Onboarding a new Accelerator

A new Innovation Accelerator is productive when they can run intake through validation on a real, low-stakes bet without the Director in the room. This playbook is the shortest path to that point — usually four weeks, sometimes six.

• Lovable account, invited to the shared workspace
• ChatGPT with the Ramble Refiner prompt saved
• markup.io account for external sharing
• Access to Project Compass (view + edit)
• Access to the Hub — Mission, Operating Model, Roles, Playbooks

• Read the Mission and Case for Change end to end. These are the two pages you'll be asked to defend most often.
• Read the Operating Model and Prototyping workflow.
• Listen to two recorded sponsor conversations from live engagements. Note where the sponsor's stated request diverges from the underlying problem.
• Build one throwaway prototype in Lovable from a prompt of your choice — just to feel the tool.

Pick an active bet and attend everything — sponsor calls, user conversations, prototype iteration, validation sessions. Your job isn't to help. Your job is to see the full arc once, in real conditions.

• Draft your own version of the Ramble Refiner output after the sponsor call, compare notes.
• Draft your own Plan-mode plan for the next feature, compare with what actually shipped.
• Sit in on the validation session. Write your own evidence pack. Compare.

Pick a small, low-stakes signal from the intake queue. Run it end to end. Director observes, doesn't intervene unless something is going to burn the sponsor relationship.

• Own the sponsor conversation and the recording.
• Ship the signal brief.
• Ship the first prototype and put it in front of at least one real user.
• Retro with the Director at the end of the week.

• Weekly 1:1 with the Director focused on judgment calls, not status.
• Weekly portfolio walk — every active bet, gate risks, sponsor health.
• Contribute back: every engagement should improve one playbook, prompt, or template.