Question answered
What is the difference between the free check, Decision Pack and Resolution Plan?
The direct answer
They answer different questions and should not be treated as bronze, silver and gold versions of the same report.
The free check diagnoses the apparent readiness position from the answers supplied. The £395 Decision Pack applies professional judgement to that assessment and orders the immediate route. The £950 Resolution Plan examines agreed actual evidence and builds a verified resolution route across connected matters.
Choose according to the uncertainty. If you know what to ask and your existing team can close it, use the free route. If the priorities and sequence are unclear, use the Decision Pack. If the answer depends on what the documents actually show, use the Resolution Plan.
Decision ruleAssessment uncertainty points to the Decision Pack. Evidence uncertainty points to the Resolution Plan. A clear free action points back to your existing team.
Why this matters
The decision sits across several workstreams.
A fixed-fee product stays useful only when its boundary is clear. Asking an assessment-led pack to verify documents creates false confidence or uncontrolled scope.
The Resolution Plan should not be purchased where a straightforward question to an appointed adviser will resolve the matter.
Project Activation begins only when the owner wants implementation support after the route is understood.
Compare the routes
| Feature | Free check | £395 Decision Pack | £950 Resolution Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | Answers supplied | Assessment-led professional interpretation | Agreed actual evidence |
| Core output | Preliminary position and actions | Decision Position and ordered 30-day route | Verified position, findings and resolution route |
| Evidence review | No | No | Yes, within agreed allowance |
| Professional call | No | 20-minute Decision Call | As defined by the Resolution Plan process |
| Recheck | Repeat or update the free assessment | One assessment-based Recheck | One evidence-led Recheck |
| Best when | The owner can act with the existing team | Priorities and sequence remain unclear | The documents themselves must be tested |
The readiness test
Five checks to put on the record.
Information source
Decide whether the answer can come from your responses or requires inspection of actual project documents.
Evidence to identify: Assessment record or agreed evidence set.Number of connected issues
One central decision can fit the Decision Pack. Several interacting matters may need the Resolution Plan.
Evidence to identify: Priority list and dependency map.Professional judgement
Identify whether you need questions only, prioritisation, evidence findings or active coordination.
Evidence to identify: Defined product output and appointment scope.Existing team capacity
Use appointed advisers where the issue falls clearly within their existing responsibility.
Evidence to identify: Professional appointments and written responses.Decision timing
Match the depth of work to the date and significance of the contract, payment or mobilisation decision.
Evidence to identify: Decision deadline and programme.What to do now
A controlled sequence for the owner.
Complete the assessment
Use the free output and relevant guides first.
Ask the existing team
Send the named questions to the people already responsible.
Identify what remains unclear
Separate a prioritisation problem from an evidence problem.
Select the product boundary
Choose Decision Pack or Resolution Plan only where its defined work answers the remaining uncertainty.
Move into implementation
Use Project Activation only if you want the agreed route coordinated for you.
Warning signs
Pause and ask for clarity if any of these appear.
- A product is selected by project value rather than the question that needs answering.
- Someone expects the free check or £395 Decision Pack to include project document review.
- The owner has not used the free actions or asked the existing advisers first.
- The scope contains several professional disciplines but no agreed evidence allowance.
- Coordination and unlimited follow-up are assumed to be part of a report product.
From project experience
The practical pattern.
A clear boundary protects the client as much as the practice. It makes the basis of each conclusion visible and prevents a concise product from implying work it has not performed.
This is a professional observation, not a statistical claim or a project-specific conclusion.Questions to put on the record
Ask for answers that can be checked.
- What decision am I trying to make?
- Can that decision be made from the assessment, or must documents be checked?
- Is there one dominant issue or a connected group?
- Which adviser already owns the answer?
- Do I need a route, a verified position or implementation?
- What is the smallest proportionate next step?
Frequently asked questions
What owners usually ask next.
Can I move directly from the free check to the Resolution Plan?
Yes, where the decision clearly depends on agreed project evidence and evidence-led professional review is proportionate.
Does buying the Decision Pack reduce the later cost?
The Decision Pack includes a qualifying £395 Activation Credit for Project Activation. Any relationship with a Resolution Plan should be confirmed for the particular case rather than assumed.
What if my free result is green?
Retain the record, follow any named actions and continue with the appointed team. There is no reason to buy a pack merely because it exists.
Sources, editorial responsibility and boundaries
This guide explains the Start Ready method and current product scope. No statutory source is presented as governing it. Project documents and appropriately qualified advice remain necessary.
Published by: Planning & Project Advisory Ltd.
Editorial lead: Anthony Lilley. Planning, design coordination and owner-side project context.
Publication record: Published 3 September 2026. Professionally reviewed 3 September 2026. Geographic scope: England.
Method: Primary sources, professional observations and the use of drafting tools are explained in the editorial policy.
Limit: This material is general information. It is not legal advice, technical approval, a compliance certificate or authority to commence work.