Use short internal milestones to expose blockers, not to promise a closing date. The following are suggested management timeboxes; seller responsiveness, report access, lender process, authority decisions and the transaction agreement determine actual timing.
| Suggested timebox | Owner action | Completion evidence |
|---|---|---|
| First two working days | Choose the decision owner, document the deadline, create the one-page brief and initial issue register | Approved brief and prioritised data request |
| Rest of week one | Reconcile the available baseline and identify the critical stop/go questions | Source-linked cash bridge, initial funding plan and missing-data list |
| Week two | Obtain focused specialist scopes or comparable bidder clarifications; challenge the largest assumptions | Scoped proposals, named responsibilities and an updated decision recommendation |
| By the next 30-day review, if the transaction allows | Resolve the priority gaps, revise economics and decide whether further expenditure is justified | Committee paper, conditions register and approved next stage |
A complex conversion may require much longer before dependable costs and approvals exist. A refinancing with a near-term maturity may require immediate parallel work. The correct sequence is governed by the critical dependencies, not by forcing every project into this table.