id":"string","field":"string","prior_value":"value|null","proposed_value":"value|null","reason":"string","source_ids":["string"]}],
  "review_summary": {"facts":["string"],"inferences":["string"],"open_questions":["string"],"next_actions":[{"action":"string","owner":"string","due_date":"YYYY-MM-DD|null"}]},
  "qa": {"schema_valid":true,"ids_preserved":true,"evidence_complete":true,"human_approval_required":true}
}

GUARDRAILS
- Treat the supplied field dictionary, approval matrix, security policy, commercial rules, and prior approved state as binding.
- Do not invent quotes, dates, metrics, relationships, customer permissions, product capabilities, legal positions, security answers, pricing authority, or approvals.
- Do not perform, simulate, or claim an external write. Return proposed records or actions for the named operator or governed automation to apply.
- Do not collapse conflicting evidence into one confident statement. Preserve each source and route the conflict to the exception queue.
- Do not expose confidential margin, personal data, security detail, or contract language to an audience not authorized in the inputs.
- Mark any record that could change scope, price, legal obligations, security posture, implementation effort, or buyer commitment as human-approval-required.

EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS
- Every material claim must cite one or more supplied source_id values and include the source date when available.
- Direct buyer statements must remain distinguishable from seller interpretation and model inference.
- Calculations must show inputs, units, formula, and rounding rule; relationships must show the evidence supporting the match.
- A record without adequate evidence must be marked needs-review or held, never approved by default.

UNCERTAINTY HANDLING
- Use high confidence only for current authoritative records or direct, corroborated buyer evidence.
- Use medium confidence for a plausible interpretation supported by one credible source, and low confidence for hypotheses requiring validation.
- When two sources disagree, list both values, explain the conflict, and name the person who must resolve it.
- If required inputs are absent, return run_status “hold” and state exactly what is missing instead of guessing.

HUMAN REVIEW
The named operator must review the source register, exceptions, inferred fields, proposed changes, and audience permissions. Require explicit approval before any CRM write, buyer-facing publication, pricing or scope commitment, legal or security response, pilot promise, or external notification. Return the approval decision, reviewer, timestamp, rejected items, and required revisions in the final review summary.

Pro workflow preview

Previewing 2 of 13 steps

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Import stakeholder, requirement, fit, and risk evidence
Identify the beliefs and decisions that require proof
Inventory available proof assets and permissions
Select the least costly sufficient proof method
Define proof event acceptance criteria
Sequence proof events around dependencies and milestones
See Pro plan
3Import stakeholder, requirement, fit, and risk evidence
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4Identify the beliefs and decisions that require proof
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5Inventory available proof assets and permissions
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6Select the least costly sufficient proof method
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7Define proof event acceptance criteria
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8Sequence proof events around dependencies and milestones
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9Build the buyer-facing validation workspace
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10Prepare proof event briefs and talk tracks
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11Run proof events and capture outcomes
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12Handle failed, partial, or disputed proof
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13Measure proof effectiveness and close the loop
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Expected results

Beliefs mapped

Every proof tied to a decision

Proof events exist only to change or confirm an identified stakeholder belief.

Proof efficiency

Least costly sufficient method chosen

The team uses documentation, demo, reference, workshop, or pilot according to evidence need rather than habit.

Acceptance clarity

All major proof has an exit criterion

The buyer and seller know what result moves the opportunity forward.

Buyer experience

One sequenced workspace

Approved materials, owners, dates, and decisions are organized without sending an evidence dump.

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