2. Information architecture

Four surfaces. Three audiences. One hard rule: the surface a person can reach is determined by role and tenant scope, not by navigation. A client viewer cannot type their way into Firm HQ. A contractor cannot see an engagement they are not staffed on.

The vendor name appears only on Firm HQ login, billing, and the legal footer of firm-facing pages.

2.1 Firm HQ

Firm HQ
├── Home
│   ├── Portfolio pulse          active waves, completion risk, readouts due in 14 days
│   ├── Approvals queue          Insight Objects awaiting partner sign-off, pack reviews
│   └── Drift alerts             clients where a former strength is sliding
├── Engagements
│   ├── Pipeline                 proposed → contracted → fielding → analysis → readout → retainer
│   ├── All engagements          filter by practice, partner, package, stage, client
│   └── New engagement           package → client → pack → team → dates
├── Clients
│   ├── Client list              longitudinal index trend per client
│   └── Client record            engagements, waves, contract flags (book opt-in, AI opt-in, residency)
├── Methodology Studio
│   ├── Packs                    draft / in review / locked / retired
│   ├── Pack editor              framework canvas, items, scoring, bands, interpretations, recommendations
│   ├── Version diff             item, weight, band, and copy changes between versions
│   └── Peer review              reviewer assignments, comments, sign-off
├── Library
│   ├── Item bank                tagged items, forks, validation status, translations
│   ├── Open-end and probe bank
│   ├── Video prompt bank
│   ├── Interview guides         exec / middle / frontline, coding scheme per pack
│   ├── Recommendation library   moves mapped to bands and service catalog
│   ├── Pattern library          approved finding language harvested from past engagements
│   └── Launch kit templates     sponsor email, FAQ, poster, manager talking points, works-council pack
├── Benchmarks
│   ├── Book of business         norm sets, contributing clients, eligibility rules
│   ├── External references      licensed / published sets, "indicative" labels, expiry
│   └── Norm builder             filters: industry, size, region, growth stage, union, deskless share
├── Offerings
│   ├── Packages                 Rapid / Full Census / Transformation Pulse / Portfolio
│   └── Service catalog          sellable modules linked from recommendations
├── People
│   ├── Consultants              roles, practices, staffing, utilization by phase
│   └── Contractors              engagement-scoped access, expiry dates
├── Brand
│   ├── Firm brand kit           logo, type, palette, email domain, custom domain
│   └── Templates                PPT master(s), PDF leave-behind, Excel appendix
└── Admin
    ├── Security                 SSO/SAML, SCIM, MFA, session policy, IP allow-list
    ├── Data policy              residency default, retention, AI processing opt-in (firm level)
    ├── Integrations             HRIS, comms, storage, CRM
    ├── Audit log                identifiable-data access, exports, permission changes
    └── Billing                  seats, engagement credits, completes, video minutes

2.2 Engagement Workspace

One client, one engagement. A retainer is an engagement with many waves.

Engagement: <Client> · <Package> · <Wave>
├── Overview
│   ├── Plan                     milestones, steering dates, team, status
│   ├── Scope                    pack + version, modules, population, languages, anonymity mode
│   └── Case file                all evidence types in one index
├── Setup
│   ├── Client brand             co-brand toggle, subdomain, sender identity
│   ├── Population               import (CSV / HRIS), hygiene report, leavers, duplicates
│   ├── Hierarchy                tree editor, spans & layers, attribute mapping
│   ├── Anonymity                k, text k, works-council mode, manager visibility rules
│   ├── Cell-size simulator      reportable cuts at expected response rates
│   ├── Instruments              census / short form / frontline / 360 / interview guides
│   ├── Languages                translation status, human review queue
│   └── Consent & legal          privacy notice, video consent, DPIA checklist, works-council packet
├── Launch Command
│   ├── Comms sequencer          channel × audience × date
│   ├── Champions                named coordinators, their completion-only view
│   ├── Live fieldwork           completion by unit, channel, language, device; drop-off item
│   └── Nudge rules              unit-level, anonymity-respecting
├── Evidence
│   ├── Responses                aggregate only by default
│   ├── Text                     themes, quote book, provenance
│   ├── Video                    clips, transcripts, reel builder, consent tier
│   ├── Interviews               notes, transcripts, coding
│   ├── Documents                strategy decks, org charts, prior surveys, coded excerpts
│   └── Structure                spans, layers, cost bands (when present)
├── Analysis
│   ├── Scoreboard               index → dimension → practice
│   ├── Heatmap                  unit × dimension / practice
│   ├── Drivers                  relative importance for this client
│   ├── Contradiction radar      method disagreement
│   ├── Wave compare             locked items, mapped hierarchy
│   └── Workbench                filters, significance, effect size, outliers, saved cuts
├── Insights
│   ├── Insight board            draft → reviewed → partner-approved
│   ├── Spine builder            order 5–7 findings into the narrative
│   └── Recommendations          moves from the pack; service-catalog links
├── Diagnostic Room             live steering-committee mode
├── Deliverables
│   ├── Deck export              firm PPT master
│   ├── PDF leave-behind
│   ├── Excel appendix           k-safe tables, method, item text
│   ├── Clip reel                consent-cleared only
│   └── Manager packs            per-unit, k-safe, team actions only
├── Actions
│   ├── Initiatives              owner, due date, leading indicator, linked items
│   └── Next-wave design         auto-highlights linked items
└── Settings
    ├── Team                     firm users and roles on this engagement
    ├── Client users             sponsor, admin, viewers, managers
    ├── Retention                video / text / microdata clocks, purge
    └── Audit                    engagement-scoped log

2.3 Respondent

Mobile-first. Firm-branded. No account. One screen, one decision.

Respondent
├── Entry                        magic link / SSO / QR / kiosk code / SMS / WhatsApp
├── Welcome                      who is asking, why, how long, what happens to answers
├── Privacy                      "Your manager will never see your individual answers." k rule in one line
├── Language picker             remembered per device
├── Core instrument             blocks of 5–8 items; progress by block, not by item
├── Open-ends                    prompted, routed probes; voice-to-text on mobile
├── Video (optional)             separate consent, practice take, re-record, skip without penalty
├── Demographics                 only what is not already in the hierarchy file
├── Review & submit
├── Done                         what happens next, date of results share-back
└── Save & resume                token-scoped, 14-day expiry

360 raters see a variant: ratee name, relationship, rater-group anonymity rule (e.g., "Peer ratings are shown only when 3 or more peers respond").

2.4 Client Portal

Read-scoped. Only partner-approved Insight Objects and k-safe aggregates.

Client Portal
├── Summary                      the spine: 5–7 findings, each expandable to evidence
├── Scores                       index, dimensions, practices; vs last wave; vs book (labeled)
├── My area (managers)           k-safe team view, if unit clears k; otherwise rolled up with an explanation
├── Wave compare
├── Actions                      initiatives, owners, status, linked items
├── Documents                    deck, PDF, appendix
└── Share-back kit               all-staff summary, manager talking points

2.5 Role × surface matrix

"Identifiable" means row-level responses joined to person attributes. Access requires a stated purpose, is time-boxed (default 24h), and is written to the audit log with the purpose text.