Right-Sized Public Tech

Scope Cutter

A printable worksheet for reducing a stalled public technology effort to one useful, reviewable, and responsible next step.

Use operational facts, not confidential records.

Do not enter confidential procurement, student, personnel, resident, vendor, security, or incident information. This worksheet stays in your browser unless you print or save it on this device.

Working brief

One outcome. One boundary. One decision.

Complete only what is known. Mark assumptions and unresolved questions instead of filling gaps with guesses.

Context

1. Must-have outcomes

Write observable changes, not product names or feature lists.

2. Users and roles

Include the operational owner, finance or procurement, and IT or security. Add privacy, accessibility, legal, records, communications, or other reviewers when needed.

3. Necessary data

Use the minimum data needed to test the outcome. Name the source, owner, sensitivity, retention rule, and approved sample boundary.

4. Integrations and security assumptions

Separate verified facts from assumptions. Include identity, access, data flow, logging, export, continuity, vendor access, and transition-out needs.

5. Internal approvals

Name the decision and responsible role. Do not assume silence is approval.

6. Minimum outcome that would justify continuing

Choose a result that changes a real decision. Name the stop condition too.

7. Unresolved procurement questions

Thresholds, competition, authority, funding source, contract form, data terms, insurance, and vendor requirements are jurisdiction-specific. Verify them with the responsible local officials.

8. Next decision