Date: 2026-02-15
Trigger: Completion of ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE.md and Council insight validation against real data
Status: MOSTLY ALIGNED, but key documents need updates
After adding the Pathways Governance framework and validating Council insights against 747 meetings + 5,862 threads + 390 deals:
| Category | Documents | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fully Aligned | 5 | CMO_STRATEGY_2026, PARTNER_ALIGNMENT_ASSESSMENT, ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE, carmee-pathway-ai-automation-assessment, ACTION_PLAN_2026-02-15 |
| Needs Minor Updates | 3 | MASTER_PLAN_REALITY_CHECK, ZTAG_KNOWLEDGE_BASE, institutional_sales_machine |
| Needs Major Recalibration | 2 | MASTER_PLAN.md (Council doc), cmo_intelligence.md |
| No Changes Needed | 1 | gametruck_v3_campaign.md (Professional segment, not affected) |
Current State: Original Mastermind Council document with unvalidated insights
Issues Found:
| Section | Problem | Data Contradiction |
|---|---|---|
| §2.2 Tiered Pricing | Recommends Good/Better/Best tiers | Pathways: "ZTAG sells itself" - pricing structure exists via pathway, not tiers |
| §2.3 Channel Architecture | Proposes "Reseller/Training Partners" | Data: Team consensus is NO distributors (HOKALI hold, "we just say no") |
| Ridinger Integration | Suggests network marketing compensation | Data: Network Multipliers ≠ distributors. BACR expands organically, doesn't want commission |
| Clow Belief Layer | "Make them want to belong" as sales tactic | Data: Identity forms POST-sale, not during procurement |
| Movement School | Proposes as sales positioning | Pathways: Focus on stewardship, not positioning |
Recommended Updates:
Current State: Good calibration of Council insights against data
Issues Found:
| Section | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing Pathways reference | No mention of Pathway Governance | Add section linking to ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE.md |
| Persona map | 6 personas identified, not mapped to Pathways | Add Pathway column to persona table |
| "VP Layer" section | Good insight but no solution | Link to Pathway operating posture ("quote only after implicit yes") |
Recommended Updates:
Current State: Good operational document
Already Includes:
No changes needed - this document was already updated during this session.
Current State: Documents sales sequence, still accurate
Issues Found:
| Section | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sales sequence | Good but missing Pathway classification | Add note: "Use Pathways to classify before quoting" |
| Potential Gaps | Lists items like "no calendar link" | Some gaps addressed by Pathways ("quote after implicit yes") |
| TMT section | Says "Referral partner, not reseller" | Already aligned with Pathways, just needs explicit reference |
Recommended Updates:
Rationale: This documents the Professional segment (Pathway 7: Professionals/Operators). The V3 upgrade campaign was a specific historical event. No Pathway alignment needed - this is reference material.
Current State: General company overview
Issues Found:
| Section | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Market Segments | Lists 3 segments | Should reference Pathways (7 pathways, not 3 segments) |
| Strategic Context | Says "Moved away from reseller model" | Good - align with Pathways Governance language |
| Team section | Missing Kris role distinction | Add: Kris owns Partner Relations (Pathways 6-7), Carmee owns Pathways 1-5 |
Recommended Updates:
Current State: Raw customer voice extraction from meetings
Issues Found:
| Section | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Two-segment model | "Institutional vs Professional" | Pathways defines 7 pathways, not 2 segments |
| Marketing implications | Generic recommendations | Should align with Pathway-specific positioning |
| No Pathway awareness | Raw data, no operational context | Add note: "This data feeds Pathway classification" |
Recommended Updates:
Status: Just updated in this session with:
No changes needed.
Status: Created in this session with:
No changes needed.
Status: This IS the authoritative framework. Added as verbatim governance document.
No changes needed.
Status: Detailed automation assessment aligned with Pathways
No changes needed.
Based on real data validation:
| Council Member | Insight | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave McCoy | Soul preservation, relationship over transaction | VALIDATED - #1 priority | Elevate in MASTER_PLAN |
| John Sculley | Tiered pricing, procurement docs | PARTIALLY VALID - docs yes, tiered pricing less critical | Update MASTER_PLAN |
| Lee Clow | Belief architecture during sales | INVALIDATED for sales - valid POST-sale | Update MASTER_PLAN |
| Nolan Bushnell | Scale warning | VALIDATED - don't scale before infrastructure | Keep as warning |
| Hiroshi Yamauchi | Installed base priority | NUANCED - institutional ≠ consumer | Add nuance in MASTER_PLAN |
| JR Ridinger | Network marketing compensation | INVALIDATED - Network Multipliers ≠ distributors | Revise in MASTER_PLAN |
| Document | Update |
|---|---|
| MASTER_PLAN.md | Add "Reality Check" section, mark Council insights with validation status |
| cmo_intelligence.md | Add header referencing CMO_STRATEGY_2026.md as calibrated interpretation |
| Document | Update |
|---|---|
| MASTER_PLAN_REALITY_CHECK.md | Add Pathways reference, map personas to Pathways |
| ZTAG_KNOWLEDGE_BASE.md | Update Market Segments with Pathway references, update Team roles |
| institutional_sales_machine.md | Add Pathway classification note |
| Document | Update |
|---|---|
| reports/team/*.md | Review for Pathway role clarity (optional) |
| reports/indexes/*.md | No changes needed (reference material) |
1. ZTAG_PATHWAYS_GOVERNANCE.md (Operational authority - Carmee's bible)
↓
2. CMO_STRATEGY_2026.md (Strategic alignment - calibrated to Pathways)
↓
3. ACTION_PLAN_2026-02-15.md (Weekly execution - references both)
↓
4. MASTER_PLAN.md + MASTER_PLAN_REALITY_CHECK.md (Vision + validation)
↓
5. Supporting docs (cmo_intelligence, institutional_sales_machine, etc.)
The big reframe from this analysis:
"Pathway stewardship, not sales execution. ZTAG sells itself."
This inverts the assumption in MASTER_PLAN.md that you need Sculley infrastructure AND Clow belief to "make people want to buy."
The data shows: They already want to buy. The job is routing them correctly (Pathways) and not screwing it up (operating posture).
Clow's belief architecture applies POST-sale (Playmaker identity formation), not during procurement.
Audit completed: 2026-02-15
Next review: After MASTER_PLAN.md updates