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Stop-Doing Budget

Require every new or protected priority to release an explicit unit of capacity.

30–60 min8–16

Purpose

Convert priority language into a resource trade-off.

Output: Capacity-balanced stop, pause and continue portfolio

Materials

  • Initiative cards
  • Capacity units
  • Stop / pause / continue board

Preparation

  • Estimate the binding capacity in one comparable unit.
  • Prepare current initiatives with owners, value evidence and commitments.

Facilitation steps

1

Set the budget

8 min

Publish the total capacity and protected obligations.

2

Independent allocation

10 min

Participants build a portfolio within the fixed envelope.

3

Trade

15 min

Every proposal to add or protect work must release equivalent capacity.

4

Close

15 min

Record fund, pause, stop and the operational consequences.

Observe

  • Who argues from sunk cost?
  • Are capacity units comparable?
  • Are stop decisions reversible or final?

Debrief

  • What did the constraint make visible?
  • Which stop is hardest to execute?
  • What communication or transition is required?

Transfer to work

Update budget, staffing and work systems so stopped work is actually released.

Do not finish until stop and pause decisions have owners, dates and operational consequences.

Failure modes

  • The budget is symbolic and no work stops.
  • Initiative owners negotiate different capacity units.

Accessibility

  • Provide a keyboard-operable digital allocation alternative.
  • Show totals numerically, not by colour alone.