2026 · M&A INTEL

PreCloseIntel

Shelved as a low-carrying-cost option rather than expanded without a justified slot.

PAUSED Used the framework's first run to produce and review the complete PRD.
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CONTEXT

The work started here.

An M&A attack-surface intelligence concept was developed through a seven-phase idea-to-build framework.

BUILD

What was built.

Attack-surface intelligence for M&A due diligence: assess a target company's external security posture before the deal closes. It exists as a complete PRD, produced by the 7-phase Idea → Build framework on its first run, and deliberately stops there.

PROJECT DESIGN

How it was shaped.

The framework takes an idea through validation questions, scoping, architecture, and buildable documentation before any code is justified. PreCloseIntel was the framework's shakedown cruise.

LESSONS

What changed afterward.

  • A PRD that survives review still has to win the build slot. A competing market with an expiration date won it; this one didn't.
  • “Paused with a complete plan” is a cheap state to hold: the option stays open at zero carrying cost.

WHY IT STOPPED

A complete plan did not win the build slot.

A competing market with an expiration date took priority, leaving this project intentionally paused with its plan intact.

CONTROL

The constraint that held.

Validation, scope, architecture, and buildable documentation precede any code commitment.

EVIDENCE

Where to inspect it next.

Build registerReturn to the build register

CARRIED FORWARD

What survived the project.

The Idea → Build framework itself, which every later project's PRD ran through.

WRITING

Field notes from this work.

No public field notes for this project yet.

Trust belongs in the schema, not the application.
The operating principle behind every project here. A rule the database enforces can't be forgotten in a hurry. Constraints, denied-by-default access, append-only logs — the controls that hold are the ones the system won't run without.