The Toolbox
Free checklists, templates and worksheets
28 working documents for technology leaders. Each page says what is inside. The file is free; we email the link to your work address.
Pull request checklist
AI Code Review Gate
Acceptance criteria for AI-generated code, to paste into a pull request template so no change merges unread.
Checklist
AI-Dependency Vetting Checklist
A checklist for vetting a package an AI coding assistant suggested, from whether it exists to its license and CVEs.
Policy and checklist
AI-Generated-Code Debt Guardrails
Team guardrails that keep AI-generated code reviewable, tested and owned, with a one-page policy summary.
Template
Architecture Decision Record (ADR) Template
A template for recording an architecture decision: context, options considered, the decision and its consequences.
Canvas
Architecture Zoning Map
A one-page map of the technology estate as a city plan: zones, integration roads, shared utilities and no-build rules.
Template
Blameless Post-Mortem Template
A post-incident review template with a timeline, systemic contributing factors, owned action items and a facilitation guide.
Register
Calibrated Risk Register
A risk register that scores each risk as a probability and a dollar impact, with expected value calculated.
Reference guide
Cloud Commitment Discount-Rate Cheat Sheet
A reference on which discount rate to use for a cloud commitment: WACC, a hurdle rate or a risk-adjusted rate.
Assessment
Cognitive-Load Assessment for IT Teams
A 15-question assessment that scores a team's cognitive load across five dimensions and bands the total as healthy, elevated or critical.
Checklist
Data-Migration Risk Checklist
A pre-go-live checklist for data migrations: data quality, field mapping, reconciliation, rollback and sign-off.
Calculator
Egress Exposure Calculator
An Excel calculator for cloud egress cost, the break-even for a dedicated link, and a 12-month projection.
Decision-rights matrix
Federated Decision-Rights Matrix
A RACI matrix that sets who decides common IT questions in a federated model: central IT or the business unit.
Worksheet
IAM Platform Evaluation Worksheet
Count every identity population, map applications by sign-in protocol, score an IAM shortlist on weighted criteria and price it over three years.
Facilitation worksheet
Incentive-Design Pre-Mortem
A workshop worksheet that predicts how a new metric, KPI or bonus scheme will be gamed before it ships.
Checklist
Incumbent-Bias RFP Audit
A checklist that finds RFP requirements written around the incumbent vendor's product, with capability rewrites.
Canvas
Internal-Platform Product Canvas
A canvas that sets out an internal platform as a product: its users, their jobs, the paved road, adoption metrics and anti-goals.
Register
LLM Model-Risk Register
A spreadsheet register of LLM failure modes per feature, scored by likelihood and impact, with controls and owners.
Worksheet
NGFW Evaluation Worksheet
Score next-generation firewalls on your requirements, throughput with inspection on, 14 weighted criteria, patching record and five-year cost.
Worksheet
Real Options Naming Worksheet
A worksheet that names the options a capital investment holds, so a review sees the flexibility a DCF leaves out.
Worksheet
Reference-Class Estimation Worksheet
A worksheet that turns past projects' overruns into a low, likely and high range for a new project's estimate.
Checklist
SaaS Contract Red-Flags Checklist
A checklist of the SaaS contract clauses to check and negotiate before signing, rated Critical, High or Medium.
Spreadsheet template
SaaS Sprawl Showback Starter
A spreadsheet to inventory SaaS tools, total spend by team for showback, and mark overlapping tools.
Reference guide
Software Capitalization Quick Guide
A guide to whether software spend is capitalized or expensed, for cloud, in-house builds and licenses.
Form and approval path
Standard-Exception Request Template
A one-form request for an exception to a technology standard, with risk, a time limit and an approval path.
Canvas
Strangler-Fig Migration Map
A canvas for replacing a legacy system in pieces: find its seams, map the dependencies and order the cut-overs.
Checklist
Sunk-Cost Circuit-Breaker
A kill-criteria checklist that sets the stop conditions for a migration or program before it starts.
Metrics spreadsheet
Tech-Debt Signals Dashboard
A spreadsheet that tracks technical debt per service with ten measured signals in place of 1-to-5 scores.
Worksheet
Zero Trust Roadmap Worksheet
Rate your zero trust state against NIST's seven tenets and five pillars, inventory what users reach through the VPN, and score a ZTNA shortlist.
Keep reading
Free form and approval path
Standard-Exception Request Template
A one-form request for an exception to a technology standard, with risk, a time limit and an approval path.
Free canvas
Strangler-Fig Migration Map
A canvas for replacing a legacy system in pieces: find its seams, map the dependencies and order the cut-overs.