---
title: "Stage 2 — Reconcile the baseline evidence (days 1–3)"
slug: "do-it-yourself-game-plans/stage-2-reconcile-the-baseline-evidence-days-1-3"
section: "Do-it-yourself game plans"
description: "Pull last three to six months of board materials, revenue and churn by cohort, customer interviews, hiring plans, payroll, cash movements, commitments, cap"
internal_only: false
---

# Stage 2 — Reconcile the baseline evidence (days 1–3)

Pull last three to six months of board materials, revenue and churn by cohort, customer interviews, hiring plans, payroll, cash movements, commitments, cap table, contracts and decision records. Use a redacted evidence register: ID, claim, source, date, reliability, owner and what contradicts it. Have finance verify the cash starting point. A separate runway model is useful because even sensible strategic options can be infeasible. Burkland's description of strategic-finance work gives examples of relevant inputs. [Burkland: Strategic Finance for Startups](https://burklandassociates.com/services/strategic-finance/)

**Deliverables:** one spreadsheet with a cash base case, downside case and option-specific cost; evidence register. **Costs:** internal analyst/finance hours; external modelling fees only after a scoped quote. **Pitfall:** confusing bookings or an optimistic pipeline with available cash.